Definition mondegreen in American English

mondegreen noun

[countable] noun

/ˈmɑndəˌɡrin/

a phrase in a song or poem that someone hears wrongly and thinks that a different phrase is being sung or said. For example, in the song "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix, the listener, hearing "Scuse me while I kiss the sky", might think they are hearing "Scuse me while I kiss this guy".

Synonyms and related words

adage aphorism axiom

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