Two fishermen were out on a lake when one of them dropped his wallet. As they watched the wallet float down to the depths of the lake, a carp came along and snatched up the wallet. Soon came another carp who stole it away and then a third joined in. Remarked one of the fisherman, "that's the first time I’ve ever seen carp-to-carp walleting."
What’s so funny about this? I particularly like this spoonerism because it involves more than just switching two words. As you read and listen to the joke, your mind is focused on two people fishing on a lake and what happens to them. The last thing you would think about is your living room. You learn that one guy loses his wallet which is picked up and tossed around by several carp, a type of fish. Note, by the way that the plural of carp is just like the plural of fish; there’s no S at the end. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, you hear the fisherman talk about “carp-to-carp walleting.” This is a term you have most likely never heard, nor have I or anyone else who has not heard this joke. It’s weird and bizarre to think of fish passing around a human’s wallet. Why would they do that? But there’s something familiar sounding about the phrase, the sound, not the actual words. Then you realize, it’s a spoonerism based on the phrase “wall-to-wall carpeting.” This is when you have a carpet or rug that covers an entire floor of a room in your house or apartment. You see no wood, or linoleum or cement. It’s all carpet that been cut to the exact size of your room. Sometimes an entire house may be covered like this. That why the photo for this audio boo has a carpet covered with fish. It’s wall-to-wall carp-eting. And THAT’s what’s so funny!
