The letters in the string are, approximately, the twelve most commonly used letters in the English language; differing sources do give slightly different results but one well-known sequence is ETAOINS RHLDCUM,ordered by their frequency.[4]
The letters ontype-casting machine keyboards (such asLinotype andIntertype) were arranged by descendingletter frequency to speed up the mechanical operation of the machine, so lower-casee-t-a-o-i-n ands-h-r-d-l-u were the first two columns on the left side of the keyboard.[5]
Each key would cause a brassmatrix (an individual letter mold) from the corresponding slot in a font magazine to drop and be added to a line mold. After a line had been cast, the constituent matrices of its mold were returned to the font magazine.
If a mistake was made, the line could theoretically be corrected by hand in the assembler area. However, manipulating the matrices by hand within the partially assembled line was time-consuming and presented the chance of disturbing important adjustments. It was much quicker to fill out the bad line and discard the resulting line of text.[5]
To make the line long enough to proceed through the machine, operators would finish it by running a finger down the first columns of the keyboard, which created a pattern that could be easily noticed by proofreaders. Occasionally such a line would be overlooked and make its way into print, most often in newspapers.
ALinotype machine keyboard. It has the following alphabet arrangement twice, once for lower case (the black keys) and once for upper case (the white keys), with the keys in the middle for numbers and symbols:etaoin / shrdlu / cmfwyp / vbgkqj / xzClose-up of keyboard, showing theetaoin / shrdlu pattern
The phrase has gained enough notability to appear outside typography, including:
The ETAOIN SHRDLU Chess Program was written by Garth Courtois, Jr. for the Nova 1200 mini-computer, competing in the 6th and 7th ACM North American Computer Chess Championship 1975 and 1976.[7]
Etienne Shrdlu was used as the name of a character inMavis Beacon Teaches Typing, touch-typing training software from the late 1980s.[8]
Variations ofetaoin shrdlu are used in the titles of some works, including "Etaoin Shrdlu", a 1942 short story byFredric Brown about a sentient Linotype machine (a sequel, "Son of Etaoin Shrdlu", was written by others in 1981);[9] the 1945 whimsical short story "Etaoin and Shrdlu" byAnthony Armstrong which ends "And Sir Etaoin and Shrdlu married and lived so happily ever after that whenever you come across Etaoin's name even today it's generally followed by Shrdlu's";[9] a 50-year history of theNational Press Club (USA) published in 1958 titledShrdlu – An Affectionate Chronicle;[12] andThe Best of Shrdlu, a collection by Denys Parsons of humorous misprints and double meanings from newspapers that Parsons ascribed to a mischievous character namedGobfrey Shrdlu, referring to collectors of them asShrdlologists.[13]
Three pieces inThe New Yorker magazine were published in 1925 under thepen nameEtain Shrdlu.[14] At least one piece inThe New Yorker magazine hadEtaoin Shrdlu in the title.[15]
Etaoin Shrdlu is the name of a character in at least twoRobert Crumb comic stories, includingWeirdo.[16]
"Eotain" and "Shurdlu", using these spellings, are the names of two characters who make sporadic joint appearances inPhil Foglio's webcomicGirl Genius.
Etaoin andShrdlu both appear frequently in the drawings ofEmile Mercier as place names, racehorses' names, and people's names.
Shrdlu (Norman Shrdlu) is listed as the composer of "Jam Blues", cut 1 on the 1951 Norman Granz–produced jazz album released in 1990 asCharlie Parker Jam Session. This appears to be a joke on Granz's part as Norman Shrdlu is credited in several Parker (and other) tunes that are jam sessions rather than compositions.
"Etaoin"[19] and "Shrdlu", written and performed by Dallas Roberts, are original musical pieces created for the soundtrack of the U.S. television seriesHouse of Cards, Season 2, Episode 10.[20]
^"Molten Fairies".The Daily News. Vol. XLI, no. 14, 787. Western Australia. 5 August 1922. p. 11 (third edition). Retrieved22 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
