On my desk I keep a list of tiny quirks of spelling, usage and meaning that often bedevil me. Perhaps my eclectic compilation will come in handy for you as well:

— Katharine Hepburn, not Katherine

— Smokey Bear, not Smokey the Bear or Smoky Bear

— Frederick Douglass (abolitionist), Stephen Douglas (U.S. Senator)

— Woman's Christian Temperance Union, not Women's

— SOS (distress signal); soap pad S.O.S (no final period)

— temblor for earthquake, not trembler

— Barbra Streisand, not Barbara

— buses (vehicles); busses (kisses)

— duffel bag, not duffle bag

— mantel over fireplace, not mantle

— restaurateur (no "n")

— A.D. precedes the date (A.D. 44); B.C. follows the date (44 B.C.).

— Chief Justice of the United States, not Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

— "Moby-Dick" (title of Herman Melville's novel); Moby Dick (the whale itself, no hyphen)

— Down Syndrome, not Down's Syndrome

— Canada goose, not Canadian goose

— daylight saving time, not daylight savings time

— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not Center

— Love's Labour's Lost (Shakespeare play). Means that love's labour is lost, as opposed to won.

— cement vs. concrete: The former is the powder mixed with water and sand or gravel to make concrete.

— impresario, not impressario

— Kriss Kringle, not Kris or Chris

— whiskey, except for Scotch whisky

— bologna (sausage); baloney (nonsense)

— RBI: Its plural is RBI (no "s") because it stands for "runs batted in," not "run batted ins."

— goodbye, not goodby

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. His 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 e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: Atul Vinayak at Unsplash