Nicole M Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 For a year it has bugged me that the fancy-schmancy place in Seattle where I buy my glasses frames gives out a small info sheet that says, "Paper products can reek havoc on your lenses." So when I picked up my new specs last week, I said something. I was embarrassed, didn't want to come across as a snob or a jerk, so I tried to be gentle. The gal who was helping me knew about the error, was bothered by it and, apparently, someone else had also recently mentioned it. Get this. It turns out that the woman typed it up (the owner, I think), used to have a client who was a rock star or some kind of entertainer with the stage name Reek Havoc. So the gal who was helping me thinks that the error came from the association that the typist had with this particular guy. Ohmygoodness. They also printed "about a million" of those little info sheets, so my nice helper gal didn't want to say anything to the owner "until they start running out" of the darn things! I knew y'all would just eat this up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 My kids' orthodontist has a sign on the wall that says they are open in another location on "Wednesday's". I told the receptionist, and she didn't seem to believe that I was right. The signs are still up, not corrected. I'm thinking about bringing in a bottle of white-out. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty Social Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 (edited) I'd ask them if they had any deodorant spray for the glasses - you know, for when the paper products reek havoc.:D What does havoc smell like, anyway?:001_huh: Edited August 18, 2009 by Aunty Social Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH Kim Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Our local library just posted a fund-raising letter. The typos are insane! (Now, you know that because I just criticized someone else's typos, I'm bound to have one in here.):tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 LOL! Well, when I'm editing I run across a lot of funny ones. The latest was in a sentence in which the author meant to say, "The woman wasn't wearing a brassiere." What he said was, "The woman wasn't wearing a BRAZIER." I thought, "Well, thank God for small mercies!" And giggled the rest of the day..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 I thought, "Well, thank God for small mercies!" Indeed! Wearing a brazier most definitely could reek havoc on the breasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 My kids' orthodontist has a sign on the wall that says they are open in another location on "Wednesday's". I told the receptionist, and she didn't seem to believe that I was right. The signs are still up, not corrected. I'm thinking about bringing in a bottle of white-out. ;) I don't get what is wrong with that. What am I missing? MIchelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 I'd ask them if they had any deodorant spray for the glasses - you know, for when the paper products reek havoc.:D What does havoc smell like, anyway?:001_huh: Makes you wonder about that performer, doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 (edited) I don't get what is wrong with that. What am I missing? MIchelle Where is Mrs. Mungo when we need her?! I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. The apostrophe is not necessary; it makes Wednesday possessive. Edited August 18, 2009 by Nicole M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 Our local library just posted a fund-raising letter. The typos are insane! (Now, you know that because I just criticized someone else's typos, I'm bound to have one in here.):tongue_smilie: Everyone makes typos. But these are errors. I guess we all make those, too. I'm sure I've made jillions. I'll never forget the look of perplexity and astonishment and pity on my step-mother's face when I returned to her after she'd told me to "look up" the spelling of Caesar. "I looked at every word starting with c-e and I'm telling you it's not in the dictionary!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 "Wednesdays" is plural. They are open more than one Wednesday, in fact every Wednesday. I suppose the sign could read they are open on Wednesday. In any case, it is not possessive. Hope I got that right with no typos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 A Haa! That is it. I couldn't figure out if Wednesday was spelled wrong or something? Anyhow, that is one grammar area I forget about with the apostrophes. Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 For years, we have driven past a billboard that offers "Great career opportunity in house training!" At first glance, we thought they were offering careers for horse trainers. Which seemed very odd. Upon further reflection, we realized they actually wanted people to train houses, not horses. LOL! Of course what they really meant was something like this: "Great career opportunity! In-house training!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatCyndiGirl Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I'd ask them if they had any deodorant spray for the glasses - you know, for when the paper products reek havoc.:D What does havoc smell like, anyway?:001_huh: Smells like Teen Spirit, from what I've heard.....;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 For a year it has bugged me that the fancy-schmancy place in Seattle where I buy my glasses frames gives out a small info sheet that says, "Paper products can reek havoc on your lenses." So... how should this sentence be corrected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 For a year it has bugged me that the fancy-schmancy place in Seattle where I buy my glasses frames gives out a small info sheet that says, "Paper products can reek havoc on your lenses." So when I picked up my new specs last week, I said something. I was embarrassed, didn't want to come across as a snob or a jerk, so I tried to be gentle. The gal who was helping me knew about the error, was bothered by it and, apparently, someone else had also recently mentioned it. Get this. It turns out that the woman typed it up (the owner, I think), used to have a client who was a rock star or some kind of entertainer with the stage name Reek Havoc. So the gal who was helping me thinks that the error came from the association that the typist had with this particular guy. Ohmygoodness. They also printed "about a million" of those little info sheets, so my nice helper gal didn't want to say anything to the owner "until they start running out" of the darn things! I knew y'all would just eat this up. I always think those little slips are funny. My favourite example came from a student who turned in a paper in a course I was teaching on 19th C. Brit lit. We'd been reading Engels Conditions of the Working Class. The paper's thesis was about how industrialization helped perpetuate a doggy-dog mentality (should have read dog-eat-dog). The funniest thing of it all was that his paper fully supported the whole doggy-dog (not dog-eat-dog) concept. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 So... how should this sentence be corrected? wreak havoc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 So... how should this sentence be corrected? It should read "wreak havoc." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Smells like Teen Spirit, from what I've heard.....;) :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I always think those little slips are funny. My favourite example came from a student who turned in a paper in a course I was teaching on 19th C. Brit lit. We'd been reading Engels Conditions of the Working Class. The paper's thesis was about how industrialization helped perpetuate a doggy-dog mentality (should have read dog-eat-dog). The funniest thing of it all was that his paper fully supported the whole doggy-dog (not dog-eat-dog) concept. :lol: LOL That's too cute! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 A few years ago, our movie theater had a movie listed on their big board called "Angles in the Outfield." (It should have said "Angels.") I asked the girl working at the ticket counter if she knew the sign said what it did, and she alerted the manager, etc, etc. No one had noticed, or at least, no one else had mentioned it. They did change it! My DH was a bit embarrassed, but the DC thought it was neat that the theater changed their sign because "Mommy told them it was wrong.";) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 (edited) "Lady Gulls seek another championship birth". Headline in small town Oregon sports page of newspaper. True. That is often the spelling used for "berth" on a hockey board I read. Someone (cough, cough) tried to point out the correct spelling (nicely) & was told she had too much time on her hands. Really? Cuz "e" takes so much longer to type than "i." :lol: Edited August 18, 2009 by unsinkable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I'd ask them if they had any deodorant spray for the glasses - you know, for when the paper products reek havoc.:D Our local grocery store has a sign on the aisle pointing out the "deoderant" section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 wreak havoc. It should read "wreak havoc." OH! I tried reak and wreck and those didn't work. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 On our vacation, we visited about a dozen state or federal forests, parks, historical sites, etc. Every single one contained a spelling or grammatical error on a sign. It became a game to see who could find one first. The restaurant down the street had a sign with an unnecessary apostrophe. They finally painted over the apostrophe. It was such a relief!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 On our vacation, we visited about a dozen state or federal forests, parks, historical sites, etc. Every single one contained a spelling or grammatical error on a sign. It became a game to see who could find one first. Wow!! That's actually kind of sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 The misused apostrophe is my pet peeve. I really feel that so many people are now unaware of the right way to use an apostrophe vs. plural, that it might be screwed up forever! I am always amazed that it gets past the sign printer or maker... but if they are ignorant about it... My local favorite..... Angelas Treasure's. ????!!!!! :banghead: a recent sign I saw on a vacant lot "Built to Suite" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 a recent sign I saw on a vacant lot "Built to Suite" That could be kind of clever, if it weren't probably unintentional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 A local drugstore had this sign on the aisle where "Depends" is sold: "Incontinents." Seriously? Is that, like, where contintents live??:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingM Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 My sister in law is a wellspring of this kind of error. She wrote in an email that she didn't want to "take something for granite." :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 My sister in law is a wellspring of this kind of error. She wrote in an email that she didn't want to "take something for granite." :lol: Ah, emails, yes. I had a colleague, a college professor!, ask me to"bare with" her. If it had been a certain male professor, and I'd been single, frankly, I might have considered it.... (I love the word wellspring.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 My sister in law is a wellspring of this kind of error. She wrote in an email that she didn't want to "take something for granite." :lol: My SIL insists that the expression is "living in squander." She & dh (her brother) bicker about it. I've also heard 2 women say voLUMPtuous to describe their booKs. I'd hate to be volumptuous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I worked for a company whose president passed out little signs to all the employees and told us to look at them throughout the day. The signs said Excellence Everyday. I had to use editing marks to add a space to mine because it drove me crazy. You might enjoy these blogs: Apostrophe Abuse The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Where is Mrs. Mungo when we need her?! I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. The apostrophe is not necessary; it makes Wednesday possessive. Would you like me to start calling people? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 Would you like me to start calling people? :lol: We could save so many kittens if you would.... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 We could save so many kittens if you would.... :D I can imagine the phone call now... "Yes, I understand that you have a misplaced apostrophe on your signage." "No, I am not your patient, I live in Hawaii." "Actually, I...uh...I read about it on the internet." "I'm just trying to SAVE THE KITTENS!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SapphireStitch Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 a recent sign I saw on a vacant lot "Built to Suite" I see variations of that here in NC a lot. But it's because they also mispronounce "suite" as "suit". It really threw me the first time I shopped for furniture and the salesman asked if I was wanting to buy a sofa or a whole "living room suit". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I see variations of that here in NC a lot. But it's because they also mispronounce "suite" as "suit". It really threw me the first time I shopped for furniture and the salesman asked if I was wanting to buy a sofa or a whole "living room suit". Careful! I remember an argument breaking out over this issue on another board. According to Merriam-Webster, "suit" is an alternative pronunciation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I wouldn't want to be volumptuous, either.:D I've heard people say "supposably" (sp??) instead of "supposedly." The first time someone said it, I thought she was kidding, but no. Once I was in a gently crowded restaurant; sitting close to me was a well-dressed young man whose conversation I couldn't help but overhear. I was so disappointed in him when he said something was "suBtle." I had to stifle myself.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I've also heard 2 women say voLUMPtuous to describe their booKs. I'd hate to be volumptuous. That could be a clever word play. You do, after all, need lumps to be considered voluptuous. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I see variations of that here in NC a lot. But it's because they also mispronounce "suite" as "suit". It really threw me the first time I shopped for furniture and the salesman asked if I was wanting to buy a sofa or a whole "living room suit". Part of me cringes but part of me thinks this kind of thing is sort of exciting and neat. Isn't this how dialects develop? How language evolves? Nifty stuff. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I can imagine the phone call now... "Yes, I understand that you have a misplaced apostrophe on your signage." "No, I am not your patient, I live in Hawaii." "Actually, I...uh...I read about it on the internet." "I'm just trying to SAVE THE KITTENS!" :lol: OH!! *breathe* oh- please do that! and record the phone call. someone --quick we need a snazzy "saving kittens from misplaced apostrophes" organization name that she can say she represents. but it has to sound more clever than that ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 :lol: Ok, that made my laugh out loud! Dawn Ah, emails, yes. I had a colleague, a college professor!, ask me to"bare with" her. If it had been a certain male professor, and I'd been single, frankly, I might have considered it.... (I love the word wellspring.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhM Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Our local library just posted a fund-raising letter. The typos are insane! (Now, you know that because I just criticized someone else's typos, I'm bound to have one in here.):tongue_smilie: This phenomenon really needs a name! I've done it enough times that you could name it after me. OhM's law - no, wait, that's already taken. :D (EE humor - yes, it's usually that lame.) But really, anyone else want to volunteer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 This phenomenon really needs a name! I've done it enough times that you could name it after me. OhM's law - no, wait, that's already taken. :D (EE humor - yes, it's usually that lame.) But really, anyone else want to volunteer? What about the phenomenon where once you see one printed error, suddenly they're e v e r y w h e r e ? That one needs a name, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingmommy Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 How about The Society for the Prevention of Early Feline Demise Through Apostrophe Misuse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 How about The Society for the Prevention of Early Feline Demise Through Apostrophe Misuse? Love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetbasil Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 The apostrophe really bothers me, too! Especially when formally embroidered or printed on something, as in, "The Smith's." I always think to myself... I wonder *which* Smith? Personal pet peeve: Rod Iron instead of WROUGHT iron. See it all the time on Craigslist. All-time favorite: I saw a TON of misspellings in real estate listings when I was house hunting, but the absolute best: Dinning room with Wayne's Coating. Yes, "dinning." Yes, "Wayne's Coating." That Wayne sure gets around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingmommy Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 When my son was in 7th or 8th grade, his teacher gave bonus points for mistakes on local signs. All the students had to do was document the location of the sign and the mistake. Needless to say, my son got a lot of help from me. My favorite was the sign at the Golden Arches advertising apple pies 2 for $100. j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in VA Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 I always thought they sure had a long way to go to do that. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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