Rear Deeders, hiss and lear. Nope, not a typo but a series of spoonerisms. Phrases, sentences and words with swapped sounds are spoonerisms. And we all experience them from time to time, usually when speaking at speed. Words or letters simply rearrange themselves, often to humourous effect. Named for the Reverend W. A. Spooner (1844-1930), Dean of New College in Oxford, England, whose quick mind often raced ahead of his tongue. The result was often words and sentences with swapped sounds. Here's a couple of examples of his notable spoonerisms: he turned "you missed my history lecture" into "you hissed my mystery lecture" and when he meant to say "is the Dean busy" it came out as "is the bean dizzy".
During the 1930s and 1940s, author F. Chase Taylor, writing under the pseudonym Colonel Stoopnagle, wrote a number of spoonerism fairy tales for the Saturday Evening Post. A couple of titles included, Beeping Sleauty and Goldybear and the Three Locks.
So today when you inadvertently mix up those letters, smile at the tips of the slung and carry on!
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