Definition mondegreen in British English

mondegreen noun

[countable] noun

/ˈmɒndəˌɡriːn/

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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