What Is a Mondegreen?
Every generation has a few great wordsmiths who leave an indelible mark on language — Tolstoy, Austen, Shakespeare, Dickinson, and Poe come to mind. While she may not traditionally be heralded as an accomplished writer, I look for inspiration from the fictional Friends character Phoebe Buffay, who, in my opinion,
wrote one of the funniest lines of the late 20th century. Portrayed by Lisa Kudrow, Phoebe was known for her offbeat anecdotes and wonderfully absurd song lyrics that, now and then, included a ludicrous mondegreen. Phoebe's season 3 rendition of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" became legendary when she mistakenly sang,...
