etaoin shrdlu

[ et-ee-oin shurd-loo, -oh-in, ee-tee- ]

noun
  1. 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

1
First 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