I was dismayed to see in a front-page article of the Friday, Dec. 26, Times Record about L.L. Bean, a truly disturbing typo. I know that today SpellCheck has pretty much replaced proofreading, but more was necessary in this case. The third paragraph of reporter John Swinconeck’s story states: “Cooler weather that came earlier this year has helped boost sales of outdoor items such as snow shows (surely that should be shoes?), as well as ‘comfort items’ such as slippers and shammy shits …”
It took me several seconds to interpret shammy shits, but I finally figured it out to be chamois shirts. The pronunciation of the French word chamois has already been Anglicized to shammy, so also Anglicizing the spelling is troubling. I am a science rather than an English major, but I expect more from the Times Record. It has fulfilled my expectations in the past, but a little more care is necessary for front page stories. I realize that expectations have been severely lowered in today’s digital age, but this is really not acceptable.
Dianne M. Gutscher
Brunswick
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