But the Stylebook Says...

You might think a chapter about how to read a dictionary is a waste of paper, but you'd be wrong. Stylebook entries are designed to be even more explicit in their explanations than dictionary definitions are, but writers and editors still manage to miss the point. When members of the American Copy Editors Society were asked to cite examples of often-misused words, John McIntyre of the Baltimore Sun nominated 'stylebook.' The most common form of stylebook abuse is the use of an affirmative entry as a negative entry. Boneheaded editors see x in the stylebook and decide that means they must never, ever use y. A lot of stylebook entries do work this way, but the authors of the stylebook are giving us a little credit and figuring that we can tell which y they're discouraging. One entry, for example, reads 'spaceship.' This doesn't mean all other words in the language are banned; it means simply that AP does not use 'space ship' as two words.

Walsh, Bill. Slot, The (2001). Articles>Style Guides

Going to Bat Against the Dictionary

The T-shirt, commonly misspelled 'tee shirt,' is so named because it resembles the letter T when spread out. Tee ball, commonly misspelled 'T-ball,' is so named because a ball is hit off a tee. Is that so difficult? Apparently it is. Unanimously, as far as I can tell, dictionaries favor the non-informative T-ball. Some of those dictionaries don't even recognize tee ball as an alternate spelling. Some very smart people think I'm out of my mind for having such strong feelings in favor of the tee- version.

Slot, The (2001). Reference>Style Guides

Sharp Points

Bill Walsh, a copy editor for the Washington Post, rants on style and usage topics.

Walsh, Bill. Slot, The. Reference>Style Guides

The Slot: A Spot for Copy Editors

In the old days, copy desks were shaped like horseshoes. The leader sat in the middle, or 'slot,' and was known as the 'slot man,' or 'slot' for short. (In the old days, everybody was a man.) If you're looking for more information about copy editing as a profession, this is the journal for you. You'll also find advice on how to become a copy editor.

Slot, The (2001). Journals>Editing

What Exactly Is a Copy Editor?

Copy editors check written material, usually as the final step before it is set into type, to correct errors in grammar, spelling, usage and style (in this case, style refers to a given publication's guidelines for consistency in how words, phrases, typographical elements, etc., are to be used -- or not used). Copy editors are not proofreaders, although reading proofs is often part of the job description. The difference is that proofreaders (a job title that scarcely exists anymore) are charged with simply looking for typographical and mechanical errors on copy that has already been typeset. Proofreaders -- and, indeed, copy editors reading proofs -- are often criticized rather than praised for making picky changes at that stage in the process, whereas the same changes might well be applauded at the copy-editing stage.

Walsh, Bill. Slot, The (2002). Articles>Editing

When Metaphors Fail to Keep Their Distance

Was I being too literal when I made the following change? I don't think so. A name-brand financial columnist wrote the following paragraph in a piece about Web-based credit cards: Most issuers mail you a plastic card, usually a MasterCard or Visa, which you also can use in stores. At Citibank, however, plastic has become uncool. Instead, it's offering ClickCredit, a virtual card (www.clickcredit.com). It acts like a credit card, but exists only in Citi's computer. You use it solely for making purchases on the Web. The problem is, I have one of these Citibank cards, and while it's true that it's not an ordinary credit card that you carry around in your wallet and use at stores, it's also true that the ClickCredit people do mail you a card, and it's made of plastic.

Walsh, Bill. Slot, The (2001). Articles>Style Guides>Marketing>Tropes