greengrocer's apostrophe

English

Incorrectly used apostrophes on sign

Alternative forms

• greengrocer's-apostrophe (archaic)
• greengrocers' apostrophe (nonstandard)

Etymology

From the misuse of apostrophes on signs in greengrocers' shops.

Noun

greengrocer's apostrophe (plural greengrocer's apostrophes)

1. An incorrectly used apostrophe, especially one mistakenly used to form the plural of a noun, for example to write the plural of banana as banana's instead of bananas.
   • 1993, British Film Institute, Sight and Sound Film Review:

     [A] flashing neon sign advertising the Pari's Hotel is less an early case of greengrocer's apostrophe than a sardonic Pascalian allusion (pari in French meaning 'bet').

   • 1998, Richard M. Hogg et al., The Cambridge History of the English Language, page 121:

     It is hardly surprising that these conventions seem to be in rapid collapse, with what has been called "the greengrocer's apostrophe" (apple's 60p, Antique's, linguistic's, and perhaps even mean't, all personally attested) […]

   • 2004, Joy Burrough-Boenisch, Righting English That's Gone Dutch:

     When applied in English it produces greengrocer's apostrophes.

   • 2024 October 7, Philip Oltermann, “Germans decry influence of English as ‘idiot’s apostrophe’ gets official approval”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     The Deppenapostroph is not to be confused with the English greengrocer’s apostrophe, when an apostrophe before an ‘s’ is mistakenly used to form the plural of a noun (“a kilo of potato’s”).

Translations

incorrectly used apostrophe

• French: apostrophe mal placée f
• German: Deppenapostroph (de) m or n, Idiotenapostroph (de) m or n

See also

• apothecary's Latin