That's what it says in New College Edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of English Language. But it does not begin to tell story of these mistakes - these embarrassing, costly, terrible typos. I know -- from collecting them, and from personal experience.

I have used these examples as warnings during 30 years of teaching at UCLA Extension, showing that typos are bane of a writer's existence - whether you are a reporter, public relations practitioner, or author.

Years ago I came across a typo that I still consider to be funniest and most embarrassing typo in human history, as far as I know. Many considered it terrible. It was probably also one of costliest, if not costliest.

It occurred in London, in 1632, with printing of Baker's edition of Bible, known ever since as "Wicked Bible." The Seventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," suddenly appeared in a revised version, "Thou shalt commit adultery."

I suspect that this made a number of people in England very happy. But their happiness was short-lived. When mistake was discovered, Parliament ordered all obtainable editions destroyed, fined printer 3000 pounds, and forbade all unauthorized printings of Bible henceforth.

This delicious bit of news came to light in an article by Edward G. de Beaumont, about all kinds of typos. It appeared in May/June 1980 issue of Editors Workshop. The author apparently agreed that "Wicked Bible" typo took prize, because he titled his article, "Thou Shalt (not) Commit Adultery."

"Proofread, proofread, proofread, again, and again and again," I harangue my students. "Read your stuff over, two, three times. Better still, get someone else who can spell and punctuate to proof-read what you have written, also."

We tend to think of revolutions as being violent and bloody conflicts, which of course they are, French, Russian and American Revolutions being prime examples. On other hand, Industrial Revolution, which, in end was more far-reaching than any of other contemporary revolutions, was on whole, peaceful.

At this point I have to do a little flag waving for Scotland. Well, I don't have to, but I'm going to. Three important inventions of time, without which it's difficult to see how Industrial Revolution could have made much progress, were all Scottish. In 1769 James Watt patented first effective steam engine and subsequently had a unit of power called a Watt, named after him. Then there was macadamised road, invented by - yes, you've guessed it - a man called McAdam.

Finally there was pneumatic tyre, invented in Scotland not once but twice, and forty years apart. It was first patented in 1845 by Robert Thomson, used successfully for a while on bicycles and then, unbelievably, forgotten. Forty-three years later John Dunlop re-invented it, and rest, as they say, is history. Robert Thomson, went on to invent fountain pen, and he gets my vote for that, as I detest biro pens (excusez-moi, Monsieur Biro).

Just for record I might as well mention a few other contemporary Scots inventions. James Simpson - first doctor to use anaesthetics, Joseph Lister - first to use antiseptics, The Kelvin scale, Maxwell's equations in Electro-magnetism (whatever they are), Marmalade, The macintosh. A waterproof coat, invented by a Scots chemist called (why, of course) Charles Macintosh. He invented it whilst trying to do something else, but it still counts as a Scottish invention.

I'm tempted to add whisky to list, but I have a feeling that this particular invention would have had effect of slowing march of progress to a walk, or possibly a stagger.

Fortunately we do not have revolutions anymore; we have elections. Not even that business with holes punched in voters' cards in Bush vs Gore election scramble caused more than American equivalent of a Gallic shrug (and doesn't that seem a long time ago now?)

All same, earth has moved a couple of times in our lifetime (well, in mine, anyhow); once in fifties and then again in nineties, with coming of communications revolution, based on silicon chip and all-conquering computer. Incidentally, while we're on subject, hands up all those who actually know what a silicon chip is. Hmm, I see you're all with me and Homer Simpson on this one. You remember when doctor asks him if alien life form he'd seen was silicon or carbon based, and he thinks for a moment and says, "Um, first thing - zilophone".

Anyway, fifties, as everyone knows, saw rise of teenager. Before fifties, young people wanted nothing more than to grow up like their parents. They dressed like them and probably thought like them. If Dad wanted to wear his trousers under his armpits and have shoulder pads so broad that he looked wider than he was tall, then that was okay for Junior too.

All that changed with coming of James Dean and Marlon Brando. James Dean was gone by time I reached my teens, but I still went through black leather jacket and white T-shirt phase. Dean had such an impact that he still seems modern today. It's as if he belongs to an entirely different world than, say, Jimmy Stewart.