About

Smart Fella, Fart Smella, also spelled Smart Feller, Fart Smeller, is a spoonerism that gained viral popularity in memes in 2021. Combined with Dean Norris Reaction and other formats, the phrase has been used for labeling and as a caption.

Origin

The exact origin of the spoonerism "smart fella, fart smella" is unknown. The earliest documented use of the spoonerism online is a collection of rude spoonerisms submitted to Fun-with-words^[1] on October 23rd, 2003.

On October 1st, 2006, writer Jon Agee published "Smart Feller Fart Smeller: And Other Spoonersims," an illustrated collection of 28 popular spoonerisms (cover art shown below).^[2]

The phrase did not see use in memes until January 31st, 2021, when Redditor Dylster2006 posted an ironic Gangster SpongeBob meme that used the spoonerism to the /r/okbuddyretard subreddit,^[3] where it gained over 2,100 upvotes prior to being removed (shown below).

Spread

In early February 2021, the meme received viral spread online through reposts on Instagram^[4] and Facebook. For example, on February 16th, Facebook^[5] page Hood Meme reposted the meme, with the repost gaining over 1,400 reactions and 1,300 shares in four months.

On February 10th, 2021, Redditor AKIWIWITHAFACE posted the first derivative meme using the spoonerism, with the post gaining over 1,600 upvotes in the /r/okbuddyretard^[6] subreddit in four months (shown below, left). On February 20th, Redditor Commercial_Comedian posted a Mario Bros. Views meme that gained over 1,400 upvotes in /r/okbuddetard^[7] in four months and was widely circulated in the following weeks (shown below, right).

The spoonerism saw another surge in popularity in early April 2021 when Redditors MyTurtleAfro^[8] and MrMystix1^[9] posted Dean Norris Reaction versions of the meme that went viral (shown below, left and right).

In the following months, the spoonerism maintained its presence in memes, typically in the form of two-panel image macro memes.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References