Signs of the times

I have to give this guy a pass for misspelling hemorrhoids only because he managed to pull off hemorrhaging.

This person, on the other hand, gets no such pass for misspelling hypocrisy.

Signs spotted on Huffington Post.

I Regretsy to inform you . . .

If you love online handicraft market Etsy, you’ll also love Regretsy, which chronicles some of the best of the worst of Etsy. There’s something for everyone; here’s one word nerds will love:

It’s magnificent, isn’t it?

 

I’ll Facebook you

Hat tip to Non Sequitur.

He’s a poet and he didn’t know it

Now I’ve heard it all.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is being accused of sending secret messages via acrostic. At issue is a veto message he sent to a state assemblyman named Tom Ammiano who heckled him during a recent speech. Check out the first letters of each line, which appear to reflect the real meaning behind the governor’s note:

According to his spokesman, the acrostic in the governor’s message is just some sort of unfortunate coincidence:

“My goodness. What a coincidence,” said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. “I suppose when you do so many vetoes, something like this is bound to happen.”

Forget the Terminator or the Governator. Maybe we should call him the Versinator from now on?

Image from the Huffington Post.

It’s an homage

Well, I can tell you one thing American Idol rocker Adam Lambert is not paying homage to with this tweet:

He’s right about one thing, though: That spelling is ridiculous. Thankfully, he makes an attempt to atone:

It’s my cup of tea

So what goes better together than word nerds and a nice cup of hot tea? Not much, I’d say, unless the tea comes with tags that feature literary quotations. Check out the Novel Teas line from Bag Ladies Tea.

I love the idea, but Novel Teas did turn out to be a bit of a, er, mixed bag. Is that Louise May Alcott I see there? I hope not.

And despite what the tag says, you might in fact scare your teacher if you give the gift of these tea bags with this apostrophe catastrophe:

But I don’t think anyone will be throwing these teas into Boston Harbor for these minor infractions. Maybe they just add to the charm?

Two-for-one special

Hat tip to SgtGrayMatter, who spotted this little tidbit at a local strip mall and writes, “Perhaps someone named Better Body owns the fitness center, but I can’t excuse Youngs Beauty.”

Apparently, apostrophes were in, er, short supply.

Pictorial Webster’s: Inspiration to Completion

I figured out how we can atone for missing Dictionary Day last week. Check it out:

Pictorial Webster’s: Inspiration to Completion from John Carrera.

Huh? Here’s what you need to know:

“From the discovery of the 1898 International Dictionary to linotyping the entries to printing the last print on the vandercook to cutting the fingertabs of the deluxe edition, this video gives a quick overview of the process of creating the Pictorial Webster’s fine press edition.”

Oh, just watch it already. It’s awesome.

Hat tip @milkrow.

The quick and dirty on “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing”

In some respects, blogging turns out to not be so different from high school: Yeah, it’s taken me a while to get around to my book review, Teach. Sorry. Only this time it isn’t because the dog ate my homework, it’s because my husband disappeared with the book.

The book I’m talking about is Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty. And Mister MRP, who is a high school English teacher, is quite fond of this particular usage guide. But my recommendation doesn’t rest on that particular laurel—well, not entirely.

Here are five things MRP liked about Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing:

1. Whether you agree with her or not, Fogarty’s approach is generally quite sensible, a sort of “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” of usage guides. She doesn’t take peevology (she refers to “nitpickers”) overly seriously. (Is it, er, nitpicky to point out that I spotted a typo on page 204, where Patricia O’Conner’s name was misspelled?) She thinks there are rules, but there are also exceptions. The writing is lively and accessible, and the book is sincere in its goal of helping readers become better writers:

Usage is about choosing the right word or phrase. It’s something teachers generally expect you to pick up on your own, and it’s the thing you’re most likely to get skewered for if you screw up. (Life is so unfair!) (p. 5)

I think of grammar and usage as the rules to the game of writing, and the rules are just the building blocks of creativity. Writing proper sentences doesn’t ensure that your work will be brilliant and inspiring, but knowing the rules can keep errors from marring your brilliance and inspiration. Never let your fear of mistakes keep you from writing. Just do your best. (p. 191)

2. Fogarty can admit she’s not perfect, in a mild, self-deprecating tone that can be somewhat disarming.

3. The book, like her podcasts, is based on researching a variety of sources, not just her “sense” that something is right or wrong.

4. The book covers all the usual bases—may vs. might, that vs. which, lay vs. lie, prepositions, split infinitives, and so forth—so it’s handy for quick reference. But I also found myself learning a thing or two. Did you know that it’s incorrect to write “Hi John” as a salutation (in the place of “Dear John”)? The correct way is “Hi, John.” Fogarty also drives a stake through the whole use vs. utilize argument by advising that you can write a better, stronger sentence if you just work around that particular problem, which is just good advice to keep in mind generally.

5. The book goes beyond the usual usage guide fare to include a chapter that addresses usage issues raised since the Dawn of the InterWebs, including a guide to writing good e-mails, and a  final chapter that serves as a sort of mini-guide on good writing (for example, how to generate story ideas, overcoming writer’s block, or finding the right style guide).

And finally, as I mentioned: 1 out of 1 English teachers surveyed preferred Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing to more traditional usage guides, say, Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style. And what more endorsement do you need?

If Dictionary Day falls in the forest . . .

I love the dictionary, really I do. Remember that scene from “Say Anything” when Lloyd Dobler discovers that Diane Court underlines all the words she has to look up in her dictionary? And this is some kind of proof of her nerdishness? Well, I blushed a little at that scene because, um, I did that, too.

But despite showing lifelong love and appreciation for the dictionary, I have a tiny confession to make: I knew it was Dictionary Day on October 16 (Noah Webster’s birthday, natch) and I meant to mention it, I swear, but it kind of slipped my mind. I mean, I used my dictionary on Dictionary Day, but I’m guessing that doesn’t count.

But apparently, according to Erin McKean, I’m in good company:

Dictionary Day—also known as Noah Webster’s Birthday—was Oct. 16, and throughout the English-speaking world, small children placed their dictionary stands by the hearthstone, hoping that Noah himself would magically come down the chimney and leave them a shiny new dictionary (left open to the word “dictionary,” of course). In some places, Dictionary Day is celebrated with bonfires of the past years’ dictionaries, the baking of the traditional aardvark-shaped cookies, and the singing of etymology carols.

No? That didn’t happen in your household? I’m a lexicographer, and it didn’t happen in mine, either.

Worldwide ambivalence to the idea of Dictionary Day aside, McKean isn’t letting us off the hook on this one:

So we should expand our thinking about dictionaries. Language is power—we understand that words can move us to tears or laughter, inspire us to great deeds or urge us to mob action. Dictionaries are the democratization of that power, and the more words they contain, the more democratic they are. The dictionary is a gigantic armory and toolbox combined, accessible to all. It reflects our preoccupations, collects our cultural knowledge, and gives us adorable pictures of aardvarks, to boot. And it does all this one word at a time.

Read the rest of “Cel•e•brate: The Case for Dictionary Day,” McKean’s call to arms for a more robust celebration of the day. Er, maybe it’s not too soon to start planning for next year?