Spoonerisms

[Xenops]

I found this definition by accident, but it has given me multiple giggles.

A spoonerism is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words in a phrase.[1][2] These are named after the Oxford don and ordained minister William Archibald Spooner, who was famous for doing this.

An example is saying "The Lord is a shoving leopard" instead of "The Lord is a loving shepherd." While spoonerisms are commonly heard as slips of the tongue, they can also be used intentionally as a play on words.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoonerism

[lavengro]

My favourite spoonerism, intentional on George Carlin's part: "Don't pet the sweaty things" or the fuller "Don't sweat the petty things or pet the sweaty things."

[Serpent]

I hope Spoonary posts here

[Gomorrita]

I didn't know it had this name! I unintentionally do this once in a while and the results are invariably comical.

[Monox D. I-Fly]

So, it's an oral dyslexia?

[leosmith]

"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things". George Carlin

[Iversen]

This reference to the topic of speoonerisms reminded of a book I have had on my shelf for a long time, but not reread recently: the utterly dirty and very funny slang dictionary by Kaj Bom (another, more traditional and more sober, but also much less funny one has later been published by the same Danish publishing house, the eternal spelling error Politiken). Unfortunately for most of you it is in Danish, but I'll give a few examples from the literary section who also qualify as spoonerisms.

An old religious book for use at home, "Jesper Brochmanns Huspostil", becomes "Jesper Husmands Brokpistol" (literally "Jesper Smallholder's hernia pistol")
A venerated historical book "Dagligt liv i Norden" ("Daily life in the North (Scandinavia)) becomes "Dagligt niv i lorten" ("Daily pinch in the turd")
Ingemann's historical novel "Valdemar Sejr" (name of the Danish king 1202-1241) becomes "Sadelmager Meyer" ("saddler Meyer")

and from the domain of music:

"Lad tonerne fortælle" (let the tones tell) becomes "Lad tænderne fortolde" ("put duty on the teeth")
"Mesternyren i Zangenberg" ("The Master Kidney in Zangenberg") is of course "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" by Wagner, which in Danish is "Mestersangerne i Nürnberg"

.. but bad translations ('undersættelser' (instead of 'oversættelser') are much more common:

"Lucia di Lammermoor" by Donizetti becomes "Lus i lammelåret" ("Lice in the thigh of the lamb")
"Festpolonaise" by the Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen's becomes "Fest-pil-i-næse" ("Festival pick-your-nose")
"Tosken" ("the fool", from "torsk" = cod) is Puccini's "Tosca"
"Indianeren laver i kålen" ("The native American defecates in the cabbage") refers to the once popular "Indian love call" (from an old musical names "Rosemary")
and
"De skønne myldrer ind" ("the beauties are swarming in") is of course "Die Schöne Müllerin" by Schubert ("the pretty female miller or miller's wife")

Outside names of books, music etc. spoonerisms in slang are rare - after all you need several words in a fixed expression or very long compound words to get the chance to recombine the elements.