From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishspoonerismspoo‧ner‧is‧m /ˈspuːnərɪzəm/ noun [countable] SLa phrase in which the speaker accidentally exchanges the first sounds of two words, with a funny result, for example ‘sew you to a sheet’ instead of ‘show you to a seat’Origin spoonerism (1900-2000) William Spooner (1844-1930), British university teacher who supposedly often made such mistakes
