The embarrassment of Spoonerisms

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Spoonerism

Noun: spoonerism (spoonurizum)

Transposition of initial consonants in a pair of words

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This is something I have suffered from since childhood.

It can create many new words - some of which I now deliberately keep in my day to day vocabulary.

Spoonerisms come with out warning. I often chuckle at what I meant to say compared to what actually came out... & sometimes I dont even notice that it happens until it is pointed out to me by whom ever I am speaking to. Sometimes others are too horrified to point them out to me. It can be funny & entertaining - It can also be outrageously embarrassing in the wrong company!

There are many I have said - too many to list all, but these ones come to mind

wrinking dater (sounds like wrinking daughter) (drinking water)
bar coot (car boot)
dompact cisc (compact disc)
pmoke sacket (smoke packet)
tomputer cower (computer tower)
veletision (television)
pouse mad (mouse pad)

Some of my all time repeats are Vulti Mitimin (Multi Vitamin), Ferigerator (refrigerator) or Toob Boob (Boob Tube - & yes, that shows how long ago I started saying that one!)

Now to the big one - still, to date, this is the most embarrassing one & gawd I hope it stays that way!

I was 13 years old. Remember how impressionable you were at age 13? I had many friends that were a few years older than me. One such girl was Kerry. Kerry had a car ! That was impressive when you were 13.

Ok, so I am standing outside the church hall where I practiced my callisthenics. It is also called Physical Culture in Australia. Click here to see what it is if you are unsure. Damn I was good at Physie. Even represented my home town on a few occasions. Anyway, back to the story.

I was outside the hall with three other girls. I was introducing two friends, the same age as me, to Kerry. Oddly enough, I can clearly recall so much. Where the sun was in the sky, where we were standing, where Kerry's car was parked... so many details.

So off I went with the intro, this is Cheryl Kranz, this is Jayne Fedorif and this is Kerry Hunt... all sounds good doesnt it?

EXCEPT.. I didnt say Kerry Hunt.. spoonerisms kicked in at the most unfortunate time and I said " Herry Kunt" .. Herry, said with my accent, sounds like Hairy........

I was mortified.

For all the details of my surroundings that I can recall immediatly prior to the introductions, I can not remember at all what happened after I completed that sentence. I am at a total loss to retrieve that memory. As much as I have tried, I have no idea of what was said (if anything) afterwards - nothing at all.

Nothing, except that there was a small crack in the concrete on the ground between my shoes and the sensation of my face going red as a beetroot.

The innocence of what I said haunted me for a long time. In truth, yes I swore, all kids swear, but I NEVER used that word... never - infact I still dont .. maybe that is why?

One thing though, I do NOT recall seeing Kerry very often after that spoonerism episode! Wonder why? Still, she didnt beat my head to a pulp so thats a plus!



damn it, think bubble wont attach to head... think that says anything?

Ok thats my personal admission for the day.