Driving from Chicago to Milwaukee, a friend and I saw a huge sign for the “Mars Cheese Castle” in Kenosha. Since I’m an astronomer and he’s a geologist, we had to get off the freeway and go in.
We were very disappointed to see that the T-shirts inside said “Mar’s Cheese Castle”. Other logowear said “Mars’ Cheese Castle”, though. Plus some things in there did say “Mars” with no apostrophe.
In the end, we still bought T-shirts and fully-dressed brats… 
[QUOTE=Ensign Edison]
Friend of mine says, “I wonder who said that – was it Churchill?”
[/QUOTE]
Whoever it was, they obviously weren’t very enthused - having said everything but the exclamation point. (I mean, seriously, WTF.)
[QUOTE=friedo]
The apostrophe, it burn’s.
[/QUOTE]
Tho’se damned apostrophe’s keep cropping up wherever they damned well plea’se. I think the government ought to do something about it.
[QUOTE=Nutty Bunny]
My fellow grammar and spelling Nazis will love this story.
[/QUOTE]
That’s a pretty cool hat…for a stale weenie. 
No, really, mess with signs in Niagara Falls and random passersby will threaten to stomp you? That’s actually kinda neat. More people should take such pride in being semiliterate.
There’s a grocery store in Santo Domingo called “One’al”. I think they were trying for “O’Neal” (as in Shaquille).
Lots of gratuitous apostrophes all over the place, from faux possessives like “D’Garcia” to greengrocer-style plurals - in a language where apostrophes are not used to denote contractions, possessives or anything else for that matter.
[QUOTE=picker]
Not an apostrophe issue, but a spelling one: a neon sign, in the heart of downtown Madison, advertises ‘seating available’ for the Essen Haus, a German restaurant & drinking hall. It’s been there for years.
[/QUOTE]
also, the name of the restaurant should be one word: Essenhaus.
[QUOTE=picker]
Not an apostrophe issue, but a spelling one: a neon sign, in the heart of downtown Madison, advertises ‘seating available’ for the Essen Haus, a German restaurant & drinking hall. It’s been there for years.
And it’s spelled ‘Seatnig Available’
[/QUOTE]
:smack:
I saw Švejk’s reply to your post.. and was wondering “What the hell is mispelled about ‘Seating Available’?”
So I had to scroll up to find your post… Turns out Švejk omitted "And it’s spelled ‘Seatnig Available’ "
I still believe this is the most egregious aprostrophe abuse I’ve ever seen.
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers]
Heck, in Quebec from 1974 to ~1998, the Quebec government punished the use of apostrophes on store signs, as that particular possessive form does not exist in French.
[/QUOTE]
I also noticed that in the UK, most business names that are in the possessive form don’t include the apostrophe; Harrods, Walkers, and so on.
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug]
No, really, mess with signs in Niagara Falls and random passersby will threaten to stomp you? That’s actually kinda neat. More people should take such pride in being semiliterate.
[/QUOTE]
NIAGRA FALLS?!!
[QUOTE=elmwood]
I also noticed that in the UK, most business names that are in the possessive form don’t include the apostrophe; Harrods, Walkers, and so on.
[/QUOTE]
I remember when this last came up - Something about Tube stations too. Like one of them has the apostrophe, and another one omits it.
KINGS CROSS was one of them.
[QUOTE=Cisco]
NIAGRA FALLS?!!
[/QUOTE]
Slowly I turned…
Somewhere near the Jersey Shore I recall seeing a sign for Jerry Beyer’s The Restaurant. At least they’re abusing the possessive in a novel way.
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug]
No but seriously: I used to pass by a photographer in Des Moines whose sign read:
The JOHN ROBERT’S Studio
and I’d think: Does the guy even know how to spell his own friggn name???
[/QUOTE]
Wait, what? If John Robert runs a studio, that’s absolutely correct, isn’t it? Or was the guy’s name written as “John Roberts” elsewhere?
My maiden name ended in an “s”, and you wouldn’t believe how many people couldn’t figure out how to possessify it. I got Jone’s, Joneses, Jones’es, Jones’s (which I hear is now correct, although my software alerts it and I was raised when it was wrong, so I refuse to accept it), very rarely would anyone write it Jones’.
[QUOTE=WhyNot]
Wait, what? If John Robert runs a studio, that’s absolutely correct, isn’t it? Or was the guy’s name written as “John Roberts” elsewhere?
[/QUOTE]
It’s the ‘The’ that makes it weird.
[QUOTE=picker]
Not an apostrophe issue, but a spelling one: a neon sign, in the heart of downtown Madison, advertises ‘seating available’ for the Essen Haus, a German restaurant & drinking hall. It’s been there for years.
And it’s spelled ‘Seatnig Available’
[/QUOTE]
I’ve never seen that! I’ll check next time I go by.
My ex refers to our sons as “the Boy’s.”
[QUOTE=Eric Halfabee]
Another non-apostrophe story: At a nearby Chik-Fil-A, there’s a sign at the drive-through exit that says,
It’s been “our pleasure” to serve you.
Sound a bit sarcastic to me.
[/QUOTE]
The turkey farm near me has a sign up:
“Fresh”
Or
Frozen
Turkey
which leaves me a little weirded out.
Today, on a shop door - “Don’t sell screws or nails”
The sarcastic bastard in me walked away saying to myself “I don’t plan to”
[QUOTE=Eric Halfabee]
Another non-apostrophe story: At a nearby Chik-Fil-A, there’s a sign at the drive-through exit that says,
It’s been “our pleasure” to serve you.
Sound a bit sarcastic to me.
[/QUOTE]
If you read the quotes as marking an actual quote, (as might be said by a perky service person), rather than serving as scare-quotes, then it could as easily be genuine. 
Though seriously, any business called Chik-Fil-A has pretty much given up on grammar and spelling anyway.
[QUOTE=Apollyon]
Though seriously, any business called Chik-Fil-A has pretty much given up on grammar and spelling anyway.
[/QUOTE]
It’s worse than you may know. This is the company whose corporate advertising has cows entreating us to Eat Mor Chikin.