Date:  Sat, 16 Sep 1995 00:29:04 -0700

From:  Rima & Kim McKinzey <rkm[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]SLIP.NET>

Subject: Re: Mondegreens



"pullet surprise" is what many of us call Mondegreens, those mishearings

we've all had at one time or another. This one is a mishearing of

Pullitzer Prize.



The term Mondegreen is from the old English ballad "The Earl of Murray."

The line in question goes something like "and they killed the Earl of

Murray and laid him on the green" which was heard as the killing of two

people, the poor Earl of Murray and Lady Mondegreen.



They include "Gladly, the cross-eyed bear," "Lead us not into Penn

Station" etc. I remember as a kid hearing what I thought was Notor

Republic. I knew what a republic was, but had never heard of one that was

Notor. And my grandmother used to say someone looked "Pale as a goat."



Rima