"One swell foop" is a Spoonerism, "the flaw in the ointment" is a Farberism.
Source: tatoeba (2027730)
Spoonerism
/ˈspuː.nəɹˌɪ.zəm/
Synonyms for "spoonerism" (62 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (13)
abuse of termsacronymacrosticamphibologismamphibolyanacoluthonanagramavyayibhavaback formationbarbarismbullcalembourcatachresis
Strong matches (18)
clipped wordcompoundconjugateconstructioncorruptiondvandvadviguendocentric compoundequivocalityequivoqueexocentric compoundfigure of speechflufffolk etymologyformationgrammatical errorhypercorrection
Noun(1 words)
Related words (31)
hyperformirish bulljeu de motslogogramlogogriphmalapropmalapropismmarrowskymetagrammetaphormispronunciationmissayingmisusagepalindromeparonomasiaparonymplay on wordspunpunningsimile
Show 5 more words
Noun(6 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abuse of terms, acronym, acrostic, amphibologism, amphiboly.
- Sentence evidence is available for spoonerism, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, opengloss.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "spoonerism".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "spoonerism"
Keep "spoonerism" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "spoonerism" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "spoonerism", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "spoonerism" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
5 entriesMore specific
7 entriesconsonant swaphistorical terminitial sound swapnamed errorphoneme exchangephoneme swapsyllable swap
Collocations
6 entriesclassic spoonerisminitial sound swapphoneme swapspoonerism examplespoonerism jokewordplay device
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
3 entriesSample sentences
7 total sentences available.
Undergraduates at Oxford University were playfully fond of Spooner, whom they nicknamed "the Spoo". They also coined the term "spoonerism" around 1885, after Spooner had been a fellow at New College for almost twenty years. By 1892, his reputation for absentmindedness was well known; students came to New College expecting to hear a spoonerism.
Source: wiktionary
A Spoonerism may sometimes alter the whole tenor of a person’s career. An extremely bashful man was asked to find the elderly daughter of the house, who was in the garden, and ask her to make tea. “Miss Florence,” he said, when he discovered her in the rosery, “I have come to ask if you will take me?” And she did!
Source: wiktionary
I am not going to put on any weight until I’m fifty, when I shall allow myself to become matronly, ready to be a follower of ‘soda and gobbly matrons’, as enjoined by the marriage service. (A good Spoonerism that, created quite involuntarily by my mother some years ago.)
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 7 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "spoonerism"?
Closest matches include abuse of terms, acronym, acrostic, amphibologism, amphiboly.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "spoonerism"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.