Word of the Day
Mondegreen
Pronunciation
[mon-di-green]
MEANING
noun: A word or phrase resulting from mishearing a word or phrase, especially in
song lyrics.
For example: "The girl with colitis goes by" for "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes" in the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds".
ETYMOLOGY
Coined by author Sylvia Wright when she misinterpreted the line "laid him on the green" as "Lady Mondegreen" in the Scottish ballad "The Bonny Earl of Murray". Earliest
documented use: 1954.
Usage:
"Since I live in Thailand, the most meaningful mondegreen for me was my own
mishearing of a line from The Jam's Eton Rifles. Instead of the correct 'What chance do
you have against a tie and a crest?', for years I heard 'What chance do you have against a
Thai in a dress?'" Richard Watson Todd; Much Ado about English; Nicholas Brealey
Publishing; May 1, 2007.
Test Your Memory: What is the meaning of the noun "Recuse," our Word of the Day from February 23 ? The answer is ...
Mondegreen
Pronunciation
[mon-di-green]
noun: A word or phrase resulting from mishearing a word or phrase, especially in
song lyrics.
For example: "The girl with colitis goes by" for "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes" in the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds".
ETYMOLOGY
Coined by author Sylvia Wright when she misinterpreted the line "laid him on the green" as "Lady Mondegreen" in the Scottish ballad "The Bonny Earl of Murray". Earliest
documented use: 1954.
Usage:
"Since I live in Thailand, the most meaningful mondegreen for me was my own
mishearing of a line from The Jam's Eton Rifles. Instead of the correct 'What chance do
you have against a tie and a crest?', for years I heard 'What chance do you have against a
Thai in a dress?'" Richard Watson Todd; Much Ado about English; Nicholas Brealey
Publishing; May 1, 2007.
Test Your Memory: What is the meaning of the noun "Recuse," our Word of the Day from February 23 ? The answer is ...
WORDS YOU MUST KNOW
Opprobrium | Bursiform | Elysian | Mithridatism | Kaffeeklatsch | Hebdomad
Wakerife | Quadrennium | Nugacity | Cogent | Conterminous
