# Weird Earl's vs Weird Earls **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 27, 2000, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539 "2000-04-27T00:49:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/1 "2000-04-27T00:49:00Z")
Kind of humorous to see a 's plural on the front page of a site devoted to fighting ignorance… * * * – I have over 2000 posts, dammit! Show some respect. [http://fathom.org/opalcat/showmerespect.jpg](http://fathom.org/opalcat/showmerespect.jpg) O p a l C a t [www.opalcat.com](http://www.opalcat.com) NEW UBB board, all are welcome: [http://fathom.org/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro](http://fathom.org/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro) ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/2 "2000-04-27T01:03:00Z")
I’ll defend it. URLs rather than URL’s, certainly. But either Earls or Earl’s works, the first as “this is a link to several odd people named Earl”, the second as “a link to the various strange sites belonging to Earl”. It’s a bit like calling the nutjob parts of the 'net _Weird Earl’s World_. Perhaps lacking in hilarity, but not clearly wrong. picmr ---
**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 27, 2000, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/3 "2000-04-27T01:51:00Z")
I’ll not only defend ‘Earl’s’, I’ll argue against ‘Earls’. ‘Weird Earls’ doesn’t have much of a ring. ‘Why is there a section about strange noblemen here?’ Weird Earl’s however sounds like a discount store. ‘Weird Earl’s House of Discount Websites! All domains must go! 1/2 (of the IQ points) off!’ It sounds like the kind of place you’d _expect_ to find things like ‘Walter Miller’s pitifull story’. * * * _Eschew Obfuscation_ ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2000, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/4 "2000-04-27T15:52:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Tengu > ‘Weird Earls’ doesn’t have much of a ring. ‘Why is there a section about strange noblemen here?’ Although a site featuring men whose ears you can see through and appear to have swallowed a ballcock would fit rather nicely. It would seem that that is what it would take to get this thread fired up. Oh well… picmr ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/5 "2000-04-28T13:45:00Z")
As others have indicated, if it were “URL” instead of “Earl,” then it wouldn’t be right to have the apostrophe. However, it’s a play on words. “Weird Earl’s” is made to sound like a place – the fact that it sounds like “URLs” is a joke. If it was called “Weird Ed’s” instead, would you be complaining about the apostrophe? No. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2000, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/6 "2000-04-29T21:22:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > If it was called “Weird Ed’s” instead, would you be complaining about the apostrophe? No. > \*\* Actually, I would. I would read it as “Weird Eds” like many Eds who are weird. ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/7 "2000-04-30T00:54:15Z")
Well, then apparently we need a special section on “Weird Opals.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/8 "2000-04-30T05:09:33Z")
**OpalCat** is correct the plural of Weird Earl is Weird Earls. **David B** is incorrect. There is only one Weird Opal. Here is [Weird Opal’s](http://fff.fathom.org). ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/9 "2000-04-30T19:14:44Z")
That’s great, but we’re not talking about a plural. We’re talking about a possessive. For example, we have a restaurant in town called “Cecil’s.” It is not “Cecils” because there is only one Cecil (at least only one who owns/owned the restaurant), and it is his restaurant. That is the same idea with “Weird Earl’s” – view it as a place, not several weird people named Earl. ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/10 "2000-04-30T19:16:11Z")
Indeed, after posting that, I noticed that you had used the proper possessive in “Weird Opal’s.” ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/11 "2000-05-01T04:17:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > That’s great, but we’re not talking about a plural. We’re talking about a possessive. For example, we have a restaurant in town called “Cecil’s.” It is not “Cecils” because there is only one Cecil (at least only one who owns/owned the restaurant), and it is his restaurant. That is the same idea with “Weird Earl’s” – view it as a place, not several weird people named Earl. > \*\* I understand that, but it’s not clear when you read the phrase. I think most people would probably assume plural given that what it really is is a collection of weird urls. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/12 "2000-05-01T04:26:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Opalcat: > I understand that, but it’s not clear when you read the phrase. That’s wordplay for you. ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-earls-vs-weird-earls/1539/13 "2000-05-01T11:47:10Z")
Picmr said: > [@](#): > > That’s wordplay for you. Yup, I guess so. Some people will get it, some people won’t. 😉