greengrocer's apostrophe
(also greengrocers' apostrophe)
noun British informal
An apostrophe placed incorrectly before the final ‘s’ of a plural noun (e.g. a kilo of potato’s): the Apostrophe Protection Society will have to work vigorously if it is going to have any effect on the greengrocer’s apostrophe...
- The greengrocers' apostrophe sneaks into everything from apple's to yam's.
- Why did they select the spelling with the greengrocer's apostrophe?
- This common misuse has been affectionately dubbed "the greengrocer's apostrophe" by specialists in English usage.
Origin
1990s: with allusion to use on handwritten signs advertising produce for sale.