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Pedants' corner
Original poster

I know I'm being silly, but the sign above my new house is really getting to me.

34 replies

Belgianchocolates · 07/09/2009 09:35

My hands are itching to get out a pot of black paint and repaint the name of the cottage.

It's something along the line of 'Lucy's Cottage', but the sign says "Lucys Cottage"

OP posts:
thisisyesterday · 07/09/2009 09:37

well, maybe it refers to more than one Lucy?

FlamingoBingo · 07/09/2009 09:38

Maybe the apostrophe's rubbed off?

MaryBS · 07/09/2009 09:39

It would have the apostrophe in a different place then!

Can you put the apostrophe in, without a total repaint?

HelenaBonhamCarter · 07/09/2009 09:39

...or maybe the word 'lucys' refers to something else entirely...could you not just add an apostrophe?

HelenaBonhamCarter · 07/09/2009 09:40

Maybe it used to belong to a couple called Lucy and Cyril Smith.

LadyoftheBathtub · 07/09/2009 09:40

I would paint it in immediately! Get a small tin of black Japlac or even just a marker pen. Soooo satisfying.

Hassled · 07/09/2009 09:41

thisis yesterday - then it should be Lucys' Cottage.

You need to get a black permanent marker and a ladder. There's no doubt about it. You also need to determine whether it is in fact a cottage. If not, change cottage to house (I'm sure you could do that without anyone noticing), lob in the apostrophe and we will all sleep easier.

Original poster
Belgianchocolates · 07/09/2009 09:43

The letters are too close together to add an apostrophe. I did think that the "Lucys" might meant something different and not be a possessive, but I doubt it. I'm considering joining the local history society and finding out a little bit more about the history of the cottage before doing anything drastic to the sign. Also, we're renting. I'm not sure if our landlord will appreciate us changing his sign.

OP posts:
PuppyMonkey · 07/09/2009 09:44

PMSL Hassled. The sign on my street says St Wilfrids Road. Really bugs me.

Original poster
Belgianchocolates · 07/09/2009 09:45

Hassled. Please can you enlighten me and explain the difference between a house and a cottage? I've always wondered this, but I haven't met anyone yet who could explain the difference to me.

OP posts:
thisisyesterday · 07/09/2009 09:48

yes, you are all right of course it's far too early for me.

Hassled · 07/09/2009 09:49

cot·tage (kät′ij)

noun

  1. a small, usually one-storied house, often one that is the dwelling of a peasant or a farm laborer
  2. a house at a resort or in the country, used for vacations or as a summer home
  3. any of several separate dwelling units, as of an institution or camp, in which residents are housed in small groups

So if it's not one storey OR in the country and used for holidays OR part of a camp/institution (WTF?), then it's not a cottage. HTH

PuppyMonkey · 07/09/2009 09:53

Hassled, is cottage also in dictionary as a verb?

HelenaBonhamCarter · 07/09/2009 09:55

There you go BC. Are you a peasant?

Original poster
Belgianchocolates · 07/09/2009 09:55

Aaargh, now I need to change both the apostrophe and the word Cottage! It's got 2 stories, it is in the country, but we are not on holiday, nor living in a camp/institution . That's just too much to go unnoticed. I think I'll just have to avert my eyes or only come in via the back door

OP posts:
HelenaBonhamCarter · 07/09/2009 09:55

You could rename it 'Peasants Corner'

apostrophe

Original poster
Belgianchocolates · 07/09/2009 09:57

Oh no. I meant to have the "nor" in italics to. My previous post is just not right without that. Oh, I think I'll better got now before I make any more typos. Also I suppose my crying baby is slightly more important than a wrong sign

OP posts:
LadyoftheBathtub · 07/09/2009 09:58

Lack of spacing wouldn't bother me. I'd just perch the apostrophe above the y and the as as centrally as possible.

Renting schmenting. Will the landlord really notice/mind/hammer down the door shrieking "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY INACCURATE SIGN!!!???" Nah. Even if he did you could claim it wasn't you but some passing guerilla pedants (hide the marker and ladder obviously)

LadyoftheBathtub · 07/09/2009 09:59

I meant s not as. Obligatory pedants' corner thread error there.

ThingOne · 07/09/2009 10:04

Cottages can definitely have two storeys. Yes they usually have just one but two is not that odd.

HelenaBonhamCarter · 07/09/2009 10:08

Has nobody mentioned frottage yet?

LadyoftheBathtub · 07/09/2009 10:21

If you change the sign to "Frottage Cottage", then I guess the landlord might notice.

Original poster
Belgianchocolates · 07/09/2009 10:23

Lol LadyoftheBathtub. I've often dreamed of being a guerilla pedant. Especially to right all the wrong apostrophes out there. There are just too many of them!

I presume you'd expect a cottage to have low ceilings though, so I think this really should be a house as the ceilings are really high. Higher than in my old 50's semi.

OP posts:
MinnieMummy · 07/09/2009 11:59

be careful of guerilla pedantry

And, look, one of us!!

Dumbledoresgirl · 07/09/2009 12:04

Since when has a cottage been restricted to one storey? I live in a cottage. It is old, it was reputedly once the dwelling place on a small farm and at least one ceiling (in the original part of the much extended house) is so low I can be standing on the floor and put my hand flat on the ceiling above. Its name doesn't have the word cottage in it though.