This point was raised during a limerick session at OEDILF some time ago but was never resolved. I can't recall the exact limerick but it involved collapsible furniture. The speaker mentions a problem with opening the device and is told there's something sticking. He (or she) then says "Does it heck!"

I at first thought "heck" was some verb used in the UK but was told this form of expression is common and I would punctuate it as "Does it? Heck!" The "heck" is an expletive unconnected to the first part, which is a question. But no one else agreed with me, insisting the unpunctuated version is correct.

Any comments?

Without punctuation I don't get it at all. It is gibberish to me.

It could be punctuated either way. 'Heck' is a minced form of 'hell' so Does it? Heck! would show some surprise/dismay whereas Does it heck! would show emphatic negation - the speaker is denying that it does (whatever).

I'd say the latter is more likely and is idiomatically correct (for British English, anyway).

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It is gibberish to me.

Apparently this is a real division between US/UK speakers. British speakers see no problem but Americans don't comprehend it at all.

It must be a British phrase that we just don't use.

Someone sent me this funny link today about spelling/punctuation errors.

An than their is this story. Wood ewe dew the same thing these guys did if given the opportunity?

So funny, Proof. Unfortunately I don't pick those typos up as much as those two guys do so that probably isn't an occupation in my future. The mistakes were funny, though. My favorite was one in Chicago - The Milwuakee (sic) Furniture Store, which was named because it was on Milwaukee Avenue.

I think they were incredibly stupid to correct the sign in the national park and deserved the $3000 fine.

It should be pointed out that this is old news - from 2010. I think we might have mentioned it here at the time but my search didn't throw it up.

https://wordcraft.infopop.cc/ev...1074555?r=1031084755

One of the things they didn't like about the sign was the spelling of "emense", but that's not a typo. The missing comma and apostrophe might not have been mistakes either.

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It should be pointed out that this is old news - from 2010. I

Too long ago for me to recall commenting about it at the time. My memory only extends six months back, if I made notes.

I didn't remember it, either.

Interestingly, Kalleh's link from 2010 was itself two years out of date, as we discussed it in 2008.

My link from Buzzfeed? Didn't it say it was from 2013?

Sorry, I meant Proof's one to YouTube. It says it was uploaded in 2010.

There's a spelling error on a sign I pass every day that I itch sometimes to correct. There's a small apartment block next to the station with quite a professionally produced metal nameplate next to the entrance: CENTUAR HOUSE.