I corrected a typo on a whiteboard at school today - WIBU?

[clary]

We were looking round the fancy new school buildings at my kids' school tonight and there was some teacher writing on a board which included the word "barbeque" [sic]

I was able dextrously to doctor the q to make it a c. I hope this was in order. I also hope the teacher notices

665 you're in no position to be cackling at anyone.

I wasn't commenting on that aspect Sally, only on the part that I put in bold referring to typing.

MaisieDotes
I was ironically quoting the op *

what made you feel you ought to judge me for that ?

I know that, 665

I wasn't judging you, I was lightheartedly teasing you.

oh! and there was I, sharpening my buns for a good throwing

But it wasn't a typo was it ?

It wasn't typed on the whiteboard, it was written on it.

This has to be a mn bingo wind up surely?!

Sorry all, when I said "some teacher writing" I meant some writing by a teacher (they weren't there), using teacher as an adjective, which is perhaps a bit slack. It was some writing on the board, very likely left there at random ie not rubbed off, not significant.

Not thought that it might be tomorrow's lesson ready prepped. Hmm if so then IWBU!

I just can't stand seeing barbecue spelled like that. Collins dictionary agrees with me actually.

BTW I was scandalised at the idea that I might have split an infinitive - while I am happy to accept that this is OK (head of English has told me so) it is something I prefer not to do. However looking again at my OP I didn't. Phew!

Chambers and Oxford disagree so you are wrong.
Your sentence to avoid splitting an infinitive was rubbish and very bad english.
If you taught my children then it would be a situation up with which I would not put.

Sorry I meant to say that clearly IWBU all round. It wasn't quite as serious as some of you think tho - the only other person there was dh and I am sure it was work from that day left there at random.

I was going to post a lighthearted addendum to a thread in pedants' corner - maybe that would have been better.

Sorry about using the word "typo" to mean spelling mistake - an old habit from journalism.

Some of you are a bit rude. Still I guess I shouldn't port in AIBU if I don't want that

Aaargh post not port of course.

A far bigger issue is that most people in the UK and many in the US use the term barbecue incorrectly. It's not grilling something like burgers and steak outside.

I'm from the US South, and I know a thing or two about 'cue. True barbecue is meat, preferably pork, cooked very slowly over the indirect heat of a wood fire so that the smoke flavors the meat. If you do it in a pit dug in the ground, all the better.

I think the posters who consider themselves a better source of correct spelling than a mainstream dictionary are showing themselves to be knobs

Well my SA friend would just dismiss the lot of it and call it a brai. Who gives a rats.

It's abbreviated BBQ for a reason.

I'm from the US South, and I know a thing or two about 'cue. True barbecue is meat, preferably pork, cooked very slowly over the indirect heat of a wood fire so that the smoke flavors the meat. If you do it in a pit dug in the ground, all the better.

I'm from admittedly northern US but we always call those a -insert meat- roast. So doing it with pork would be called a pork roast. I do agree though, there's nothing quite like it. :)

I think the posters who consider themselves a better source of correct spelling than a mainstream dictionary are showing themselves to be knobs

We've just been told that a dictionary only reports common usage, it doesn't decide what is correct - just what is widespread.

Well my SA friend would just dismiss the lot of it and call it a brai

She/he wouldn't, you know.

They'd call it a braai

But Clary your non-split infinitive reads really awkwardly. That's because English naturally allows us to split the infinitive and sometimes that is the better option. Bending over backwards to avoid splitting an infinitive is a result of incorrect education (being told that splitting infinitives is wrong – that's misinformation) and can lead to some rubbish-sounding sentences.

To boldly go.
To go boldly.
Boldly to go.

My personal favourite indicating the utter ridiculousness of avoiding split infinitives is that last one.

Ana Dictionaries report 'accepted' spellings - that is those that are sufficiently widespread as to be accepted in English use.
They also lose old spellings, when they are no longer used. If you read middle English, then you will realise vast numbers (most?) words have changed spellings over time.
Interestingly many 'American' spellings (such as -ize) correctly reflect the older English variant and correct Greek etemology, it is us who have changed.
English is not, and never has been, set in stone.

No, I understand that, but I think changes should be either beautiful or useful and barbeque is not one nor the other

deliberate mistakes

This might be my all-time favourite thread.