I have an orthographic tendency when writing hurriedly to replace words with homophonous words. It is not that I do not know the correct spelling for the word, it is that the auto-pilot function of my brain often goes astray.
Bob Cleveland has helped me catch several of these recently (dear for deer, right for write), but none of mine were quite as bad as those below which I share in Bob’s honor.
–“To celebrate at feasts, the inhabitants of old England sometimes cut the head off the biggest bore and carried it around on a platter.”
–“On Thanksgiving morning we could smell the foul cooking.”
–“Vestal virgins were pure and chased.”
–“Mr. & Mrs. Garth Robinson request the honor of your presents at the marriage of their daughter Holly to Mr. James Stockman.”
–“They gave William IV a lovely funeral. It took six men to carry the beer.”
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The above quotes are from Richard Lederer’s book Anguished English.
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