Pronograph* (for Pornography)

Marie Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond" once asked her son if the DVD player his wife had gotten him for Christmas was a "pornography machine." Which isn't too far off the mark for some people, although you're unlikely to see them marketed as "pornographs" anytime soon. Pronograph* appears in OhioLINK five times (with WorldCat revealing ten cases of Pronography and three of Pronographic), but with email this sort of thing is apt to be intentional, since many office apps are tricked out with crude filters that can't distinguish between actual porn and the word "porn." Another word my own system can't abide is "Lolita." This makes it difficult to discuss the debate over porn filters in libraries—or the Nabokov classic and its two film adaptations, all of which have been the targets of censorship. Purposeful misspelling of these words is an effective workaround. (Former A.G. and antiporn guy John Ashcroft standing in front of the "Spirit of Justice," which he preferred to be hidden by a curtain, from Wikimedia Commons.)

Carol Reid

Hans Christian Anderson (for Andersen)

The author for whom an international award for children's literature (often called the "Little Nobel Prize") is named was born in Odense, Denmark, on April 2, 1805. According to Wikipedia, most English, German, and French sources use the name Hans Christian Andersen, but in Scandinavia he is generally referred to as H.C. Andersen. In Denmark, Hans Christian is a traditional forename and considered a single unit; it's improper to employ only one of the two parts. In any event, it is always wrong to spell his name with an o rather than an e. There are 102 hits in OhioLINK on Hans Christian Anderson (27 when enclosed in quotation marks). Google shows one misspelling of his surname for about every ten spelled correctly. The reason there are so many typos like this is probably due to the fact that there are more Andersons than Andersens. So don't be like the hoi polloi afraid to point out the emperor's new "close." Instead, be like the princess who could always feel that round little pea where her "ease" should be. (Hans Christian Andersen in the garden of Religheden near Copenhagen in 1869, from Wikimedia Commons.)

Carol Reid

Apirl, etc. (for April)

T.S. Eliot may or may not have been right about it (Christopher Hitchens asks in The Atlantic: "In what conceivable universe … is April the cruelest month?" and is cruelly accused of "freakish literal-mindedness" by a reader), but the right pearl or pill can sometimes soothe the moodiest blues. Apirl appears two times in OhioLINK, Apil four times, and Arpil 11 times. (Wearing something old and something blue, and borrowed from Wikimedia Commons, The Girl with the Pearl Earring is considered to be the most famous painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer.)

Carol Reid

Did you mean "Ottowa"?

Ottowa (for Ottawa)

"Ottowa" for Ottawa is a high probability typo. The typo is most likely caused by mispronouncing the word. My point is not to start an argument on the correct Canadian and/or U.S. pronunciation, although many folks agree on "AH-ta-wa." When the word is pronounced as "AH-tow-wa," however, then the misspelling begins. A Google search of "Ottowa" hits 340,000 entries plus the helpful hint: "Did you mean: Ottawa."

Picture: Peace Tower at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada, during the Spring Tulip Festival.

Wendee Eyler

Down "Under tanned"

Undertand* for (Understand*)

"Undertand" sounds like you have an Australian suntan--you've been "Down Under tanned!" "Undertand" has a moderate probability of being a typo in your catalog. "Moderate Probability" means that the typo was searched in OhioLINK and resulted in 8-15 hits. The typo "Undertand" is a one of 945 new typos found during 2007 and added in 2008 to Terry Ballard's list "Typographical Errors in Library Databases" at http://faculty.quinnipiac.edu/libraries/tballard/typoscomplete.html.

Wendee Eyler

"Eary" works to 1800

Eary (for Early)

"Eary" is a typo for Early. Many "Eary" typos are in contents notes and subject headings, particularly the subject typo of "Eary works to 1800." Be careful when changing this typo: "Eary" is a correct spelling for surnames and for "Ear-y" in the delightful title Mabel O'Leary Put Peas in Her Ear-y.

Wendee Eyler

April Fools' Day Joke? Lookout "Mountian"?

Mountian (for Mountain)

The Colorado Department of Transportation should check out Typo of the Day for Librarians at http://librarytypos.blogspot.com/. Recently Colorado's Exit 256 received a new green sign notifying motorists of the upcoming exit in the westbound lanes: Lookout Mountian. Motorists notified the highway department right away, and a plate was put over the typo "mountian" until it can be corrected. "Mountian" was listed as a typo of the day in January 2007. I'm as vigilant as possible for my own catalog, but a quick peek found one more "mountian" in my catalog. Unfortunately, once a typo is cleaned up a constant check is needed to keep from adding the typo again with new cataloging.

The picture of "Lookout Mountian" was provided by Jeffrey Beall.

Wendee Eyler