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CultureQuiet 4d · day 5

Oxford comma lament on Mastodon spins into thread on US sign shorthand

A short post mourning a missing comma draws heavy engagement, then a reply riffs on America's all-caps, shortcut-heavy signage.

newest coverage 4d agosummary written 4d ago4 pieces77 likes & upvotes81 comments Mastodon

What to know

  • A brief comma-related joke post on Mastodon gained significant traction, reaching 435 score and 78 comments.
  • A reply the following morning shifted the conversation toward American signage habits, including all-caps design and abbreviations like "thru."

jd@ottawa.place Original posterplexus@toot.cat Replier

Oxford comma lament on Mastodon spins into thread on US sign shorthand
ottawa.place

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump posts

Peak 2 pieces in two hours at Sep 20, 12 AM; 4 pieces over 5 days (4 posts) Sep 19, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Mastodon 2Sep 20, 2 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quiet 12
Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 10:46 AM ET
  1. 2

    plexus@toot.cat replies with riff on US signage habits

    Replying to the original post, plexus@toot.cat comments on American signs' tendency toward large all-caps text and abbreviations, citing "thru" and a sign reading "BREAKDOWN BOXES" as examples.

    “There's something about signs in the US, they have to scream, they have to have that big bold all caps type, and they'll take any linguistic shortcut so they can then make the type bigger.”
    — plexus@toot.cat
    • plexus@toot.cat

      RE: https:// ottawa.place/@jd/1172991994846 14581 There's something about signs in the US, they have to scream, they have to have that big bold all caps type, and they'll take any linguistic shortcut so they can then make the type bigger. Like spelling "through" as "thru". A sign in the trash room of my partner's old building had a sign that said…

      plexus@toot.catMastodon4d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 3 posts in this stretch
    • KraftTea@mastodon.social

      RE: https:// ottawa.place/@jd/1172991994846 14581 (Please use the barbeque conveniently provided outside.)

      KraftTea@mastodon.socialMastodon4d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    • courtcan@mastodon.social

      RE: https:// ottawa.place/@jd/1172991994846 14581 If you can roll 'em, you can smoke 'em.

      courtcan@mastodon.socialMastodon4d agoview on Mastodon ↗
    all of them →
  2. 1

    jd@ottawa.place posts oxford comma lament

    The post "A comma! A comma! My kingdom for a comma." tagged with #oxfordcomma and #comma is published and gains 435 score and 78 comments.

    “A comma! A comma! My kingdom for a comma.”
    — jd@ottawa.place
    • jd@ottawa.place

      A comma! A comma! My kingdom for a comma. # oxfordcomma # comma

      jd@ottawa.placeMastodon4d ago77▲view on Mastodon ↗

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · best of 4 · verbatim