I launched the Gig Fliers project a few days back. Set up a website and everything.
Turns out it should have been Gig Flyers.
A flier is somebody or something that flies. A flyer is a small pamphlet.
You see, I thought it the ‘y’ spelling was an Americanism – like ‘colour’ with out the ‘u’ and the suffix ‘-ize’ instead of ‘-ise’ (which always made me wonder whether they ever experience ‘surprize’ – and whether they would call it ‘Americanizm’).
Sadly, flyer with a ‘y’ seems to be universal. Now I need to go back and change everything. I will be irritable until I am able to put it right.
I have discovered in the meantime, that we’re not the only ones to think of this. No surprises there. Apparently, there’s a very good German book that includes upwards of 300,000 gig flyers.
UPDATE: I have shifted all the content from Gig Fliers to Gig Flyers. Incidentally, isn’t WordPress great?!
The flier/flyer spelling seems to be a matter of personal choice. Neither my elderly Chambers dictionary nor the online http://dictionary.reference.com/ makes any distinction between the two spellings and when I Google “gig flyer” and “gig flier” they both find web sites full of concert leaflets, although I must admit each spelling finds different sites.
The first two hits on Amazon.com for “fliers” are a book on how to make promotional leaflets followed by the Wright brothers (“Young Fliers”) and a search for “flyers” found books on the US rave scene promotion leaflets and corporate high-flyers, so I wouldn’t beat yourself up about it…
Andrew (C)
The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (SOED) offers the following, single entry for both flyer and flier:
Also flier. LME.
1. Something which flies; a creature or thing that flies or is carried through the air. LME.
C. Darwin Birds breeding on precipices, and good fliers, are unlikely to be exterminated.
2. A person who runs away, a fugitive; a fleer. LME.
3. Each of a series of rectangular steps forming a straight flight. M17.
4. A mechanism which has a regular and fast-moving revolution, as: an appliance for regulating the motion of a roasting-jack; a sail of a windmill; the part of a spinning wheel which twists the thread as it leads it to and winds it on the bobbin. L17.
5. A person, animal, vehicle, train, etc., which moves with exceptional speed. L18.
E. Wallace Fifty-Five is a flyer..He did the five furlongs in fifty-eight and a fifth seconds.
b. A flying jump or leap. L19.
c. Cricket. A ball pitched short that flies up sharply. E20.
6. A speculative venture, esp. a speculative financial investment. US. M19.
7. A small handbill or flysheet, esp. one issued by the police or used for advertising purposes. N. Amer. L19.
New Yorker The police..put out flyers asking witnesses..to come forward.
8. An aircraft. L19.
H. G. Wells The most efficient heavier-than-air fliers that had ever appeared.
b. An aviator. M20.
9. An ambitious or outstanding person; an excellent or outstanding thing. colloq. E20.
T. Parker People of higher rank..say he’s something of what’s called a ‘flyer’.
Phrases: take a flyer take a chance.
We seem to be somewhat spoiled for choice in the meaning we take from either spelling.
Drew
Shouldn’t without be one word not two? :)
Aaaarrgghh!!! (sits under desk and rocks – and not in the good way)