Rites of passage


Six-frame cartoon. The first three frames show a young editor staring incredulously at his computer screen, not moving. In frame 4, the image pans out to show him in an office, while two experienced editors talk outside of it. Bespectacled editor says “How long has he been like that?” Curly-haired editor says, “You mean the new trainee?” In frame 5, Curly-haired editor continues, “About 25 minutes. He looked up how our style guide punctuates “do’s and don’ts.” Final frame, Bespectacled editor says, “Ah. Just wait till he discovers how ‘desiccate’ is spelled.” Curly-haired editor says, “Oh, that was last week.”What spellings, styles, and usages scrambled your brain when you first encountered them? Let me know here and on Twitter (#EditorialRitesofPassage).

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