I went to American public school for two of my years of high school. I never took me no foreign languages, but I think senoirs is one of them Belgian words. It is pernounced sin-wahs in Flemish.
I work for a social-service agency which provides services to seniors, and I type “senoirs” at least once a day, despite having been a professional writer and copy-editor.
When I was in graduate school, you can figure out how many years ago, at one of the nation’s allegedly finest universities, this was painted onto the side of a new building:
US OUT OF NICARAGAU
The best part was that the way it was removed, probably wire-brush, it left a virtually permanant impression of said letters. I’m just glad that the Romans didn’t find the perps and make them write it correctly 100 times.
Denny, when you posted this photo, I bet you were thinking of “heard” and not “herd” as used in a previous post. This is why we all need editors. I can reread something that I have written, and I never see the mistake in spelling or grammar. Just as soon as I push the “submit” button, the error stands out like a sore thumb. At least, my word processor program gives me a hint that something might be wrong.
On my daughter’s first day in preschool, when she was about three years old, she walked in, took one look at the box labeled “Mr. Potatoe Head” and said “what is that, the Dan Quayle version?” Precocious little tyke.