Mondegreens
A mondegreen is a mishearing of a song lyric, poem or familiar phrase that produces new - often hilarious - words. The term was coined in 1954 by the writer Sylvia Wright, who as a child heard the ballad line 'and laid him on the green' as 'and Lady Mondegreen'.
This guide collects famous mondegreens from songs, prayers, pledges and everyday speech, each shown beside the words that were actually sung or said. They are great fun, but they also show how our brains fill gaps in what we hear with words that seem to make sense - and why clear pronunciation matters.
22 entries in this category
Everyday Phrases
5Correct phrase: "For all intents and purposes" - meaning "in effect".
"For all intents and purposes, the project is finished."
Correct phrase: "It's a dog-eat-dog world" - meaning fiercely competitive.
"Business can be a dog-eat-dog world."
Correct phrase: "Nip it in the bud" - stop a problem early, like pinching off a flower bud.
"If he starts arriving late, nip it in the bud."
Correct phrase: "Pass muster" - be good enough, from soldiers passing inspection.
"Your essay will pass muster with a few small edits."
Correct term: "Alzheimer's disease", named after Dr Alois Alzheimer.
"Alzheimer's disease affects memory and thinking."
Poems, Prayers & Pledges
8Actual words: "And laid him on the green" - the ballad line that gave mondegreens their name (Sylvia Wright, 1954).
"Writer Sylvia Wright misheard the Scottish ballad as a child and coined the word."
Actual words: "Gladly the cross I'd bear" - a line from a hymn.
"Generations of children pictured a squinting bear in church."
Actual words: "Round yon virgin" - from the carol "Silent Night".
"Many children thought Round John Virgin was a character in the Nativity."
Actual words: "Lead us not into temptation" - from the Lord's Prayer.
"A New York child once asked why the prayer mentioned a railway station."
Actual words: "Hallowed be thy name" - from the Lord's Prayer.
"Some children assume God's first name is Harold."
Actual words: "...and to the republic for which it stands" - from the US Pledge of Allegiance.
"Young pupils sometimes wonder who Richard Stands was."
Actual words: "O say, can you see" - the opening of the US national anthem.
"It is a classic joke about the anthem's first line."
Actual words: "All of the other reindeer" - from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".
"The mishearing became so popular it inspired a children's book."
Song Lyrics
9Actual words: "'Scuse me while I kiss the sky" - Jimi Hendrix, "Purple Haze".
"Hendrix reportedly joked about the mishearing on stage."
Actual words: "Hold me closer, tiny dancer" - Elton John, "Tiny Dancer".
"The mishearing even turned up in a TV sitcom."
Actual words: "There's a bad moon on the rise" - Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Bad Moon Rising".
"The band's singer has been known to sing the misheard version for fun."
Actual words: "Revved up like a deuce" - Manfred Mann's Earth Band, "Blinded by the Light".
"It is often voted the most misheard lyric of all time."
Actual words: "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes" - The Beatles, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
"The mishearing turned a dreamy image into a medical one."
Actual words: "The answer, my friend" - Bob Dylan, "Blowin' in the Wind".
"Listeners imagined insects drifting on the breeze."
Actual words: "Got a long list of ex-lovers" - Taylor Swift, "Blank Space".
"The singer has said even her mum misheard the line."
Actual words: "Hit me with your best shot" - Pat Benatar.
"A pet shark would make a very unusual weapon."
Actual words: "Sweet dreams are made of this" - Eurythmics.
"Cheese lovers happily adopted the misheard version."