# (sic)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2001, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sic/49138 "2001-01-09T10:39:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dani\_Filth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dani\_Filth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dani_Filth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sic/49138/1 "2001-01-09T10:39:36Z")
I have seen (sic) EVERYWHERE, from song titles, to stories, to quotes, and even here on SDMB. So my question is, what does it mean? Thanks… _bracing myself for what is probably a VERY obvious answer…_ -Dani 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TomH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90db22/32.png) [@TomH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TomH)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sic/49138/2 "2001-01-09T10:48:52Z")
It’s Latin for “thus”. It is usually inserted into a quotation to show that the person doing the quoting knows that the preceding word or phrase is wrong and is faithfully quoting the original error, or for the avoidance of any doubt about the content of what is being quoted where the content seems to be unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![absoul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@absoul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/absoul)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sic/49138/3 "2001-01-09T10:53:10Z")
[sic](http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=sic) ---
**Author:** ![Damhna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Damhna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damhna)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sic/49138/4 "2001-01-09T11:01:36Z")
Thanks God someone asked that. Its been bugging me for years. I remeber once being told it stood for “spelling IS correct” (in a sarcastically condesending tone impling that the author knows what he’s talking about you buffoon)which kindof made sense, but I kept coming across exceptions. All hail the wealth of knowledge available here. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sic/49138/5 "2001-01-09T13:42:00Z")
Whenever a question like this comes up, I always take the opportunity to bring to light a few other common notations. You certainly don’t need to know the Latin translation because as we all know, [everybody who speaks Latin is dead](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=23128), however I have included them here in the intrest of completeness. etc.: _Et Cetera_, and so on, and other things. i.e.: _Id Est_, that is. (Often used before clarification on a point.) q.v.: _Quod Vide_, which see. (Used after a subject to which the reader is additionally referred.) et al. _Et Allii, Et Alia_, and other people, other things. c.f.: _Confer_, compare. (Used to draw the reader’s attention to a point of comparrison.) viz.: _Videlicet_, namely, that is to say. (Used to elaborate.) N.B.: _Nota Bene_, note well, carefully. e.g.: _Exempli Gratia_, for example, for instance. c.: _Circa_, about, approximately. You must resist at all costs the temptation to actually use these abbreviations in casual conversation (especially i.e.), lest you become known as a weenie. ---
**Author:** ![BunnyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BunnyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyGirl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sic/49138/6 "2001-01-09T13:46:22Z")
Attrayant, thanks for that list. Having been thrown to the wolves in a new desktop publishing job and now responsible for reviewing professors’ publications, I was always confused on those freaky little abbreviations, not knowing if they were used correctly. I’ve printed out your post and am attaching it to my bulletin board for reference. Thanks! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2001, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sic/49138/7 "2001-01-09T14:26:29Z")
> [@](#): > > **c.f.: _Confer_, compare. (Used to draw the reader’s attention to a point of comparrison.)** A minor correction: this is properly rendered as “cf.” (one period, not two) Carry on!