As a child my mom was admonished, through a school child's rhyme sung to the tune of Frère Jacques, to maintain a straight spine. The lyrics as she recalled them:
Perfect posture, perfect posture,
Do not slump, do not slack,
You must grow a pansome, you must grow up pretty,
Do not slump, watch your back.
Um … grow a pansome?
Indeed, grow up handsome!
This was my first exposure to what is referred to as a mondegreen, a misheard lyric or line of poetry for which the brain supplies a substitution, usually one that alters meaning or is nonsensical.
A broader term for misheard words or phrases, also filled in with substitutions but in this case usually applied to those that retain their original meanings, is the term eggcorn. A few examples, substitution on left, original language on right:
eggcorn/acorn,
doggy-dog/dog-eat-dog, and
hare's breath/hair's breadth.
I never tire of such language tom-foolery! I lost myself online today enjoying many belly laughs!
But surely good Mrs. Murphy* shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
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| For All Intensive Porpoises 1.75 x 6" bookmark; acrylic, ink, and collage abstract 2021 |
* Surely goodness and mercy … (Psalm 23:6)
