no, really, it NEVER ENDS!

I don't know if it's not really endless, not really soup and salad, or not really dining...

(found by Jim in Brighton MI)

too much fun in one sign

We saw this one on our drive from Georgia to Michigan. I don't even know how to begin this snark. But it has a single quotation mark. That's definately inappropriate.

what kind of "supplies" would those be?

Jon is on the lookout even while travelling. He saw this one in the Dallas airport. I can only imagine the things they might need to "supply" the "cabin"...

speaking of grammatical pet peeves

this one drives me crazy, and someone made an image to explain why. (Thanks internet!)

AND I just found this site: literally, a weblog which documents abuses of the word "literally" which are, pretty much, as funny as abuses of quotation marks.

what's really wet?

The person who wrote this sign must have some skepticism about the quality of the construction, if we can only use the term "doors" with irony... nevermind the complete lack of grammatical word order...

"mixed" message

my friend Jon points out the quotation mark spawned ambiguity of this label, found in households across the nation:

what are they really made out of?

the same restaurant that boasted this sign also had this one. We didn't go there.

the "plus" means their back room business

wink wink, nudge nudge, saynomore....

We "care" about upholding the bill of rights

I like to believe the signmakers put those quotes in for sarcasm reasons (spotted by me and Jim atop smoky mountain national park).

more food you "might" want to eat

thanks to frequent contributor Hailey who found this in a Great Wraps in San Antonio. I'm disappointed she didn't order it using air quotes.

reader maureen documents an additional case here. I suspect these quotation marks are meaningful, but it is still strange.

no new quotes today

except this post at crummy church signs includes some sketchy quotes (see the sign beginning "it's back")

Crummy church signs also includes high quality snarking that I, for one, approve of. Perhaps friends of this blog would also appreciate it. (thanks to Jon and Claude for bringing it to my attention)

"data" = the result of pseudo-science

thanks to my friend and ex-roommate Sarah for sharing this memo from her school:

- (speaker's name removed) will be at our school on October 17th to meet with staff
about possible "options" due to savings under the "Cafeteria Plan"

-October 20th is a one-half day of school for "data" review and PDSA refinement

-October 27th will be the same "as above"

then again, how does one "equip" pants?

I can't remember what outlet store we took this picture in:

I guess that means they aren't actually that comfortable?

Homemade

Spotted when I went out to lunch at Big Apple Bagels the other day:

Babs' "homemade" tuna salad

So canned in other words.

Hope you don't need to use the facilities...

On the door at my insurance agent's office:

"No trespassing"

followed by

"No public restrooms"

It almost made me want to go to a new insurance agent.

I know a few good "charities"

thanks to Matt's friend Neal for spotting two hillarious examples, the first in this photo:


I'm going to start the Bethany's vacation "charity" soon... good idea!

The second was described thus:

"Also, this morning we saw a homemade sign (alas I didn't get a
picture) for
The Rub "Doctor" - Massage Therapist
Kind of creepy."

yes.

extra punctuation "free of charge"

Jon and Claude found this one on a Georgia highway. Someone is telling us to buy more for less. someone quoteable. Also, they are not open on any of the days after sunday and before monday. So if it's one of those days, and you want to "buy more for less"... tough luck.

"pool rules"

apparently actual cutoffs or diapers that are REALLY exposed are a-ok. (seen at at least 2 Georgia apartment complex swimming pools)

"doing our part making fun of people"

reader vikkitikkitavi submits this photo and quips, "I forget, who said "Doing our part natural gas vehicle"? Was that Ben Franklin, or Oscar Wilde?"

How "special"

Discovered at dinner at 84 East in Holland, MI

 

At a Minnesota "fuel" stop

This begs the question: what are you putting in your truck (or Jetta)?

(My apologies for the finger in the picture - I was trying to shield the camera lens from the deluge attacking southern Minnesota at that point.)

A Couple from Vancouver

Well I'm out here in Vancouver right now, and spotted a couple from my friends' theatre.















Not only is there a cuddle room, but apparently there's something called a "Glass Brick" room. This case may have actually worked with the quotes, though, as there were not actually any glass bricks in that room.















I guess that's enough said.

found in the Seattle Times:




maybe if people are going to be xenophobic they should learn to "write" their native language with punctuation that "makes sense."

not quotes, still funny

Jim found this on blogging.la.
I know it's not quotes but I think it's funny, and it's my blog.

unintentional social commentary?

reader Megan submitted this fantastic billboard from rural NC.



Maybe we should always put quotes around freedom. Like the president. "they hate our 'freedom'"...

ice age

thanks to my friend Jon for this photo of a mudblaster manny from ice age two:

I think the quotation marks are actually appropriate here, but it's still funny. I mean, what are those balls REALLY made out of??? (yeah, yeah, plastic. but come on...)

Apostrophe call answered

Because he finds it so amusing to notice every spelling or grammatical error I make in casual IM conversation, Jim has taken up the call to create a blog of badly-placed apostrophe's. Because, as we know, people don't know what to do with their punctuation. Alas, poor apostrophes don't lead us to existential questions like "are we allowed to park here or not?" but please check it out, and submit your finds, as you wander the lands of unfortunate grammar.

monkey talk

From the National Geographic:

Monkeys Use "Sentences", Study Suggests. [link]

It turns out, they actually "don't"...

"Movers Who Care"

I got behind a truck on the drive in this morning. This logo was proudly diplayed on the back. It could be worse - it could say ... Movers who "care."

challenged

Madison Guy has issued a challenge to the quotation mark brigade to expand our view to incorrect apostrophes. I do not claim to weild Lynn Truss-like influence over united punctuation sticklers, perhaps some readers would be interested in heeding his call.

I "won't" drive there

from reader Marc:

Yesterday I was at a Cubs game (they lost), and noticed at the Taco Bell on the way out that the drive thru (yes they had one) was closed, complete with signage blocking the drive:

"No"
Drive Thru

Does this mean that if I disobeyed the sign that they would have "no" tacos?

Peculiar People

Here's one all the way from Africa, taken from a co-worker of mine who's over there right now.

Everybody is Somebody

I guess by "for all nations" they mean just people in Ghana? Maybe just in Africa? Or maybe just a select list of nations. I think we can let them get away with the unnecessary quotation marks, though, since they are a church for peculiar peoples. I would so go to that church.

I am also really looking forward to the Wednesday night Word Feast.

let's "go"!

this example, submitted by vigilant reader vikkitikkitavi, is priceless. I really have nothing to add to the commentary by the blogger who initially posted it.

"don't" drink and drive

spotted on the highway in Georgia, a sign that reads:

it kills
DUI (this was circled and crossed out)
"don't do it"

If that's not a wink...

I'll "pay" that right away

thanks to reader Hailey Squeek for this submission:

I found some unnecessary quotation marks online on a restaurant's website.

NEW!! Valet parking available 7 days a week. Across the street there is a
"paid parking" lot. There is also a city parking lot located behind the LYON
MOVING COMPANY building where parking is free in the evenings, after 4:30
p.m.

found at Palace Grill website (click FAQ)

If you want to sing the National Anthem

For you aspiring Wrigley Field National Anthem singers, please follow the following procedure, found on the Cubs website:

National Anthem: Any person(s) wanting to perform the National Anthem prior to a Cubs game must submit a video tape of the singer(s) performing an "a cappella" version of the National Anthem. Mail tapes to: National Anthem, Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field, 1060 West Addison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60613. For more information, call (773) 404-CUBS. Please be aware that tapes will not be returned.

Apparently the Cubs are not concerned about if the anthem is "accompanied" or not.

sorry about your "car"

submission from reader vikkitikkitavi:

Sign in a friend's apartment building garage:

Parking for Residents Only
Unauthorized Vehicles will be
"Towed Away"


How bad could it be, to be only figuratively towed away?
Sorry no pic, didn't have a camera with me.

linkage

This site doesn't get a lot of traffic (go figure) but I found out today while I was "working on my papers" that at least one resident of the internet found it amusing enough to link to. Check out his post - it has a snarky bumper sticker that I now covet.

Seen on the back of a semi

On my way to work this morning I got behind a truck with the following sign on the back

Wanted
"Dedicated" Drivers

"sale"

Jim sent me this photo today. Awesome.

"All Natural"?

Recently found on my friend Laura's blog:


So does this make it "all natural" peanut butter? Or all natural "peanut butter"?

at the zoo

while we were at the zoo in Columbia SC, my friend Sonya posed with this sign:

my favorite sign

this isn't quotation marks, but I just love this sign. It's in a classroom where I spend a fair amount of time. It's like they consulted the fire or something. Awesome.

"3 Cheers" for Homecoming

From a recent faculty bulletin:

Please excuse the cheerleaders, pep band, and homecoming court at 2:00pm this afternoon so they can prepare for the "pep" rally.

On second thought, with the apathy of the students toward the cheerleaders, maybe it was correct.

A "Linguist" Talks About Quotation Marks

There's a post about quotation marks on languagelog.org this morning. Arnold Zwicky rants about a journalist using quotation marks for emphasis.

The article beings:

Gratifying though it is to see myself quoted in print, I'm peeved to see myself represented as using quotation marks for emphasis. Like, 'for emphasis', meaning for emphasis. But that's what happens in Leslie Savan's Slam Dunks and No-Brainers, chapter 2 ("Pop Talk is History"), in the section (pp. 33-4) titled "Who needs Esperanto when you've you got Coca-Cola?" I'm not entirely sure how this happened. More interestingly, this case illustrates an issue in the mention (rather than use) of linguistic material, including quotation: faithfulness vs. well-formedness (shades of OT!).

Keep reading...

Jewel-Osco Ad

Copy from a recent newspaper ad:

A Jewel-Osco "EXCLUSIVE" - Enjoy extra savings everytime you shop!

Typos everywhere!

On a baseball roster

On the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic provisional roster:

Wily "Mo" Pena

Don't forget his triplets, Wily "Larry" Pena and Wily "Curly" Pena.

Or perhaps his twin Wily "Less" Pena?

Someone recently shared with me an auto-email received from a professor who was out-of-town. It included the following sentence:

As I do not have a "laptop" computer, it is very unlikely that I will be reading e-messages during this period.

indeed.

How about unnecessary apostrophes?

Recently seen outside a booth at the Cubs Convention:
Which Cub is the official one?