What is a spoonerism?

A spoonerism is a verbal error in which the initial sounds of two words are switched. It's named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner, an English clergyman known for his frequent and amusing slips of the tongue.

Here are some classic examples of spoonerisms:

* "You have hissed all my mystery lectures" (instead of "You have missed all my history lectures")

* "A blushing crow" (instead of "A crushing blow")

* "The dean's weary" (instead of "The wean's dreary")

Spoonerisms can be intentional for humor, or they can be unintentional, occurring due to a slip of the tongue. They are often considered to be a type of malapropism, which is a misuse of words that often creates humorous or nonsensical phrases.