A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum

[Old Grumpy]

I was re-going through some childhood memorabilia of my late mother yesterday, and came upon a little book of poems and amusing stories with her own drawings, dated 1915, when she would have been ten. In one of them she had used the apostrophe/s in the manner you cite, indicating that this problem may be older than we think!

It seems apologists are in order:

I have observed the notice from the car as I drive past...

...on closer inspection the "apostrophe" seems to be the head from a nail affixing the board to a post!

[oddoneout]

It seems apologists are in order:

I have observed the notice from the car as I drive past...

...on closer inspection the "apostrophe" seems to be the head from a nail affixing the board to a post!

But did the nail have to go there - or did the nailer see "stalls" and think - there's something missing there - and so placed the nail accordingly?

[Old Grumpy]

But did the nail have to go there - or did the nailer see "stalls" and think - there's something missing there - and so placed the nail accordingly?

Good point...


...on closer inspection, walking past this morning I note it is actually a screw head (either Phillips or is it Pozidriv?)*



*This should really be in Pedants' Paradise, I guess

[french frank]

Today, its opening day, I tried out our brand new purpose-built Coop. It's next door to the old cinema, its former home, where over the past weeks the shelves have become steadily more depleted. The new store is fully stocked, but still didn't have what I've been after for the past few weeks (shampoo bar). And didn't have what it has always regularly stocked (half bottles of sweet white dessert wine). It's rather comforting to still recognise the Coop I know and love

But It did have packets of bresaola which it gave up stocking years ago, to my annoyance

[AuntDaisy]

Today, its opening day, I tried out our brand new purpose-built Coop. It's next door to the old cinema, its former home, where over the past weeks the shelves have become steadily more depleted. The new store is fully stocked, but still didn't have what I've been after for the past few weeks (shampoo bar). And didn't have what it has always regularly stocked (half bottles of sweet white dessert wine). It's rather comforting to still recognise the Coop I know and love

But It did have packets of bresaola which it gave up stocking years ago, to my annoyance

I thought you'd started keeping chickens at first!

Our Co-op used to sell rather pretty, but expensive, boxes of viola flowers - which often appeared in the 10p bin. The staff are very friendly and happy to talk.