[Ads-l] TK

[Ben Zimmer]

See Mark Liberman's 2007 Language Log post, "Hed, dek, lede, graf, tk: live
with it":

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004380.html

On Thu, Nov 9, 2017 at 2:35 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
wrote:

> Seems like the grand tradition that gave us “O.K.” (< “oll korrect”) is
> alive and well, or was in the 20th century, anyway...
>
>
> > On Nov 9, 2017, at 2:00 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
> >
> > Here is an example in 1921 where it seems that "Hed to Kum" was
> > inserted by an editor and it accidentally appeared in the final
> > publication.
> >
> > Date: April 1921
> > Periodical: Feedingstuffs
> > Article: The Stockman Is Coming Back
> > AUTHOR: F.C. Minkler (American Feed Manufacturers Assn)
> > Quote Page 54
> > Database: Google Books
> >
> > https://books.google.com/books?id=uus9AQAAMAAJ&q=%22hed+to%22#v=snippet&
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > If it pays to feed 50 cent corn to $10.00 hogs or $10.00 cattle, it
> > will pay to tuck the same feed under the more pliable skins of the
> > pure bred animal, although the grade feeder is apt to come to life
> > sooner than the pure bred, simply because the turn over will take
> > place with a smaller initial investment and
> > Hed to Kum
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > Google Books shows a snippet match circa 1923. The data shown in
> > snippet matches is sometimes inaccurate. Searching for "1923" within
> > the book reveals a snippet with the name of the author "George C.
> > Bastian" and "Chicago, October, 1923." This snippet probably appears
> > at the end of the preface. So the date is probably ok. But the
> > information should be verified with hardcopy.
> >
> > Year: 1923
> > Title: Editing the Day's News: An Introduction to Newspaper
> > Copyreading, Headline Writing, Illustration, Makeup, and General
> > Newspaper Methods
> > Author: George C. Bastian
> > Quote Page 228
> > Database: Google Books Snippet; this data may be inaccurate and should
> > be verified with hardcopy
> >
> > https://books.google.com/books?id=BgHba-Ic3akC&focus=
> searchwithinvolume&q=%22hed+to%22
> >
> > [Begin extracted text]
> > H.T.C., H.T.K. — Head to come,
> > or "hed to kum," indorsed on copy
> > to indicate story is running and
> > [End extracted text]
> >
> > Below is a match in 1946 for "HTK" and "Head to Kum" that is fully
> > visible in HathiTrust.
> >
> > Year: 1946
> > Title: Editing the Small City Daily
> > Author: Robert M. Neal with commentaries by Professor Eugen W. Sharp
> > and the late John M. Imrie.
> > Publisher: Prentice-Hall, New York
> > Edition: Revised
> > Database: HathiTrust
> > Quote Page 245
> >
> > https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015030920808
> > https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015030920808?urlappend=%3Bseq=263
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > To save time, he sends along the lead before he writes the headline.
> > The lead carries a notation to assure the copy cutter that the
> > headline will be coming and that it hasn't been lost in the journey
> > from desk to composing room. This warning generally is the statement,
> > at the top of the lead, "Head to Come," often shortened to "H. to C."
> > or to "HTK" (Head to Kum).
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > Garson
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Nov 9, 2017 at 12:20 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole
> > <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Here is a link to a 1958 newspaper story that explains the related
> >> abbreviation HTK which means "head to kum" or "hed to kum".
> >>
> >> Date: November 22, 1958
> >> Newspaper: Daily Independent Journal
> >> Newspaper Location: San Rafael, California
> >> Quote Page M6
> >>
> >> https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14993436/1958_example_of_
> printer_slang_htk_hed/
> >>
> >> [Begin excerpt from photo caption]
> >> LINOTYPE BANK — Here, words are turned into metal, not only for news
> >> stories but for advertisements. Each story bears an identifying "slug"
> >> referring to its heading or "HTK," meaning "hed to kum." As type is
> >> set, it is transferred to "galleys" or trays on "bank" at right. Slugs
> >> guide "floor men" in shunting type to proper department.
> >> [End excerpt]
> >>
> >> Below is a citation from 1922 containing the phrase "Hed to Kum". This
> >> phrase seems to be a message to the printer, but it appeared in the
> >> final copy. This was due to an error by the printer. Alternatively, it
> >> was an obscure joke.
> >>
> >> Date: July 1922
> >> Volume 23, Number 7
> >> Periodical: Correct English: How to Use It
> >> Article: A Study in Expressive Word Combinations
> >> Subtitle: From The Secret Places of the Heart
> >> Article Author: H.G. Wells
> >> Note: Excerpt appears at the end of the article
> >> Start Page 182, Quote Page 183
> >> Publisher: Correct English Publishing Co., Evanston, Illinois
> >>
> >> https://books.google.com/books?id=y1RJAQAAMAAJ&q=%22to+
> kum%22#v=snippet&
> >>
> >> [Begin excerpt]
> >> —The Queries and Answers omitted in this number, will be resumed in
> >> the August number
> >> —Hed to Kum—How goes?
> >> [End excerpt]
> >>
> >> Garson O'Toole
> >>
> >>
> >> On Thu, Nov 9, 2017 at 10:54 AM, Theresa Fisher
> >> <fisher.theresa at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> Hi,
> >>>
> >>> I'm writing a short article in which I discuss the abbreviation TK
> (meaning
> >>> "to come" in journalism and publishing). I know the basic origin story
> of
> >>> TK: Back in the days of print journalism, TK (as well as lede, hed and
> dek)
> >>> were used as purposely misspelled shorthand that proofreaders and copy
> >>> editors wouldn't mistake for actual copy or typos.
> >>>
> >>> I've read that "K" was chosen both because TK is an unusual letter
> >>> combination and because it's an abbreviation of the slang "to kum."
> >>>
> >>> But I was hoping to find some more detailed information about TK and
> was
> >>> wondering if anyone had more insight on its history or usage.
> >>>
>

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