Word slip appeal

Forget slipping on a banana peel. You want comedy? Word slips are where it's at. Unintentionally screwing up song lyrics is always entertaining. One member of my family, who insists on remaining anonymous, loves Fun's "Some Nights." "I found a marble in my bed tonight," she sang when it first came out. "What did you say," I asked, listening carefully as she repeated the compelling lyric. "I believe the word is martyr, not marble," I corrected gently. "I guess that makes more sense," she agreed.

Several years ago, I had a 6th grade student scold me for playing an inappropriate song during a recreational period. Confused, I asked him what was wrong with the song. "There," he shouted, as we listened carefully to Of Monsters and Men's song "Little Talks." "...though the truth may vary, this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore." "What," I asked, completely bewildered. I tried not to laugh when he finally whispered the naughty word to me. "Elijah," I explained, "the word is ship."

Yesterday, I encountered two word slip situations that had me looking at my world in different ways. As I was walking in the bus loop, one of my 4th graders was rattling away about her fabulous trip to an indoor water park. I admit I was only half listening until she got to this part. "You'd be amazed how affordable it actually is, Mrs. Mosiman, once you pay the trolls." I stopped. "What," I asked her. "You know," she said impatiently, "When you leave New York." See what I mean? Who needs a pie-in-the-face gag when you have 9-year-olds delivering slapstick on the sidewalk?

Still giggling from that amusingly visual metaphor, I then was launched into a somewhat disturbing conversation about a beloved acquaintance of mine whose medical needs recently required a temporary catheter. Unfortunately, the term alluded my friend, lingering, as they say, on the tip of her tongue. No worries though. She found a suitable replacement, telling me that that somewhat sensitive male area would need to be cauterized. Same thing, I guess. I'll take a word slip over a word smith any day!