Mondegreen
[män-də-ˌgrēn]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: English, 1950s
1.
A word or phrase inspired by misheard language
2.
A made-up lyric or line that replaces a song's real words
Examples of Mondegreen in a sentence
"Singing along with Hendrix, she belted out the mondegreen "Excuse me while I kiss this guy.""
"He raps so quickly that his fans know only mondegreens rather than the true words of his songs."
About Mondegreen
The idea of a mondegreen came into the public eye in 2014, when pop superstar Taylor Swift released her number-one hit “Blank Space.” Infamously, millions of fans heard her utter the phrase “All the lonely Starbucks lovers,” which was actually “Got a long list of ex-lovers.” Swift, along with the coffee chain in question, poked fun at the mondegreen on Twitter.
Did you Know?
The word mondegreen is actually the result of a mondegreen itself. It stems from the misinterpretation of an old Scottish ballad lyric, "laid him on the green," which became "Lady Mondegreen."
