The Pedants' Arms

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Yellow Fang

Legendary Member
Location
Reading
There's a pub close to the university here called the Queens Head. It has just been taken over and is being renovated. It has a nice new sign, but they haven't painted in an apostrophe. And they expect scholars to drink there. They haven't painted in "The" neither, but I suppose that's understood. At the weekend I went to a pub called the Foresters Arms, which I noticed had no apostrophe neither. Last week I went to a pub called the Butchers Arms. I didn't check, but I doubt it has an apostrophe. Is there some customary usage that now means it is correct for pub signs not to use apostrophes, similar to the way the Oxford English Dictionary changes its definitions of words to reflect usage, even if those words had previously been used incorrectly (e.g. misogynist, literally). Street signs don't use apostrophes (e.g. St Peters Avenue, not St Peter's Avenue). Where would you put the apostrophe in the the Foresters Arms? Is it one forester or several? We will probably never know now because of slack punctuation.
 

Paulus

Started young, and still going.
Location
Barnet,
The old argument continues with two stations on the London Underground. Earl's Court, and Barons Court. One has an apostrophe, one doesn't. ps. Nor does Parsons Green.
 
If Frank Butcher ran a pub, I suppose he could call it THE Butchers Arms. It doesn't matter about the missing apostrophe anywhere in the world as our eyes will always spot one somewhere it should not perhap's be - as compensation.
Why are no pubs called The Queens Arms? * Or an Irish owner who had 'The O'Pen Arms'

* Whoops! Always gives one a nice filip when they are open.:smile:
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
There's a pub close to the university here called the Queens Head. It has just been taken over and is being renovated. It has a nice new sign, but they haven't painted in an apostrophe. And they expect scholars to drink there. They haven't painted in "The" neither, but I suppose that's understood. At the weekend I went to a pub called the Foresters Arms, which I noticed had no apostrophe neither. Last week I went to a pub called the Butchers Arms. I didn't check, but I doubt it has an apostrophe. Is there some customary usage that now means it is correct for pub signs not to use apostrophes, similar to the way the Oxford English Dictionary changes its definitions of words to reflect usage, even if those words had previously been used incorrectly (e.g. misogynist, literally). Street signs don't use apostrophes (e.g. St Peters Avenue, not St Peter's Avenue). Where would you put the apostrophe in the the Foresters Arms? Is it one forester or several? We will probably never know now because of slack punctuation.


If thats all youve got to worry about, its clear that puncuations the focus of eliminating your lifes last grumble.
 

MontyVeda

a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
a mate of mine used to get aggravated with abbreviated street signs such as Rd instead of Road, Gr instead of Grove, Ave instead of Avenue and so on. I think it's good when people who clearly seek to be aggravated by little things find something that will last their whole lifetime.
 
 

glasgowcyclist

Charming but somewhat feckless
Location
Scotland
There's a pub close to the university here called the Queens Head. It has just been taken over and is being renovated. It has a nice new sign, but they haven't painted in an apostrophe. And they expect scholars to drink there. They haven't painted in "The" neither, but I suppose that's understood.

Maybe it's an unfinished sentence, such as: The Queens head ... home after a light shandy.


GC
 
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