Thursday, May 10, 2012

PD34. Spoonerism

There was an explorer named Lew,
Wired home for "two punts, one canoe."
The reply the next day
Said "Girls on the way,
But what in the hell's a 'panoe'?"

"Spoonerism" is an eponym, from Wm. Archibald Spooner's penchant for switching the leading consonants of two words.  Scroll down at the link to see several examples.

There are many jokes which rely on this device, and here are just two:
Q. What's the difference between a band of pygmies and a girls' track team?
A.  One's a bunch of cunning runts (and the other's a bunch of...)

Q.  What's the difference between an epileptic oyster shucker and a whore with diarrhea?
A.  The eplileptic shucks between fits...

2 comments:

  1. Now I can contribute something besides a rare comment: Three of my favorite Spoonies:
    What is the difference between a snake and a goose?...One is an asp in the grass.

    What is the difference between a girl in church and a girl in the bathtub? One has hope in her soul......

    What is the difference between a rooster and a schyster lawyer? The rooster clucks defiance...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amanda B. ReckendwithMay 14, 2012 at 5:24 PM

    And what is the difference between a seamstress and an over-the-hill diva?
    (The seamstress tucks up frills...)

    ReplyDelete