The Oxford Comma Rides Again

A Maine court ruling in a case about overtime pay and dairy delivery didn’t come down to trucks, milk, or money. Instead, it hinged on one missing comma.

The serial comma, also known as the Oxford comma for its endorsement by the Oxford University Press style rulebook, is a comma used just before the coordinating conjunction (“and,” or “or,” for example) when three or more terms are listed. You’ll see it in the first sentence of this story—it’s the comma after “milk”—but you won’t find it in the Maine overtime rule at issue in the Oakhurst Dairy case. According to state law, the following types of activities are among those that don’t qualify for overtime pay:

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Do Pot Stores in Colorado Give Green Stamps?

Here’s a little piece of advice I picked up at the Daily Kos:

When loony Republicans in multiple states start talking about the threat of something that isn’t happening, always suspect the bat signal.

Bat_signal

If you want to read about Republicans panicking over satirical reports (e.g., fake) suggesting that food stamps are being used for buying pot in Colorado or erotic dancers in Maine, start with this little article by Laura Clawson republished at the Daily Kos.