Questions tagged [signage]
Questions about signs and public notices.
47 questions
16
votes
2
answers
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What is the sign, used in documentation, that means illegible--in the same fashion as [sic]?
For example, if you're transcribing something into a digital format and a segment is too illegible to be transcribed, what parenthetical element should you put in that segment? I remember that there ...
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7
votes
2
answers
33k
views
What is the proper name for a circle with a line through it? [duplicate]
What is the formal name for a circle with a line through it (often red in color) indicating that something behind the line is "off-limits"?
For example, this sign indicating that one should not touch:...
0
votes
1
answer
859
views
Road closed to through traffic
What is the grammatical analysis of the sign "Road closed to through traffic", specifically the prepositions "to through"?
- 2,690
3
votes
1
answer
454
views
Business signage with a letter per row - where to put apostrophe?
I noticed a bar called My Lady's Inn with a sign using one letter per row.
The
L
A
D
Y'
S
feels a little strange, and I was wondering if
L
A
D
Y
'S
would work better?
Any rules or ...
- 22.6k
1
vote
1
answer
71
views
What is the name of the V/Y-shaped sign used when adding something (a letter, word, etc.) to a sentence?
My father is police officer.
For example, when editing my student's writing (which is handwritten), this is what I do:
a
My father is Y police officer.
If anyone happens to know how to do ...
- 11
3
votes
1
answer
370
views
What's the meaning of "Lose money" on this sign?
English is not my native language and I am currently living in Singapore.
I encountered this sign in a stall:
I understand this sign as "By buying this, you'll lose money in an irrelevant product, ...
0
votes
2
answers
360
views
"Caution ... wet paint" Does "caution" act as a noun, verb or something else in this case and why?
An Alamy stock photo has the caption
"Caution wet paint tape and cone around freshly painted bench so people do not sit on it"
It's clear that the tape is continuously labelled "Caution Wet Paint" ...
- 1
0
votes
1
answer
54
views
"parking around back" for signage [closed]
Is there a better way to phrase "Parking Around Back" for signage?
Currently the signage at the business says this phrase. However, the
signs are being replaced due to age and wear. I am wondering if ...
- 1
1
vote
3
answers
114
views
Should this sign have the preposition at the end? [duplicate]
I created the following sign for my computer:
"Please do not turn off this computer."
My office mate told me that this should be the correct way to do it:
"Do not turn this computer off."
He ...
9
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Correct phrase for this kind of parking lot sign
I've seen parking lot signs in Spanish stating "en posición de salida", literally "in exit position", which means that you should back into the spot so your vehicle is facing out when it’s time to ...
- 1,370
4
votes
1
answer
16k
views
Signs vs. Signage
Native speaker here, and recently I got into a discussion with my pops about the word 'signage'. His contention is that the word 'signage' is entirely superfluous and is only used as a $5 alternative ...
5
votes
2
answers
45k
views
"Please be considerate of..." vs. "please be considerate to..."
We have a sign on a door at work which slams when people aren't careful. It originally read:
Please be considerate of those here and close this door quietly.
Someone crossed out the of and ...
- 2,608
-2
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Meaning of Without Prejudice [closed]
What does the term
"without prejudice"
mean in a legal sense (ie near your signature or credentials on a document or contract - binding or not) as opposed to the non-legal meaning?
EDIT: Just to ...
- 384
2
votes
3
answers
868
views
Is "will open 1st quarter 2015" grammatically correct? [closed]
A lot of signs in the Hong Kong MTR writes:
xxx Station will open 1st quarter of 2015
Is this actually grammatically correct?
- 301
3
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Congestion/queue signs on British roads
On British roads (especially dual carriageways or motorways), signs indicating heavy traffic are a regular occurrence. The most common ones are:
Congestion caution
Congestion ahead
Congestion after ...
- 238
0
votes
2
answers
769
views
"Patients' Lifts" and "Consultants' Payments" - are these correct?
I saw some sign boards in a hospital which had the following description:
Patients' Lifts
Consultants' Payments
As far as I know, the above signs should read Patient's Lifts or Patient Lifts and
...
1
vote
1
answer
236
views
What’s wrong with saying “Your book inside”?
Let’s say you have a box, and you have a book inside it. You can attach a paper on it saying “Book” or “Book inside”. Now, if you’re sending it to someone and you write a note on it, you would say, “...
- 31
-2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Signature for Doctor of Information Technology prefix and suffix [closed]
How can I sign my name with the degree of "Doctor of Information Technology"
Is this all correct
Dr.Full Name
Full Name D.I.T
Dr Full Name
(Doctor of Information Technology)
Dr.Last Name
Can I ...
- 99
20
votes
3
answers
31k
views
Is there a name for the red circle and slash in a No Smoking sign?
When my daughter asked me and my husband about a No Smoking sign, we explained that it means no cigarettes are allowed. (We had to explain cigarettes to her too.)
Unfortunately, she now thinks that ...
- 1,251
11
votes
4
answers
768
views
"Unexpected" quotation marks: Why?
I frequently run into uses of quotation marks on public display that simply baffle me. I have no idea who or what is being quoted, what the original reference is, or why it's necessary to indicate ...
- 503
-4
votes
1
answer
195
views
Article in a phrase [closed]
I saw a phrase on the curb. Literally: "NO DUMPING. FLOWS TO BAY". Why there is no article before "bay"? Bay is countable, and I think article should be there. Or it may be Bay? (The curb situated in ...
- 111
10
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Grammaticality of "Shoreditch station to permanently close"
I recently read an article on BBC titled Bad grammar and the people who hate it. In it, there is a photo of a train station sign which reads as follows.
Friday 9 June 2006
Shoreditch station ...
- 203
2
votes
1
answer
111
views
$ sign where did it originate? [closed]
This sign is a very interesting one. I do not know where it originated in.
And why do we use it? How does $ sign relate to dollar?
Does it mean money? Sometimes I've seen it with double lines ...
- 191
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Meaning of “Irish true”
This is a sign from a pub. I would expect it to read “Irish truth” or “true Irish”. Why is “Irish true” used?
- 141
18
votes
3
answers
17k
views
Meaning of "Be Mr Late Better Than Late Mr"
Not long ago I found on the Internet a lot of different road signs from India.
Here is one of them:
It says: "Be Mr Late Better Than Late Mr". I can't understand the meaning of this phrase. I ...
1
vote
1
answer
116
views
Follow the signings?
I saw a road sign today saying: "Follow the alt route signings." It struck me odd. I would expect: "Follow the alt route signs."
Signings is obviously a legitimate word, but it's usually used ...
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1
vote
1
answer
3k
views
When to use articles and when not to? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Please use other door?
Is "Stick no bills" correct English?
“train approaching”
What's with syntax in newspaper headlines?
Well, I know the basic rules about using ...
- 129
10
votes
1
answer
3k
views
"Road liable to flooding" — is this roadsign grammatically correct?
I passed the roadsign below while driving home late last night, and realised that despite how many times I had seen it, I was still surprised by the choice of words used and unsure if it was actually ...
- 15.8k
7
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Meaning of "before" in this sign
In "US Sign and Safety" I came across the road sign shown in the image below.
Can someone explain what part of speech the word "before" is?
I'm asking because it seems that these two graphs are both ...
user19148
19
votes
4
answers
12k
views
Why do street parking signs say "no stopping or standing"?
I see redundancy here. If one stands a car on the street, isn't it necessary to stop first? It would seem the most logical and efficient use of language for the sign would be "no stopping." Or do ...
- 2,282
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Does the phrase "violations will be enforced" make any sense?
I see this on traffic signs around my town, and I don't think it makes any sense. I googled the phrase and apparently, a lot of people use it that way, but that does not change my opinion.
I think ...
- 221
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Stop if you feel faint or pain! [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Ellipsis that results in one word serving as both subject and object
I am “adjective” and I am “present continuous” in one sentence
I was using some exercise equipment the other ...
- 4,417
0
votes
2
answers
163
views
Wash Hands to Serve Safe Food?
The other day I saw a sign in a restroom saying:
Wash your hands thoroughly to kill bacteria and serve safe food
It struck me as wrong somehow, since it gave me the immediate humorous mental ...
- 4,417
17
votes
6
answers
3k
views
"Picking up your litter puts road-workers at risk" — is this strangely-worded road sign grammatically correct?
Yesterday I came across a road-sign (just coming onto the M40 at the Oxford services, if you're interested!) that seemed to read rather strangely. It read:
Picking up your litter puts road-workers ...
- 15.8k
4
votes
4
answers
9k
views
No loitering sign: "Police Take Notice"
I'm a native English speaker and I've never been able to really parse this one. Is it a command aimed at the police? If so, shouldn't it be "police, take notice"? Is this construction used anywhere ...
- 451
3
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Why use "at" in this way?
I always see signs such as
Men at work
or
Children at play
I was wondering why we use "at" in this way. Is it just a formal way of saying Men Working / Children Playing?
Saying "At Lunch" ...
user6352
5
votes
5
answers
8k
views
Why is "help wanted" phrasing used in job ads?
It's quite typical to see "Help wanted" signs in cases some business has an open position. That can be some temporary position or even a permanent one.
Why is it called "help"? Why not "we're hiring" ...
- 879
3
votes
3
answers
2k
views
"Automatic door—push to open."
This is the wording on signs I've been seeing quite often recently. It seems to me quite nonsensical; if you have to push the door to open it, it isn't automatic.
Is that the case or is there ...
- 37.2k
3
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Signs in states which say "Only Trash Litters"
In many states I can see signs posted which state
"Only Trash Litters" which I certainly have no problem understanding
and which appear to be correct usage to me. "Trash" can be singular or plural so
...
user5905
1
vote
4
answers
793
views
"Ice possible" or "Possible ice"?
Which is proper grammar: “Ice possible drive with care” or “possible ice drive with caution”?
user4559
14
votes
8
answers
5k
views
Why do signs read "wet floor", not "slippery floor"?
Every other time I see a "wet floor" sign the following idea comes to my mind. That sign forces me through unnecessary mental effort to deduce that wet floors can be slippery.
I think it's like ...
- 879
1
vote
3
answers
3k
views
"Train approaching"
Is it correct? It's the message I see right before the metro/subway train shows up.
Shouldn't it be "train is approaching" or "train approaches"?
- 978
6
votes
4
answers
431
views
What would you write in this case? (a sign in a fitting room)
Once in a fitting room of one clothes store in Taiwan I saw a sign saying something like
Watch your lipstick carefully no to touch the clothes you are trying on.
While the main concern was ...
- 9,018
5
votes
4
answers
572
views
Is "litter" correct on waste bins?
I threw some rubbish in a litter bin the other day, when it occurred to me that the receptacle couldn't be a litter bin, because litter is only unwanted things strewn across the road. Anything in a ...
- 37.2k
3
votes
2
answers
588
views
What is the difference between ‘Hot Corned Beef’ and ‘"Hot" Corned Beef’?
I have seen the phrase '"Hot" Corned Beef' on several convenience store signs in my area. Since corned beef is is usually served warm or hot, am I missing part of the meaning of the sign?
- 377
4
votes
5
answers
19k
views
What word best describes a small store that sells only glasses (spectacles)?
What word would or combination of words would best describe a small store, in which only glasses (spectacles) are sold?
Here are some of my guesses, but I think they are all wrong:
Eye ware
Glass ...
- 9,018
5
votes
4
answers
16k
views
Is "Stick no bills" correct English?
'Stick no bills' sounds awkward.
Shouldn't it be something like 'Do not stick any bills'?
- 2,587