Spooner, William Archibald (1844–1930)

English academic after whom the phenomenon of spoonerism is named. He was an Anglican cleric and warden of New College, Oxford, 1903–24, with a tendency to transpose the initial sounds of words, as in ‘Let us drink to the queer old Dean’ (dear old Queen). Most spoonerisms are apocryphal.

Spooner was elected a fellow of New College in 1867, and lectured on ancient history, philosophy, and divinity. ‘You have tasted two whole worms, hissed all my mystery lectures, and been caught fighting a liar in the quad. You must leave Oxford by the next town drain’ is often cited as an example of a spoonerism, though he probably never said it.