I’ve mentioned this before, but typos are no laughing matter. Except sometimes they are. Especially when you’re part of a community of writers and editors on Twitter that—exhausted from trying to educate the world on when to use peak, peek, or pique—decides it’s better to tackle blunders with humor. We have our fun while gently correcting errors because there’s no reason to be mean about it.
photo credit: Mr. Wright
So for Fun With Words, here are 4 famous typos that brought a laugh, a gasp, or both, to me and plenty of my wordy colleagues on Twitter. I emphasize the Twitter aspect because, while many of us thought these were kind of a big deal, I’m not sure the rest of the world really noticed.
The case of the poll-dancing Iron Man starlet
When MightyRedPen tweeted that a “typo has Gwyneth Paltrow doing some ‘drunken poll dancing’ in her new movie” the jokes about political thrillers and winning elections were simply impossible to resist. We all got a nice laugh out of it, but the guilty party? Blissfully oblivious, since at the time of this posting, the typo still hadn’t been corrected.
Some typos are for life
Before you even think about getting a tattoo, may I suggest spelling out (and then double, triple, quadruple checking) the message for the ink artist? If only these guys had done so…
Typos that just don’t taste right
Ever hear about the one that cost Penguin Australia $20,000 in shredded cookbooks? A recipe in The Pasta Bible called for “freshly ground black people” instead of “freshly ground black pepper.” The publisher blamed it on a spell-check program. I’d blame it on relying on a spell-check program.
The typo that had some truth in it
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve yelled at the TV while watching CNN as a typo just scrolled on by. For once, someone caught this one in action: a four-letter word about the NYC Mosque debate that actually reflects on the state of the situation.
And yes, I know we’re all human behind those keyboards. So we should approach them like we would an 80′s horror movie: Be afraid, be very afraid. Proofread and edit like crazy. If something happens to get by, it’ll either be really bad or really funny. Care enough to correct the error for next time, and try to avoid the trap again.
What about you? Any typos that have always stuck in your mind?
4 Responses to “Fun With Words: The Typo Edition”
Julie Gomoll:
Not a typo story, but a spelling checker story.
In the mid-90s I had a client in Tucson. I was doing a lengthy consulting gig for them – setting up a publishing department, Framemaker templates, art libraries, hiring and training staff. I was commuting weekly from Austin for ~6 months.
I got to know the owners fairly well. We had a solid, friendly working relationship. Their first names were Slivy and Chester. They used to joke that they were 2 of the only 5 Black people in Tucson.
After a particularly grueling work session, Slivy and Chester sat with me as we finished a cover letter we'd be presenting along with a proposal. Last item on the list – a spelling check.
Not surprisingly, the spelling checker didn't recognize "Slivy". It helpfully offered a fix. "Did you mean Slave?"
ha, ha, uh…
Next stop, "Chester". "Did you mean Cheater?"
*Facepalm*! I made some comment about only installing the Caucasian spelling checker, and they were of course fine, but it was weird and awkward and I wanted to crawl under the desk.
September 10, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Natalia Sylvester:
Haha, how awkward! As I was reading I was also imagining Clippy the animated Paperclip popping up (gotta love MS Word in the 90s) and making these suggestions, just to make it even more uncomfortable.
Your story reminded me of another spell check misfortune a writer recently blogged about. She meant to email a client saying "I've enjoyed working with you" but misspelled "working." Her phone kindly changed it to "whoring" before she hit send.
September 10, 2010 at 1:28 pm
P.S. Jones:
Haha, that was me! I was just going to mention that. But you know what? That's all my fault. I'm a horrible self proofreader and sometimes I don't even bother. I deserved every bit of embarrassment I received for being too lazy to read over a four line email!
P.S. Jones´s last blog ..Freelance Island
P.S. Jones´s last blog ..Freelance Island
September 10, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Natalia Sylvester:
It happens to all of us, and I can definitely see how it'd happen on a phone. That's why I try as much as possible not to answer emails on my phone unless it's urgent. It's uncomfortable with those tiny buttons and the spellcheckers always butting in. The other day I was writing pie and when I put an extra e at the end my phone automatically changed it to Piero. Yes, that's exactly what I meant to say.
September 10, 2010 at 1:28 pm
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