Definition of "Mondegreen"

You learn something new each day. The following is information from the Oxford English Dictionary about the word "mondegreen," a word I learned thanks to Dan Rivera (an educational advisor at the Madera Community College Center) that is applicable to karaoke:

Brit. /mndgrin/, U.S. /mndgrin/
A misunderstood or misinterpreted word or phrase resulting from a mishearing, esp. of the lyrics to a song.
1954 S. WRIGHT in Harper's Mag. Nov. 49/1 The point about what I shall hereafter call mondegreens, since no one else has thought up a word for them, is that they are better than the original. 1957 Harper's Mag. Dec. 6/3 When I saw Sylvia Wright's lead paragraph on ompremity (October) I was afraid your penetrating exposer of mondegreens had lighted on it. 1979 W. SAFIRE in N.Y. Times Mag. 27 May 14/2 Thanks to responsive readers, I have a column on sound defects and a whole closetful of mondegreens. 1994 S. PINKER Lang. Instinct vi. 186 The interesting thing about mondegreens is that the mis-hearings are generally less plausible than the intended lyrics.

The Muse for the 2009 Rogue Performance Festival

Each year, there is a picture known as "the muse" that is taken on as the logo for the Rogue Performance Festival. This year's "muse" was unveiled yesterday at http://www.fresnobeehive.com. However, here it is for all who are curious:



Click on the picture above to be directed to the Rogue Festival website.