'T'ain't

Do you hear what I hear? Yes, ’tis a seasonal chorus of ’tis-the-seasoning. And ’tis just getting started.

From Madewell:

 

P.S.: The preferred spelling of “woolly” has two Ls.

From Jigsaw:

An additional demerit for the backward apostrophe on ’tis.

 

From Starbucks:

“It is three reasons”? It is bad grammar.

 

From Bacardi (spotted on Gawker): 

Brand-name verbing (“to Bacardi”) duly noted.

 

From Verizon:

Downsized expectations: from “season” to “weekend.”

 

And many more examples to come, I have no doubt.

Here’s a timely caveat from John McIntyre about this most persistent of holiday clichés. He addressed it to newspaper editors, but it’s equally relevant for copywriters:

“’Tis the season”: Not in copy, not in headlines, not at all. Never, never, never, never, never. You cannot make this fresh. Do not attempt it.

He adds: “’Twasing is no more defensible than ’tising.”

Comments

[Jonathon]

And not only is it cliche, but it makes the typesetter in me despair to see so many opening single quotes where apostrophes are needed.

[Linnaeus]

Drives you into a bit of a 'Tissy, doesn't it?