Pages

Saturday 27 July 2013

Help My Nongue is in a Tot

Woken on yet another sweltering night from a mere half hour's sleep, by the wailing shrieking and eerie howling of neighbouring cats, I lay sweating and thinking of this evening's prior quacktice.

Aware vaguely that there was something wrong with that thought, I realised that the late lamented and much quoted Dr William Spooner and I had things in common.

It was he who when spotting his cat stuck high in a tree, called it and remarked that "it popped on its little drawers and was down in a trice".

A day or two ago I remarked to someone who was holding a long, tedious conversation with me on my doorstep that I had a "cot of poffee" waiting.

Somewhere I read a while ago of an evangelist who had "waved the Pay" for those who came after.

Why does the mind do this I wonder?  Is it aware that the body which is host to its meanderings is in need of entertainment?

Is it part of that same process which causes one to use an apparently random noun to complete an otherwise perfectly sensible sentence?

The thing which makes us say "I'm just off to catch my book", when we meant the bus to the library.

The older I get, the more aware I become that our mental 'timers' can very easily fall out of sync, so that while the conscious part of the brain is thinking one thing, the mouth - vehicle of the thought process - is doing something else entirely.

Sorry, I'm rambling.

Well it is the middle of the night.

The bed should have cooled down by now so will return and sly to treep!

10 comments:

  1. I hope you got some sleep after all that!
    I used to do spoonerisms all the time as a young teacher. My classes loved it! Oddly now I am old they don't happen all that often....The brain is a quirky instrument!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quirky indeed Jean. Not having had any sleep at all last night I got up and showered at 5.00 am then had to hang about for 3 hours before I could even think of going to town. The library doesn't open until 9.30 and most shops not before 9.00 so by this afternoon my brain had shut down completely.
      This evening we have had thunder lightning and very heavy showers. So hopefully tonight may be a bit cooler.

      Delete
  2. I do it all the time too...not only think it and say it...but many times type it into a comments section...and then have to go back and change my comment :) I, too, hope you were able to get some sleep!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Funny isn't it Theanne? If we try to be clever and make up funny Spoonerisms it just doesn't work, but just try to impress someone with your clear thought processes and bingo, a Spoonerism lands and egg on face results.
    No, I'm afraid no sleep was to be had last night, so will make up for it I hope tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can fully sympathise with no sleep. My restless legs syndrome is back.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It ain't much fun is it Jane?
    Perhaps we should start a club for the sleep-deprived and terminally grumpy. Sorry is that just me?
    I'm sorry your leg problem is back.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So glad it's not just me who does the random word thing, Ray, even without sleeplessness to blame it on. I've done the odd spoonerism before now, but it's when I talk about hoover when I mean mower that I start to fear for my mental processes.....

    ReplyDelete
  7. You mean you don't mow your carpets?
    Yes I know what you mean, but actually the two processes are vaguely similar, so not quite as batty as it sounds.
    I think the brain makes its own connections without our conscious involvement, its just when we try to put thoughts into words the trouble starts.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am also an insomniac although I don't usually suffer spoonerisms!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Give it time Sue, it gets to us all you know.

    ReplyDelete