Friday, 13 November 2026

My Grandfather's Surname Was Spooner

William Archibald Spooner [not my Grandad, not a relation] was a Victorian Clergyman, and a long serving Oxford Don at New College, where he was a student, then a member of staff for over sixty years. He had a nervous tendency which made him occasionally transpose the initials of words. This characteristic became well known, and the word "Spoonerism" was coined to describe it. I love finding new Spoonerisms. Famous phrases allegedly spoken by the man include

You have Hissed all my  Mystery lessons, Tasted two whole Worms, 
        and you will leave Oxford by the Town  Drain
As an after dinner toast in the College Dining Room "God bless the Queer Old  Dean
He was riding a well Boiled  Icicle
 
You get the picture...

Last Friday, the morning after my dental visit, Bob came out with an unintentional Spoonerism. As he said it, he knew it sounded wrong. We had just woken up, and he asked "How are you this morning, sweetheart?" I answered cheerfully "I'm Happy!" 
Bob responded "Well at least you're not Gropey and Dumpy"

90 years ago, when the original film was made, there was a very long list of names, and these are the ones which were discarded by Disney's team.

Awful Baldy Bashful Biggo-Ego Burpy Daffy Deafy Dippy Dirty Dizzy Doleful Dopey Dumpy Flabby Gabby Grumpy Hickey Hoppy Hotsy Hungry Jaunty Jumpy Lazy Neurtsy [?] Nifty Puffy Sappy Scrappy Shifty Shorty Silly Sleepy Snappy Sneezy Sneezy-Wheezy Sniffy Snoopy Soulful Strutty Stuffy Swift Tearful Thrifty Weepy Wheezy Wistful Woeful

Dr Spooner would have had fun with that lot.
They do say that if someone asks you to name one of the seven dwarfs, the one you say first describes your character.

If there was an eighth dwarf, what would you call him?


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