etaoin shrdlu
[ et-ee-oin shurd-loo, -oh-in, ee-tee- ]
noun
the letters produced by running the finger down the first two vertical rows of keys at the left of the keyboard of a Linotype machine: used as a temporary marking slug or to indicate that an earlier mistake in the line necessitates resetting, but sometimes inadvertently cast and printed.
Origin of etaoin shrdlu
1First recorded in 1955–60
Words Nearby etaoin shrdlu
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use etaoin shrdlu in a sentence
That's a double two-em-dashed lie, you etaoin shrdlu so-and-so!
Four-Day Planet | Henry Beam Piper
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