Which is proper: a slip of fingers/the fingers/finger?

[outofdejavu]

About typos ...

(1) a slip of fingers
(2) a slip of finger
(3) a slip of the fingers

Which is/are proper?



Best Wishes,

[Ann1977]

About typos ...

- a slip of fingers
- a slip of finger
- a slip of the fingers

Which is/are proper?



Best Wishes,

There is an expression "a slip of the tongue," which means to say something incorrectly.

By analogy, to type something incorrectly would be ""a slip of the fingers."

If you had no idea of playing off the more famous "slip of the tongue" phrase, I don't think you'd use the phrase at all. I don't think typos are thought of as "slips of the fingers" as a rule.

I think we would usually just say, "I mistyped that word" or something similar.

"My hand slipped" or "my fingers slipped" would normally refer to a lost grip on something. so that it accidentally fell.

[outofdejavu]

Thank you for your swift reply.

I thought it is a jocular synonym for "typo" ... :P

[Ann1977]

Thank you for your swift reply.

I thought it is a jocular synonym for "typo" ... :P

Yes, that's right. It is a jocular way to describe a typo because it plays off of the expression "slip of the tongue."

Researchers are interested in the HUGE difference in language errors between spoken and typing slips. They don't seen to have a theoretical basis for explaining why we might easily say "dad bog" for "bad dog" -- but we would NEVER make that mistake while typing.

On the other hand, I type "own" as "won" more than half the time -- but that is an error that I never make in oral speech.