Cheque this out!

December 9, 2009 12:59 PM

Weird preview spell-check mistake...

I noticed that a few people on this thread were spelling the verb check: 'cheque'. I was in the middle of writing a comment to ask why (it was a genuine inquiry and not snark) when I previewed. As if by magic check was rendered 'cheque'. Why?

posted by ob to Bugs at 12:59 PM (41 comments total)

Arrgghhh! The word got changed when I posted so it looks really weird. I suppose this serves to highlight the problem...
posted by ob at 1:01 PM on December 9, 2009

BTW, the word that I'm trying to type is c-h-e-c-k, just in case anyone is really confused.
posted by ob at 1:02 PM on December 9, 2009

The Empire Strikes Back, UK-spelling style. If we ignore the whole verb/noun bit.
I'm seeing both versions in your post ob. Is it some personal setting/script that's doing it?
posted by Abiezer at 1:03 PM on December 9, 2009

Greasemonkeys? In your browser? It's more likely than you think.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:04 PM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

check, check, check... Is this thing on?
posted by JeffK at 1:04 PM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

The British are coming!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:06 PM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

You are using my greasemonkey script, I think. Does this look like it's from Mom?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:06 PM on December 9, 2009

Yeah, I am using your script.
posted by ob at 1:15 PM on December 9, 2009

Then you need to turn it off I guess. I'm surprised it does that but it makes sense that it changes everything you see on thge page, including your preview. For what it's worth, WE see your comment with the checks and cheques in the proper places.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:18 PM on December 9, 2009

my greasemonkey script

The name of it is funny! (And, no, of course not.)
posted by Sys Rq at 1:19 PM on December 9, 2009

Well, that explains it. I've turned it off and everything looks normal again. A shame really because apart from the script's war on the word 'check', this script is just the ticket. Anyway thanks for sorting this out, I thought I was going nuts!
posted by ob at 1:22 PM on December 9, 2009

You can edit the text of the script to remove that one line and continue to use it if you're handy like that.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:30 PM on December 9, 2009

Hmmm... I'm afraid I'm not very handy, but I might try and figure it out. In truth I'm not that much of a stickler for UK vs US spelling, and I only really installed it to enjoy the u in favourite, so it's not that big a deal.
posted by ob at 1:40 PM on December 9, 2009

I will alert the harbour lieutenant who will endeavour to humour you through this.
posted by Jofus at 1:45 PM on December 9, 2009

u     --> favourite
non-U --> favorite
posted by ocherdraco at 1:54 PM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

I had great fun looking for the changes as I used the site (I missed only one related to apparel) and editing is dead easy.

1. In FF, go to Tools | Greasemonkey | Manage User Scripts.

2. Choose the script "IfIDoThisWillYouPleaseShutUp" from the left.

3. You'll be prompted to open it in your favo[u]rite editor. Hunt down Notepad if nothing else is available.

4. In the following section, add or remove changes following the format shown.

(function() {
    var replacements, regex, key, textnodes, node, s; 

    replacements = { 
        "favorites": "favourites",
        "favorite": "favourite",
        "check":  "cheque",
        "checks":  "cheques",
    }; 

It's JavaScript, which is case sensitive, so you'll see lower-case versions of the words change but not mixed or pure upper case, unless you explicitly add those in.

For the hell of it, I'm going to go and change all "ck" sequences to "que" in my copy. Everything should be a little more French.
posted by maudlin at 2:02 PM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

Can we make a hardcore prescriptivist version that makes changes like:
"kudos are": "kudos is",
"exchequer": "eschequer",
"conundrums": "conundra",
"pedantic asshole": "you",
posted by BrotherCaine at 2:13 PM on December 9, 2009 [11 favorites]

That wasn't directed at anyone in particular, I'm just feeling a bit bah humbug this season.
posted by BrotherCaine at 2:14 PM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

/me sneaks up on BrotherCaine and hugs the stuffing out of him (then takes off in a hurry in case he takes offense).

Everyone needs a hug
posted by misha at 2:18 PM on December 9, 2009 [3 favorites]

The British are coming!

Actually, it was: "The Regulars are coming out."

/pedant.
posted by ericb at 2:46 PM on December 9, 2009 [3 favorites]

I will alert the harbour lieutenant who will endeavour to humour you through this.

A loo tenant? What kind of person lives in a toilet? And on a harbour of all places?
posted by Sova at 2:55 PM on December 9, 2009

Loo tenant? Don't know where you got that from - it clearly says lieutenant. (Pronounced "Throatwobbler Mangrove".)
posted by zamboni at 3:22 PM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

For the hell of it, I'm going to go and change all "ck" sequences to "que" in my copy. Everything should be a little more French.


It stands for Qualvin Elaine.
posted by qvantamon at 3:34 PM on December 9, 2009

For the hell of it, I'm going to go and change all "ck" sequences to "que" in my copy. Everything should be a little more French.

Fuqueing A, that's great.
posted by Spatch at 3:54 PM on December 9, 2009 [3 favorites]

Que? Que? Que?

(I'm so sorry... he's from Barcelona.)
posted by jenkinsEar at 4:00 PM on December 9, 2009

Maudlin, the Green Bay Paqueers would like a word with you in private.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:03 PM on December 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

"cheque" is correct.
posted by timeistight at 4:06 PM on December 9, 2009

It's not a secknce used freckntly and the consecknces may be somewhat picturesck and opack. Frankly I ckstion the eticktte of this cker masckrade.
posted by Electric Dragon at 4:28 PM on December 9, 2009 [4 favorites]

A shame really because apart from the script's war on the word 'check', this script is just the ticket.

Just the ticket for what?
People spell things differently. I don't become confused or vexed when I see color spelled colour, or favorite spelled favourite. I just think, "Oh, they use British spellings." I don't see why you'd need a tool to specifically respell things your way.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:10 PM on December 9, 2009

"Pronunciation of lieutenant is generally split between the forms lef-tenant (/lɛfˈtɛnənt/) and lieu-tenant (/ljuːˈtɛnənt/)"

Hmm... one of these is obviously correct.
posted by Eideteker at 7:12 PM on December 9, 2009

The other one is fuct.
posted by flabdablet at 7:57 PM on December 9, 2009

Just the ticket for what?

It's an expression. The kind of thing that someone in the 1940s would have said. I was riffing on the Britishness of the whole thing.

I don't see why you'd need a tool to specifically respell things your way.

As I said above, I don't need a tool to specifically respell things my way, it's just that Jessamyn made a script, I thought it was fun so installed it and then forgot about it when it was doing odd things. FWIW, I wrote a doctoral dissertation using US spelling, so I'm hardly a UK English spelling Nazi.
posted by ob at 8:28 PM on December 9, 2009

Aw, crap. There's an error in my code fragment. It should read:

(function() {
    var replacements, regex, key, textnodes, node, s; 

    replacements = { 
        "favorites": "favourites",
        "favorite": "favourite",
        "check":  "cheque",
        "checks":  "cheques"
    }; 

The last swap in the list (in this example, the plural forms for those pieces of paper with autographs that are worth money) shouldn't have a comma at the end. I was adding and deleting various pairs and forgot to clean that up.
posted by maudlin at 8:55 PM on December 9, 2009

Quick fix is to add:

*metafilter.com/contribute/post_comment_preview.mefi*

in the GreaseMonkey exclude page, then nothing on comment preview pages would be modified. This could also be added to the javascript with @exclude.
posted by smackfu at 6:18 AM on December 10, 2009 [2 favorites]

"cilantro": "coriander"
posted by Static Vagabond at 6:38 AM on December 10, 2009

Heh. I forgot I had the script on and just ran into this in the TSA thread:

"Hmmm, I never cheque luggage and never get extra screening."
posted by smackfu at 7:04 AM on December 10, 2009

"Pronunciation of lieutenant is generally split between the forms lef-tenant (/lɛfˈtɛnənt/) and lieu-tenant (/ljuːˈtɛnənt/)"

I was watching something recently where a British officer was talking about different people he had worked with, and when referencing a fellow Brit, he said 'lef'tenant Smith, but when talking about an American he had encountered he called him 'lieu'tenant Jones.

For whatever reason, it made my mind boggle. It shouldn't have... but it did.
posted by quin at 8:29 AM on December 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

Check/Cheque is the only confusing spelling I've run into in the Ango/American Language wars.

When I lived in the good ol' US of A, I'd see billboards stating "Try our checking at [bank name]", and I'd think "what are you going to check? my account balance?" and then I would remember chequeing is spelled differently.

I still can't get used to it.
posted by blue_beetle at 9:31 AM on December 10, 2009

Just checking ...

smaquefu, your quique fix works, thanks!
posted by maudlin at 9:50 AM on December 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

ocherdraco:"
u     --> favourite
non-U --> favorite"

double-u --> favowrite

For comments that make you go "wow".
posted by PontifexPrimus at 12:21 PM on December 10, 2009

"cilantro": "coriander" "gross soap"

FTFY
posted by potch at 2:57 PM on December 10, 2009 [1 favorite]