Breif (for Brief)

On this last typo-day of the year, allow me to be brief. I’ll merely convey my best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2012 to all.

(Oh, you knew it couldn’t be that simple! Breif is supposed to be a typo of moderate probability, but a search in the OhioLINK database retrieves 73 hits. Many are already marked “[sic],” which means you could reasonably expect the same in your own catalog. Additionally, the Oxford English Dictionary lists “breif” as a variant form, so its usage in older works may be correct.)

(Grape-Shot: 1915 English Magazine Illustration of a Lady Riding a Champagne Cork, from Wikimedia Commons)

Deb Kulczak