# The meaning of \[sic\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 19, 2001, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585 "2001-04-19T20:27:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/1 "2001-04-19T20:27:57Z")
I’ve seen a couple of threads where some text was quoted from somewhere and the following was used in the quote: [sic]. Maybe I’m just inexperienced. Maybe I’m just uneducated or even just plain dense, but WHAT does [sic] mean and why is it used in a direct quotation? ---
**Author:** ![Studi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Studi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Studi)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/2 "2001-04-19T20:38:53Z")
“sic” is a Latin word that means “thus” or “in this way”. It’s inserted in quotations to indicate that whoever is doing the quoting knows that there is a spelling or grammatical error in the quotation, and the text came “in this way”. Studi ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/3 "2001-04-19T20:41:30Z")
It means “duh, I know this is misspelled or grammatically incorrect, but I’m doing the honorable thing here and quoting the author verbatim rather than correcting the error.” ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/4 "2001-04-19T21:03:14Z")
What it DOESN’T mean is: ‘Did I spell this right?’ I’m seeing it misused like that less than a few months ago, but it’s still permenantly engraved as a pet peeve. ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/5 "2001-04-19T21:27:56Z")
Those of us who have impeckibble speeling[sic] don’t need to use it very often. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/6 "2001-04-19T22:33:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\*It means “duh, I know this is misspelled or grammatically incorrect, but I’m doing the honorable thing here and quoting the author verbatim rather than correcting the error.” \*\* Or, less charitably, it means “The person I’m quoting is an idiot. I’m going to leave in all of his spelling, grammar, and usage errors to prove what an idiot he is.” ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/7 "2001-04-19T23:00:28Z")
If I’m not sure how to spell something I use (sp?) to show that I know it’s probably not right but I’m too lazy to look it up… ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/8 "2001-04-19T23:16:11Z")
The Ame. Her. Dic. says “sic adv. Thus; so. Used in written texts to indicate that a surprising or paradoxical word, phrase, or fact is not a mistake and is to be read as it stands.” Using it to point out spelling errors is probably a new thing that has developed along with usenet. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/9 "2001-04-19T23:23:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amarinth \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > > It means “duh, I know this is misspelled or grammatically incorrect, but I’m doing the honorable thing here and quoting the author verbatim rather than correcting the error.” > > Or, less charitably, it means “The person I’m quoting is an idiot. I’m going to leave in all of his spelling, grammar, and usage errors to prove what an idiot he is.” Or more likely for text media, “Don’t complain to the author/editor about this spelling/grammar error, complain to the source being quoted if you must.” ---
**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:** [April 20, 2001, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/10 "2001-04-20T00:05:28Z")
[Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=54565) is a thread where a clever & dashing young poster lists many such abbreviations that frequently appear in standard writing. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/11 "2001-04-20T01:39:14Z")
It’s not an abbreviation; it’s a word. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase “sic semper tyrannis”? ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/12 "2001-04-20T03:00:20Z")
sic transit gloria mundi or, as my kids say, if the bus is broke, we don’t have to go to school on Monday ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/13 "2001-04-20T11:32:37Z")
Thanks for the link, Attrayant. I tried doing a search for “sic”, but it returned nothing. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2001, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/14 "2001-04-20T13:15:51Z")
[Dictionary.com](http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=abbreviation): ab·bre·vi·a·tion (-brv-shn) n. Abbr. abbr., abbrev. 1. **The act or product of shortening.** 2.A shortened form of a word or phrase used chiefly in writing to represent the complete form […] I think that “sic” qualifies as an abbreviation in the sense that it the product of shortening. Of course, by that definition, brownies also qualify as an abbreviation. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2001, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/15 "2001-04-20T13:29:40Z")
Sic 'em, Bruno! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2001, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/16 "2001-04-24T16:44:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Attrayant \* > I think that “sic” qualifies as an abbreviation in the sense that it the product of shortening. A product of the shortening of what word? ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2001, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/17 "2001-04-24T17:13:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Attrayant \* > I think that “sic” qualifies as an abbreviation in the sense that it the product of shortening. > \*\* …as in, “If you eat too much shortening, you’ll get sic”? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2001, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-sic/62585/18 "2001-04-25T13:30:08Z")
What I can’t figure out, is that sometimes I’ll see “sic” and it doesn’t look like there’s anything wrong with the quote. Is my spelling/grammar that bad? 🙂