Wordwind's post about highways reminded me of a little word-related episode that occurred a few months ago in my town. A nearby bridge had been under construction for some time. At this point, it was only half done, with those lovely orange cones to prevent people from driving on the unfinished side. As if that wasn't enough direction, the workers also put up one of these [ http://www.kci.dc.state.ks.us/standard/services/StatSurp/Electric_Sign.jpg ] type of signs directing us to merge right.
Someone goofed.
The sign read (I kid you not): "MURGE RIGHT".
I didn't think anyone would notice besides myself, but soon a few friends mentioned it as well. In fact, enough people noticed that the local paper even put a picture of the sign with a little caption in one issue. Quite a hoopla - and all over bad spelling!

Needless to say, they later fixed the sign.


8-)

Here's a highway traffic sign with the same message, gonoldothrond.

http://www.funpic.hu/en.picview.php?id=10005&c=17&s=dd&p=36&PHPSESSID=bf99f39d95c3672fae7f620d5c2dfe34

This happened many years ago in Fairfax County, VA. The county board wanted to close a street that wasn't being used, so they passed a resolution calling for the vacation of Henlopen Drive. Sure enough, the county maintenance workers quickly erected signs at each end of the street that read "The Vacation of Henlopen Dr."

the vacation of Henlopen Drive So how come they didn't use the word evacuation? It it truly interchangeable w/ vacation?

So how come they didn't use the word evacuation? It it truly interchangeable w/ vacation?

I think that the vacation mentioned by TEd does not pertain to an emptying, but to the cessation of an official designation of the drive as a public road. Typically, public roads are dedicated when created by the donation or sale of land for the purpose of establishing a public road, and roads are vacated when they are removed from that dedicated purpose. In this context, "evacuated" and "vacated" are not synonymous.

Ah, yes; vacated re: buildings means they are completely empty (and in disuse). That fits. Merci. Hope this place is back up for good, now.