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  1. mondegreen love

Did you perchance mean nondegree?

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A series of words that result from the mishearing or misinterpretation of a statement or song lyric. For example, I led the pigeons to the flag for I pledge allegiance to the flag.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A form of error arising from mishearing a spoken or sung phrase
  2. n. rare A misunderstanding of a written or spoken phrase as a result of multiple definitions.

Etymologies

  1. Coined by Sylvia Wright in Harper’s Magazine (The Death of Lady Mondegreen, Nov 1954) from a mishearing of a line in the Scottish ballad The Bonny Earl of Murray: "They hae slay the Earl of Murray, / And laid him on the green" (misheard as “Lady Mondegreen”). (Wiktionary)
  2. After (Lady) Mondegreen, a misinterpretation of the line (hae laid) him on the green, from the song "The Bonny Earl of Murray”. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “I'm so glad to have the term mondegreen now; it will surely vie with "earworm" for usefulness.”

    It's all workin' out. - A Dress A Day

  • “It involves a quirky novel written by MANDY GREEN (yep, a mondegreen of "mondegreen") whose story centers on a mondegreen ( "Gesundheit Whistle" misheard as GAZOON HIGH TWIZZLE).”

    Mondegreens

  • “It's called "mondegreen," and it means "the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase, typically a standardized phrase, such as a line in a poem or a lyric in a song.”

    Shawn Amos: "Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy" & Other Misheard Lyrics

  • “It's a 'mondegreen', from The Bonnie Earl O' Murray:”

    Waxing Lyrical

  • “One thing led to another, and now I’m the administrator of a flaky effort called Mandy Green Project, largely aimed at helping make "mondegreen" a household word.”

    Mondegreens

  • “Not a mondegreen, but it's also advisable not to forget yr mum's in the car with you and start singing along to Rocks by Primal Scream.”

    Mondegreens

  • “It's either that or Tony Danza is a common mondegreen.”

    Mondegreens

  • “They'll particularly like the page "What is a mondegreen?", with a killer video full of 'em.”

    Mondegreens

  • “I'm a native of Vermont, and this is my favorite mondegreen (from the Beach Boys '"Kokomo"):”

    Mondegreens

  • “It's the '76 Manfred Mann's Earth Band cover that's responsible for the signature mondegreen on this one.”

    Shawn Amos: "Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy" & Other Misheard Lyrics

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  1. neologism
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Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘mondegreen’.

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Comments

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  • harmonygritz Never mind the "shoping" sic distraction-- more mondegreens at Jon Carroll's column archives. Oct 18, 2011

  • Wordplayer There is actually an entire game based on mondegreens...it's called Mad Gab.
    Sep 20, 2011

  • yarb I think there's a name for sentence-length mondegreens like that - a French word maybe?

    The big challenge is to find two such sentences which both make sense individually. Sep 20, 2011

  • ravendesk Won miniature aunt opt then extra sue she.
    (One minute you're on top, the next you're sushi.) Sep 20, 2011

  • myth Cue the Groucho Marx jokes:

    Groucho: "That's in every contract, that's what you call a sanity clause."
    Chico: "You can't a fool a me there ain't no Santy Claus"

    Minister: "We need to take up the tax"
    Groucho: "I'd like to take up the carpet."
    Minister: "I still insist we take up the tax."
    Groucho: "He's right - you've gotta take up the tacks before you can take up the carpet."

    "Do you rumba?"
    "Why, yes!"
    "Well, pick a rumba between one and ten."
    - Not sure if it counts if you misunderstand yourself. :)

    Chico: "Who are you?"
    Groucho: "Im fine, thanks. Who are you?"

    Ice Water? Get some Onions - that'll make your eyes water! May 17, 2009

  • reesetee Thanks, yarb--knew there was at least one other one somewhere. Oct 22, 2008

  • yarb And yet more here. Oct 22, 2008

  • reesetee Also here and here.
    Oct 21, 2008

  • frindley More mondegreens here. Apr 27, 2008

  • sionnach Gladly, the cross-eyed bear, thinks this word is awesome. Nov 1, 2007

  • tellurian I can never quite get the image of Vienna Teng carring an axe convincingly out of my head.... Oct 31, 2007

  • cathari I used to hear "Lucy and this guy with diamonds" (I assumed they were getting married.) Oct 31, 2007

  • abraxaszugzwang can we start a misheard lyrics page?

    "There's a bathroom on the right." Feb 7, 2007

  • chained_bear Wow. Is that the origin of this word? Never knew that...

    "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy."
    --Jimi Hendrix (not)

    By the way, interesting article on how the human brain can distinguish time intervals between phonemes with a 90% accuracy rate is in Newsweek this week (Feb. 12, 2007, p.14, or http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16961082/site/newsweek/), from whence I ripped off this example. :) Feb 7, 2007

  • seanahan Ye Highlands, and ye Lawlands
    Oh where have you been?
    They have slain the Earl of Murray,
    And they layd him on the green. Dec 12, 2006

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‘mondegreen’ has been looked up 3106 times, loved by 28 people, added to 118 lists, commented on 15 times, and is not a valid Scrabble word.