Question

What word was coined in the 20th century for persistent mishearing and/or misunderstanding of a commonly known group of words?

Answer 1

Mondegreen
American writer Sylvia Wright published the term in 1954 in "Harper's Magazine", citing a phrase "Lay'd him on the green" from a poem she frequently heard, and misheard. Other noted mishearings include "Four calling birds" instead of "Four colly [black] birds", "Jose, can you see by the donzerly light" instead of "Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light" and "L'avion rose" [the pink aeroplane] instead of "La Vie En Rose".