 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2017) |
William Archibald Spooner | |
|---|---|
 Spooner in 1924 | |
| Born | 22 July 1844 Grosvenor Place, London |
| Died | 29 August 1930 (aged 86) |
| Nationality | English |
| Known for | Spoonerisms |
| Spouse | Frances Wycliffe Goodwin (1878) |
William Archibald Spooner (22 July 1844 – 29 August 1930) was a British clergyman and long-serving Oxford don. He was most notable for his absent-mindedness, and for supposedly mixing up the syllables in a spoken phrase, with unintentionally comic effect. Such phrases became known as spoonerisms, and are often used humorously. Many spoonerisms have been invented and attributed to Spooner.