The ever-vigilant members of the Word Guy Blooper Patrol have sent me these errors from newspapers and magazines:

1. "It was just a sugar pill — you know, the gazebo effect." Well, it is a sweet little structure. (Submitted by Ruth Beebe, Potsdam, New York)

2. "The buffet ... offered great food at bargain, all-year-can-eat prices." Sounds like a fantastic deal! (Norman Stevens, Storrs, Connecticut)

3. Headline: "Underground Powerline Up In The Air." Hmmmm ... (John Daigle, Vernon, Connecticut)

4. "(He) violated every tenant of professional responsibility." Thank goodness he isn't a landlord. (Charlie DeWeese, via email)

5. "The teacher failed to queue the tape properly." Well, it is hard to get those videotapes to line up. (Mark Lander, Old Lyme, Connecticut)

6. "No ligament offers should be solicited in this manner, said the PA Department of Aging." They have a "tendon"cy to be scams. (Violet Spancer, Greensburg, Pennsylvania)

7. "National Safe Night Out is when block watches all across the United States host activities at night to promote violence and drug prevention." Well, as long as it happens only once a year. (Ed Collins, West Newton, Pennsylvania)

8. From a review of a novel: "Roger, an elderly, recently widowed man, is having trouble adjusting to life without Stella, his recently diseased wife." Presumably, it was fatal. (F. R. Steiner, Jeannette, Pennsylvania)

9. "Delaney dropped the car in gear and pealed out." It must have been a Chevy "Bell"-Aire. (Larry Brautigam, Berlin, Connecticut)

10. "Life is chalk full of dramas." Especially if you're a teacher. (Shirley Margeson, Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

11. "The 100,000 sq.-ft. store features more than 40,000 separate products and includes a drive-thru lumbar and bulky item pick up lane." It must save wear and tear on your back. (Charles Dyson, Storrs, Connecticut)

12. "The thief entered the store, welding a pistol." Talk about a smoking gun! (Chris Ryan, New York City)

13. "She had an aurora about her." Was her last name "Borealis"? (Carol Fine, West Hartford, Connecticut)

14. "He sat in court and heard all of the 30-sum witnesses." But somehow their testimony just didn't add up. (Carolyn and Duncan Morrow, via email)

Corrections:

1. placebo effect 2. all-you-can-eat 3. How can an underground power line be up in the air? 4. every tenet 5. cue up 6. legitimate offers 7. to prevent violence and drug use 8. recently deceased wife 9. peeled out 10. chock full 11. drive-thru lumbar 12. wielding a pistol 13. aura 14. 30-some witnesses

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His new book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: ljlabarthe at Pixabay