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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of etaoin shrdlu¹

First recorded in 1955–60