r's

See also: rs, Rs, RS, .rs, RS-, R's, (RS)-, and ␞

English

Noun

r's

1. plural of r
   • 1895, Robert W. Chambers, page 107 of "The Yellow Sign", in The King in Yellow,

     […] my nerves were shattered by a blatant exhorter, […] who insisted on his r’s with a nasal persistence which revolted my every instinct. […] I believe the minister was a good man, but when he bellowed: “And the Lorrrd said unto Moses, the Lorrrd is a man of war; the Lorrrd is his name. My wrath shall wax hot and I will kill you with the sworrrd!”. I wondered how many centuries of purgatory it would take to atone for such a sin.

Usage notes

• There is some difference of opinion regarding the use of apostrophes in the pluralization of references to letters as symbols. New Fowler's Modern English Usage, after noting that the usage has changed, states on page 602 that "after letters an apostrophe is obligatory." The 15th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style states in paragraph 7.16, "To avoid confusion, lowercase letters ... form the plural with an apostrophe and an s". The Oxford Style Manual on page 116 advocates the use of common sense.

See also

• R's

Anagrams

• SR, Sr, Sr.