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Richard Walker

Mondegreens, and one for our times

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Yesterday I saw a joke: One ant says to another ant, "Dad, why don't we get coronavirus?" The reply, "Because we have anty bodies Son."

This set me musing on Auntie Bodice and the like. Combinations of words that sound like another phrase, and so are often misheard, are called Modegreens. A great example is Bob Dylan's famous song, "The ants are my friends, is blowin' in the wind". I also like Demond Dekker, "Oh Oh Oh Oh, my ears are alight".

Then this mondegreen popped into my head:

"So shall dissed aunts sing?"

You can sort of imagine a small choir of disaffected aunts debating practicing or not (I'd advise not but that's another story).

So was I first with this Modegreen? When I Googled it (I always do due diligence), I stumbled on an entire book that is nothing but Modegreens. Modegreens all the way through (or the waif rue).

The book is Utter Nonsense, by Clive Burke. Let me give you a couple of examples.These are Furry Tails.

Ghoul de Luxe endth repairs
Wants a porno thyme, dare were tree pears. ...

Racks tore ritches
There one's war sick hurl, cold Cindy Roller. Shoes fairy prat tea. ...

The book is actually a bit more zany than this. My paperback copy is on its way, no Kindle edition sadly.



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