"Quote Abuse" Revisited

Recently we considered "the near-hysterical proliferation" of inappropriate quotation marks: the faulty use of quotes to emphasize, satirize, and criticize with reckless abandon.

Now, to our perverse comfort and delight, we've discovered The "Quotation Mark" Abuse Pool at Flickr, the online photo site.

There, among the hundreds of bizarre quotables contributed by viewers, you'll find snapshots of these odd gems:

• Staff Wanted--Please "Ask"
• We are here to "repair" your phones
• "Quality" Nuts & Fruits
• "Your" car will be "towed!"
• Please do not "husk" the corn
• "Hot" pork "sandwiches"
• "Flashers" must be on (a street sign)
• "Cars Parked" at Owner's Risk

Apparently, no logic whatsoever lies behind such feckless abuses of the quotation mark. And the problem, it appears, is not peculiar to English speakers: several examples are in German.

So to experience the punctuation of the absurd, dive into The "Quotation Mark" Abuse Pool. But then be sure to dry yourself off with a visit to our Guidelines for Using Quotation Marks Effectively.