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Mondegreen: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Mondegreen noun. A misheard phrase, especially a song lyric, that takes on a new and often funny meaning.
How to say it
MON-dih-green/ˈmɒndɪɡriːn/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (MON). Forms: mondegreens.
Mondegreen in a sentence
For years he sang 'hold me closer, Tony Danza', a mondegreen of Elton John's 'tiny dancer'.
Children's mondegreens of carols are a rich source of family jokes.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- mishearing
Where mondegreen comes from
Coined in 1954 by the writer Sylvia Wright, who as a child heard 'and laid him on the green' in a ballad as 'and Lady Mondegreen'.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Children's _____ of carols are a rich source of family jokes.
- escutcheon
- mondegreen
- sternutation
Show the answer
mondegreen: Children's mondegreens of carols are a rich source of family jokes.