Blessed Are the Copyeditors, For Theirs is a War of Eternal Attrition

September 8, 2022 7:34 AM

How Many Errorrs Are in This Essay? by Ed Simon
posted by chavenet (11 comments total)

Clare Booth Luce (ambassador, congresswoman, etc.) was on a talk show in the 80s. She told the story of an article in the Washington Post that ended with a question about her hobbies. She answered she enjoyed shooting and cats. The article said she enjoyed shooting cats.
She related that afterwards she received a phone call from a member of "the most prominent wealthy family in Delaware" who told her "Thank God you also enjoy shooting cats. I thought I was crazy."

I suspect that person was John Dupont who was later convicted of murder.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:07 AM on September 8, 2022 [13 favorites]

Well, I can see one in the title.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:16 AM on September 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

I think I might see two, both related to title case.
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:49 AM on September 8, 2022 [3 favorites]

Only a copy editor can settle this.
posted by Going To Maine at 9:11 AM on September 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

Ah, now I see two, but only one related to case.
posted by Going To Maine at 9:12 AM on September 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Not a copy editor, but according to my understanding "for" is not capitalized and "is"...is.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:28 AM on September 8, 2022 [3 favorites]

You have to admit that 'errorrs' is far better suited to its meaning than the conventional spelling, though — and not just because it’s such a good example of an autological word, either. It's just a stronger word, somehow.
posted by jamjam at 9:41 AM on September 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

aaaaand I just realized I may not have been referring to the same title as Going to Maine was. For clarity I meant the post title, not the article by Ed Simon. I need more coffee.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:23 AM on September 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

"Eternal Nutrition" would have been funnier. #EveryonesACriticAndSoAmI
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:44 PM on September 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Compare to Joseph Williams' 1981 widely-cited (in some circles) academic article "The Phenomenology of Error," which poses a similar question.
posted by vitia at 5:30 PM on September 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

"So we cannot be surprised
that when asked,
Zinsser rejects impact as a verb,
despite the fact that impact
has been used as a verb
at least since 1601."

from the Williams article.

This means wore!
One I never plan on is the 'the the'. It can be used but when just a mere oversight, the impact simply jumbles my lexicon.
posted by clavdivs at 7:33 PM on September 9, 2022 [2 favorites]