H/t to Captain Nemo, who spotted this little tidbit:
I love that someone looked at this and knew something wasn’t right and tried to make it better. Okay here’s the deal: When you have a box full of papers to shred, they are to be shredded. Not shread, and certainly not shreaded. Nice try, though.
Surely, it was caprice that caused someone to spell Caprese this way:
Okay, here’s the deal: If you want “a sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated notion or action” (M-W), then that’s caprice. When you want a delicious salad made with mozzarella, tomato, and basil, that’s an Insalata Caprese. Which happens to be one of MRP’s favorite salad combinations. Um, excuse me, I’m feeling a little hungry . . .
H/t to Sam, who spotted this tasty little typo at Jose McIntyre’s in Boston.
Yes, I admit it: I read Fifty Shades of Grey. And I’m left with very little to show for my investment other than a renewed appreciation for the deft touch of an editor. Even if nothing could have been done to prevent the relentless repetition (okay, we get it! He’s turned on when she bites her lip! Her breath hitches when something exciting happens! His eyes are grey!) (seriously, his name is Grey and his eyes are grey?), at least perhaps this little typo on page 428 could have been prevented:
Okay, here’s the deal: If you’re talking about strappy summer shoes, you are wearing sandals. If you’re wearing sandles, well, then you are in desperate need of an editor.
Wow, well, we’ve all seen Elton John in some pretty crazy outfits, but this one just about takes the cake, doesn’t it? I didn’t even recognize him there for a moment.
Oh wait, I see. It’s, um, not Elton John.
Typo (which has since, unfortunately, been fixed) spotted on boston.com.
Sometimes a typo is just a typo. But sometimes, as in the case of this little tidbit sent by local correspondent Amy, it is an awesome typo.
Spotted here, this typo transforms rather ordinary mailboxes full of suspicious powder into rather more intriguing mailboxes full of suspicious power. What could this power be? The ability to steal your checks? Return your mail unread? Snoop through secret love letters? I wonder.
Come to think of it, I’ve often suspected that my mailbox might have it in for me. Perhaps I should keep a closer eye on it.
This breach of proper spelling was spotted here.
Okay, here’s the deal. When you want to say an agreement has been violated or broken, it’s a breach of contract (M-W “1. infraction or violation of a law, obligation, tie, or standard”). When you sashay about in your new pants, you’re showing off the latest fashion in breeches (M-W “1a. short pants covering the hips and thighs and fitting snugly at the lower edges at or just below the knee. 1b. Pants.”).
Breech also means ” the hind end of the body,“ (M-W) and if you look it up, you’ll find a trove of synonyms for buttocks that would have the average six-year-old boy screaming with laughter. You know, if that’s your thing.
Well-documented we find Brians’ Common Errors in English Usage a particularly useful website, and on this matter, not only is it useful, it’s amusingly instructive. Citing the famous line from Shakespeare’s Henry V, Brians lets us know: ““Once more unto the breach, dear friends,” means “let’s charge into the gap in the enemy’s defenses,” not “let’s reach into our pants again.”” Good way to remember, don’t you agree?
And, well, if you have a a breach in your breeches, then you have a whole other set of problems that’s beyond the scope of this blog. So good luck with that.
This little tidbit was spotted on the streets of Washington, D.C.
Hat tip to my roving correspondent, who writes, “If only chalkboards had spell check.”
If onley. Ahem, I mean, if only.
Spotted this typo first thing in the morning, when I was still bleary eyed enough that I did a double take when I saw it. No, really, the First Lady did not push Jay Leno to eat healthy hoods. She was actually pushing him to eat healthy foods, right?
It’s really just a basic, garden-variety typo, but my favorite thing about this it was reproduced All.Over.The.Place. Thanks for that, AP.
First spotted here.
What’s silver wear, you’re wondering? Is it a new line of cruise wear for the senior set? Is it a cozy for your prized silver teapot?
I wish. In fact, it’s just a garden-variety typo for silverware.
But oh, it’s actually better than that. This typo taunts me every day. Every. Single. Day.
Here’s a typo that could turn your stomach (spotted here):
Let’s for a moment set aside the whole I’m nauseous vs. I’m nauseated question (Although, if you’re interested, Grammar Girl has a good explanation, which in brief says it’s generally the rule that if you feel sick, you say I’m nauseated, although people more commonly say I’m nauseous, even though that’s considered wrong, and furthermore, Merriam-Webster dictionary doesn’t think that’s a real rule. It’s enough to make you a little queasy as you try to unravel it.) (So I guess that wasn’t really setting it aside at all.). I think there’s one thing we can agree on without making ourselves sick over it: It’s spelled nauseous and not nautious.
Ugh.
Mighty Red Pen 