Spoonerism \SPOO-nuh-riz-uhm\, noun: The transposition of usually initial sounds in a pair of words.

Some examples:

* We all know what it is to have a half-warmed fish ["half-formed wish"] inside us.

* The Lord is a shoving leopard ["loving shepherd"].

* It is kisstomary to cuss ["customary to kiss"] the bride.

* Is the bean dizzy ["dean busy"]?

* When the boys come back from France, we'll have the hags flung out ["flags hung out"]!

* Let me sew you to your sheet ["show you to your seat"].

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The expression "Spoonerism" comes from the name of the Rev. William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), a kindly but nervous Anglican clergyman and teacher. All the above examples were committed by (or attributed to) him. A few others include:

Once he announced the title of a hymn as "Kinkering Kongs Their Titles Take" [Conquering Kings Their Titles Take"].

To a parisoner accidentally taking a previously-reserved seat in his church, he once said: "Mardon me Padom, this pie is occupewed."

To his students: "You hissed my mystery lecture", and "You have deliberately tasted two worms [wasted two terms], and can leave Oxford by the town drain!"

Other classics: "sporn-rim hectacles" [horn-rim spectacles], "one swell foop" [one fell swoop], "a well-boiled icicle" [a well-oiled bicycle], "The assissination of Sassero" [assassination of Cicero], and, when addressing a huge patriotic meeting during the First World War, he famously referred to Queen Victoria as "our queer old Dean" [our dear old Queen].

Rev. Spooner came up with innumerable other Spoonerisms during his career.