Dictionary

mentlegen en · NOUN

Meanings

1. (humorous, plural, plural-only) Spoonerism of gentlemen.
   • “You and the fucking swing sets,” Ted said, and grinned. “Five miles to Barnhill. What’s the vote, mentlegen?” 2013, Geoffrey Girard, Cain’s Blood, New York: Touchstone; Simon & Schuster, via Internet Archive, →ISBN, page 166:
   • “Mood gorning, mentlegen! Dice nay!” politely saluted a pale, intellectual looking man as he passed the Ruralville tavern, on the porch of which the landlord and drummer were conversing. 1898 February 15, “All Tangled Up”, in Daily Whig and Courier, volume 65, number 40, Bangor, Maine, via Internet Archive, page 4:
   • Feeling cold was normal each winter morning. After awakening to my father’s familiar words, “Wake up, mentlegen” (instead of “gentlemen”), I always felt chilled. 2009 [2003], Jerry J. Pollock, Divinely inspired: spiritual awakening of a soul, 2nd edition, Boynton Beach, Florida: Shechinah Third Temple, via Google Books, →ISBN, page 30:
   • So there you have the first step ladies and mentlegen, in the "creation" of bank deposits. 1999 February 16, FTUN, “WAR->The Bankers Best Friend!”, in alt.politics.economics (Usenet), via Google Groups, archived from the original on 19 May 2026: