mondegreen
📖 Definitions
noun
A word or phrase resulting from mishearing a word or phrase,
especially in song lyrics.
Example
“The girl with colitis goes by” for “The girl with kaleidoscope eyes”
(in the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”).
💬 Usage Examples
“Sometimes in musical announcements, words lose their meaning, or are misheard, resulting in a delightful mondegreen. ... The audience thought Walter Love had said: ‘We are beginning tonight with Howard Ferguson’s overture ‘Fornication’.’” (instead of “Overture for an Occasion”). Paul Clements; An Irishman’s Diary; Irish Times (Dublin); Oct 5, 2016. “[Tim Minchin’s] elocution is so exquisite there’s not a mondegreen in earshot.” Suzanne Simonot; Tim and Tom Show a HOTA Opening Act; The Gold Coast Bulletin (Southport, Australia); Mar 19, 2018.