A spoonerism is the transposition of the beginning syllables of two or more words – often for comic effect. The unfortunate fellow who gave his name to this strange speech impediment was one Reverend William Archibald Spooner, a one-time Warden of New College, Oxford. He has had many sayings attributed to him, many of which are sadly untrue. The only verified entry in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is “The weight of rages will press hard upon the employer”.

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