I keep seeing a billboard that says the following:

^$6avory sandwiches  (‘sandwiches’ is a substitute for the real word to avoid lawsuits).

^$6 would be pronounced /siks dollahrz/ but its placement in an adjectival position (nouns can be used as adjectives but not normally as adverbs  modifying a word in the adjectival position before a noun) Indicates that /siks dollahr/ would be the expected pronunciation.  [a six-dollar hamburger—not a six-dollars hamburger]   The ad writer apparently wanted the final consonant of the word before avory to carry over; unfortunately, /siks dollah ravory/ makes no sense and /siks dollah zavory/ is equally asinine.   It seems as of the person trying to be cute and eye-catching succeeded in catching attention—but a WTH reaction does not inspire me to eat there.

The only comments that I have heard on the billboard are along the line of “Is that stupid or what?”  None of the commenter were grammarians or linguists but they felt intuitively that the sign made no sense.  They all seemed dismissive or irritated at the sign—none seemed amused.

Would anyone like to comment or add another nomination for worse ad of the year?

Scott

Norman Scott Catledge, PhD/STD

Professor Emeritus

history & languages