Typo Eradication Advancement League

I've found my typographical soulmate: Jeff Deck is traveling around the country fixing typos in signs, menus, etc.! His mission is outlined here, and I insist that you visit his delightful blog, Typo Hunt Across America, in which he posts before/after photos of all the offending signage he encounters and has his way with. You can also listen to a brief interview on NPR. Goe four itt, doood! (Via Di)

Comments

[Bonnie Jacobs]

I'm so glad you introduced me to TEAL. So glad that I am spreading the word:

http://wordsfromawordsmith.blogspot.com/2008/03/st-frances-of-assissi.html

[Susan]

He have passed through my state and didn't fix our neighbors' engraved sign that reads "The Johnson's." That thing has been driving me crazy since it went up (They have two editors living across the street! Just ask us to proof it!) and I might have to take matters into my own hands.

[Joel]

Love this - Alison and I are constantly playing "Spot the Typo", and then we assign mock severity levels depending on whether the person/place should have known better. It brings out our inner snark! (Chinese restaurants are officially exempted. It is just too easy!)

[Camille]

Thanks for sharing about TEAL! I used to have a T-shirt in middle school that said "Your Invited!" and even at 12, I hated it. (I guess my mom didn't notice it or care, and I guess in the 80s that was a normal saying for a T-shirt?)

Anyway, talk to me about the word "eponym" if you will. You're the best person I know for this question. :) Does eponym refer to the person from which something is named, as in Dr. Virginia Apgar, or does it refer to the named 'something' as in, Apgar score. And in your opinion, is Wikipedia confusing about this or am I the confused one? Or are they interchangeable terms?

[Karen]

Excellent question! The Wiktionary entry gives both definitions:
1. The name of a real or fictitious person that has, or is thought to have, given rise to the name of a particular item.
Romulus is the eponym of Rome.
2. A word formed from a real or fictive person’s name.
Rome is an eponym of Romulus.
The Merriam-Webster and American Heritage dictionaries concur, but they both specify that the second definition is reserved for medical contexts -- that is, a disease or drug or structure that is named after a person. So in the first instance, Virginia Apgar is the eponym, and in the second, Apgar score is the eponym! Sheesh!

[Kathee]

Bravo to you Jeff Deck! I see typos all the time, on signs, billboards, television, even in the mail, and they drive me crazy. Keep up the good work!