Punctuation

[Doofus]

I shall preface this by telling you that I am incredibly intelligent, witty, erudite and, um, that. However, I'm unsure about this punctuaton question, although I don't actually care very much.

In a pub yesterday for a spot of lunch. Among other things on the menu was "Goats' cheese". Fine. The milk evidently came from more than one goat. Nowt wrong with that.

The menu also had a "Fisherman's pie". Now, on the asumpton that more than one angler was invlolved in gathering the ingredients for this dish, surely it should refer to "Fishermen". Given that assumption, and given that Fishermen is a plural, where should the possessive apostrophe be? Should we have been offered "Fishermen's pie" or "Fishermens' pie"?

Even my wife wasn't sure, and she's smarter than I am. Although not as pretty...

[marshalla]

Doofus said:

I shall preface this by telling you that I am incredibly intelligent, witty, erudite and, um, that. However, I'm unsure about this punctuaton question, although I don't actually care very much.

In a pub yesterday for a spot of lunch. Among other things on the menu was "Goats' cheese". Fine. The milk evidently came from more than one goat. Nowt wrong with that.

The menu also had a "Fisherman's pie". Now, on the asumpton that more than one angler was invlolved in gathering the ingredients for this dish, surely it should refer to "Fishermen". Given that assumption, and given that Fishermen is a plural, where should the possessive apostrophe be? Should we have been offered "Fishermen's pie" or "Fishermens' pie"?

Even my wife wasn't sure, and she's smarter than I am. Although not as pretty...

Fisherman's pie = a pie for/from a fisherman. Acceptable.
Fishermen's pie = pie for/from several fisherman. Also acceptable.
Fishermens' pie = greengrocer wrote the sign. Report to the PH re-education centre immediately.

[Impasse]

Fisherperson's pie.

[Doofus]

Yay! I think that means I won the argument, and didn't have to pay for lunch!

Although I don't really remember. I may have lost the argument. I definitely paid for lunch, I know that

[marshalla]

Impasse said:

Fisherperson's pie.

Actually, they're all wrong. The correct PH version is MY PIE!

[Doofus]

Impasse said:

Fisherperson's pie.

More than one fisherperson?

Fisherpeoples's' pie

[marshalla]

Doofus said:

More tha one fisherperson?

Fisherpeoples's' pie

Get.

Out.

Now.


Run.

[Doofus]

marshalla said:

Get.

Out.

Now.


Run.

There's no rush. They don't start serving lunch until midday.

[Impasse]

Fishypeople's soap.

[Iva Barchetta]

Nom nom nom nom.....burrrrrp......What pie ?

[soad]

I would use goat’s because if it’s wrong, people are less likely to notice.

[Impasse]

soad said:

I would use goat’s because if it’s wrong, people are less likely to notice.

I'd probably use Feta because it doesn't smell of feet.

[davepoth]

I believe that the derivation of fisherman's pie is that it's a pie for a fisherman, in the same way that a shepherd's pie is a pie for a shepherd, rather than it being a pie made by fishermen or shepherds.

[Johnnytheboy]

Daft as it sounds, one thing I write a lot at work is "cleaners' cupboard'.

But I'm the only person that writes it like that. Is there only one cleaner or something?

[TheInternet]

Impasse said:

I'd probably use Feta because it doesn't smell of feet.

The feta is in the bin where it belongs.

[Impasse]

Fisherman's bin?