Polaris Nail's & Spa

Katie submitted this photo she snapped in Philadelphia:



Maybe it's Polaris Nailguns & Spa and they're properly using the apostrophe to show omission. Or perhaps Polaris saw that Java's Brewin' had two apostrophes and wanted to fit in.

Subterfuge at Scoop's

KaySquirrel writes:

Spotted this bit of apostrophe abuse during our recent trip down to York, UK.

That's my husband's shoulder you can see on the right, there. I asked him to pose while I pretended to take his picture. I didn't want the folks running the ice cream stand to suspect that I was snagging a pic of their sign so that I could then go and make fun of it on the intertubes. ;)

Of course, the sign could be correct if that was Mrs. Scoop behind the counter. But then, why would the other signs just read "Scoops"?

An error so nice, they made it twice...

From the Silverwood Theme Park website...

(Twice on the same page, just in case you missed it the first time…)

(Thanks, Catherine!)

Grandma's & Grandpa's Wanted in Kent, WA

Wesley spotted this sign in front of an assisted-living facility in Kent, Washington:

Save your penny's

Greg writes:

I drive by this sign all the time and finally got a photo of it. In addition to the obvious one, it also has another bonus apostrophe error in 'N!

Multiple abuses in Devon, UK

Diane writes:

On holiday in Devon, UK recently, I spotted these examples in one town.

The Ferry Inn sign is especially interesting, containing not only apostrophe abuse, but also punctuation errors and misuse of capital letters. I was most surprised at the correct use of 'its' near the end.

For £1 more could we get the apostrophes?

A case of apostrophe neglect, sent in by Rachel...

Thought you should all be appalled by the poor grammar used by this exclusive English ceramics company. We’ve previously noticed worse offences by them (Butter Finger’s was one!) but they seem to have had some input from a grammarian – these obviously slipped through the net… To be the proud owner of these four clangers you’d have to fork out a grand total of £74!

Bike Rack pamphlet littered with unnecessary apostrophes

Domino Cat writes:

This one was found in a booklet for Avenir Bike Accessories (part of Raleigh UK). Interestingly, there is no other apostrophe abuse anywhere else.

Had your eye's checked lately?

Kate writes:

Another day, another abused apostrophe. It's getting so commonplace that I normally wouldn't think to photograph it and submit it, but this one has some witty graffiti that I thought was worthy.

It is a sign from Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.

Bargain Shop Breakdown

Catherine submitted this photo

...as seen in the window of one of Ireland's biggest department stores. Bonus points for inconsistency!

Two Paisan's Pizzeria

Becky writes:

While driving in Malden, MA last week, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye - APOSTROPHE ABUSE! Please see the attached picture of Two Paisan's Pizza in Malden MA.

Abuse at Wal-Mart

Ruth writes:

We visited our brand new Wal-Mart for the first time, and discovered that apparently their fancy new signs didn't get a fancy new grammar checker. This sign was over the cheese, I think.

Plane old apostrophe abuse

While on an airplane this week, Keith spotted this abuse at the start of Run Fatboy Run:

Alaska Domino's

Laurie sent in a photo of these dominoes, which she spotted at "several tourist traps in Scagway, AK":



Maybe this is just what Domino's Pizza boxes look like in Alaska.

Keep Dog's Away

Joe from Harlem sent in

...a sign I saw on the Upper West Side. Personally, I think that if a sign is this poorly written, it's okay to let my dogs piss all over it.

Baby's 'N Things

Jenn sent in this abusive packaging for a baby toy:



...unless the name of the company is "Baby Is In Things"?!

Red's, White's, and (the apostrophe) Blues...

Dana writes:

My wine shop in Westport, CT offered special's on red's [and white's!] this week ;)

Play in the Rabid Dog's Keep-Out!

Dylan writes:

I walk past this sign every week and will usually think, "So, where's the 'keep out' for the non-rabid dogs?"

Margarita's and, um, more... in New Mexico

Carson sent in a couple photos he took in Albuquerque, NM.

I like my margaritas with salt, but I usually prefer to leave the apostrophe out:



And, in an entry reminiscent of one of our first posts...

Capri's in Ottawa

Liz and her boyfriend spotted this banner at a mall in Ottowa Ottawa, Ontario:



UPDATE: Apologies to our neighbors to the north for my misspelling of Ottawa! Quick, someone register WhyComplainAboutApostrophesWhenYouCannotSpell.com!

No Dog's in Laundromat

Francyne writes:

This sign has been posted for several months at our local laundromat at Westchester and Sands in the Pelham Bay Park area of the Bronx.

Well, if there's only one, there's only one...

Lesley in San Diego sent us this sign she spotted somewhere between Carmel and Los Angeles:



I wonder how long they've been trying to sell that one lonely slab?

Treasure Trove of Errant Apostrophes in BC Antiques Store

Amanda writes:

My sister and I went antique shopping one summer day in Vernon, BC and came across this shop - thank goodness I had my camera on me! This is really just a sampling of the massive apostrophe abuse that this store is guilty of!

Greengrocer's apostrophe arrives in Spain

Peter writes:

The grocer's apostrophe has arrived in real Spain, Spanish Spain.
This is surprising as the Spanish do not use it at all - not for possessives and not for elisions. This picture was shot in Sanlúcar, Cádiz province - most definitely a Brit-free zone.
There are plenty stray apostrophes on the Costas [or should I say Costa's] where they offer paella and chip's and tortilla and chips'; but the only English spoken in these parts is by the Spanish sherry families who speak it with Harrovian or Eton accents and certainly know where to put their apostrophes.

Pretzel Boy's

Amy writes:

This store recently opened near us, and when we drove by and saw the sign, I said, "I'm going to cry." My husband, always ready to give someone the benefit of the doubt, said, "Well, it _could_ be correct. If it's one guy." I told him I bet him the movie date of my choice that it was TWO guys. When we got home, I checked the "Our Story" section of their website. It's two guys. :-(

It's one thing for guys in the pretzel business to not know how to punctuate their name, but how, in the name of all the gods, does a sign maker not bother to check spelling, grammar and punctuation (since words are their job!), and NOT correct someone spending all that money on a custom neon storefront sign?

Gah.