ILo's Language Log

We got new copiers in the office a few months ago and they are absolutely terrible. The copier we had before was kind of loud, but our new one has paper jams way too often. This morning, my coworker created a paper jam so the copier is out of commission until Monday when a technician can come out and fix it. In the meantime, someone posted a sign.

"The copier doesn't have any more money!" my boss said gleefully when she first saw it. I wanted to draw dollar bills on the sign, but we decided against it.

Broke can be a verb (past tense of break:) or an adjective (penniless!). Broken is only used as an adjective. Whoever wrote the sign obviously meant that the copier wasn't working anymore, but should have used an adjective to describe that we couldn't use it.

I do quite like this definition from UrbanDictionary.com:

7.	broke	10 up, 2 down
	Broke is what something becomes when it stops working. The same is true of people. If you are not working, you will soon be broke. I can't buy a new house, because I'm no longer working and am as a result, broke. buy broke mugs & shirts unemployed poor bankrupt peasant rich by qrios Aug 9, 2009 share this add a video

On a floor full of editors, writers, and grammar nerds, whoever wrote this sign should have known better.

Labels: signs

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