It was more interesting when I misread it

[Dr. F.]

I've seen some of these scattered in various threads, so I thought I'd start a specific thread.

You know when you just glance at some writing, get a  response and then look back and it's actually just your brain playing tricks? Yeah, those.

I was reading ehell, and the advert at the bottom of the page was for Iceland Air. I read the tagline as "BOINK NOW." When I looked again, it was the far less interesting "BOOK NOW."

Is there a term for this phenomenon? I do it to myself all the time.

[lilfox]

I don't know what it's called, but I think you primed me for it!

In the far right column of a new site, among other headlines in small type, I just read "Amateur sloth helps stop National Archives thefts "

(actual headline "Amateur sleuth helps stop National Archives thefts ")

While wildly improbable, I would have preferred to read about the sloth.   

[baglady]

I do this all the time (thank you, wonky eyesight!), and I think my misreadings are more interesting than the real thing!

Cooperstown, N.Y., is home to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's also home to a microbrewery whose beers all have baseball names: Old Slugger, Benchwarmer Porter, Strike Out Stout, etc.

A beer store near me stocked a brew called Post Road right next to its assortment of Cooperstown brews. So having baseball names in my head, I read "Post Road Ale" as "Pete Rose Ale."

(I doubt Cooperstown Brewing will actually name a beer after Mr. Rose unless and until he's cleared of that gambling thing that's kept him out of the Hall of Fame. Not that I care, being a big fan of their existing brews and the Red Sox.)

[Snooks]

Although the thread's been closed now I kept seeing "Dealing with belief in the supernatural" as "Dealing with belief in the supermarket" and thinking someone came across a preacher in the supermarket.

[readingchick]

I was reading the newspaper and at first thought I'd read about police holding school board's feet to the fire on a certain issue. Read it again and it was a patron holding the school board's feet to the fire. I don't know....

[Elisabunny]

I'm pretty sure I must have read wrong the sign that identified "Green Chicken Road."  But I don't care, I enjoy contemplating why the chicken is green, and why it was awarded the honor of having a road named after it.

There was a store at the mall that had a non-working light-up letter, making it The Gods Shop (really The Goods Shop).  My friends and I spent entirely too much time discussing its possible merchandise.

[baglady]

I'm pretty sure I must have read wrong the sign that identified "Green Chicken Road."  But I don't care, I enjoy contemplating why the chicken is green, and why it was awarded the honor of having a road named after it.

There was a store at the mall that had a non-working light-up letter, making it The Gods Shop (really The Goods Shop).  My friends and I spent entirely too much time discussing its possible merchandise.

There was a Citizens Bank that had letters burned out so it spelled "Zen Bank." If you go in there and ask for change, do they tell you, "Change comes from within"?

An Armed Forces Recruiting Center in my area had so many letters burned out that it read "Armed Forces Rec Center." I kept picturing guys walking in there to play pool or something, and being signed up for the military before they knew what hit them!

[Irk Splee]

I'm currently out of state visiting a friend, and while we're out driving, we usually pass a sign that says "MAKE YOUR YARD SPECIAL!" However, the "fork" at the top of the Y in "yard" was cut off somewhat, making the Y look a lot more like a T and therefore like a word I probably shouldn't be saying. The first time we passed that sign, I couldn't figure out WHAT it said - I read it with the T, knew it couldn't have POSSIBLY said that, but it took another pass about a week later before I could get a better look and finally figure out that they were advertising lawn decorations.

Along the lines of burnt-out sign letters, when I was a child, there was a business in my city that advertised office furniture. However, for YEARS the "off" was burned out, leading to several debates with friends and family over the pros and cons of furniture made of ice.

[Slartibartfast]

There was a great picture on failblog quite a while back, of a Subway store with a big "LEASE" banner draped from the roof.  The result advertised "SLEASEy."

[PaintingPastelPrincess]

We have a restaurant chain here called Black Angus. Once, years ago, the "g" was burnt out which led to this conversation:

Me (age 12), mom & dad start giggling at the sign.
My brother (LB) (9) and sister (LS) (4) start giggling with us.
LB: WHAT are you even laughing at LS? You don't even know what that word means.
LS: I'm laughing because it's funny when everyone laughs.
Dad: LB, do you know what that word is?
LB: Yes, DUH, Dad.
Dad: Well, what does it mean?
LB: Well, Mom knows.
Mom: Yes, but I want to know if you know.
LB, with a sigh: You should know what it is.  You have one.  It's a lady's privates.

Dad had to pull the car over because he was crying laughing.  The tone is everything here.  LB was being *so* superior to LS at the time.  It's become family legend. 

[hermanne]

There's an ad on TV here that has a reporter standing in front of a Broadway theater. The first time I saw the sign on the theater I read "Spider-man Snores!"

Well, I thought, considering all the problems they had with rehearsals and getting that show going...

Then I read it again: "Spider-man Soars!"

Oh.

[Layla Miller]

There's a restaurant near where I used to live called "Happiness Express."  Except the "Hap" part was burnt out last time I saw it.  I know it's not the correct spelling, but phonetically.... 

[twiggy]

I've come back to the "show unread posts since last visit" page three or four times now and I keep reading a thread title in the recipe requests folder as "so i have 2 liters of breastmilk..."

Every time I see it, I am impressed at the amount. Then confused as to why it's a thread title. Then I'm a little queasy as I notice it's in the recipe requests folder. Then I remember that I'm reading it wrong.

It might be time for me to go to sleep

[AfleetAlex]

I'm currently out of state visiting a friend, and while we're out driving, we usually pass a sign that says "MAKE YOUR YARD SPECIAL!" However, the "fork" at the top of the Y in "yard" was cut off somewhat, making the Y look a lot more like a T and therefore like a word I probably shouldn't be saying. The first time we passed that sign, I couldn't figure out WHAT it said - I read it with the T, knew it couldn't have POSSIBLY said that, but it took another pass about a week later before I could get a better look and finally figure out that they were advertising lawn decorations.

I know it's wrong but I'm trying so hard to laugh quietly in my office that I have tears in my eyes!

[Nika]

I'm pretty sure I must have read wrong the sign that identified "Green Chicken Road."  But I don't care, I enjoy contemplating why the chicken is green, and why it was awarded the honor of having a road named after it.

There was a store at the mall that had a non-working light-up letter, making it The Gods Shop (really The Goods Shop).  My friends and I spent entirely too much time discussing its possible merchandise.

Ooh, actually, that might be the real name of the road. There is a neighborhood near me where the streets all have names like that. My favorite is Blue Beaver Road.