s/

See also: Appendix:Variations of "s"

English

Etymology

This comes from the command s (substitute), originally in ed and also found in Perl, to replace one string with another. Although the command does not require slashes (other punctuation can be used as delimiters) in this informal use (i.e., outside of scripting) slashes are virtually universally used.

In the original command, a trailing g means that the change in strings should be effected every time the first string appears (not just the first time it appears); this g is often used in this informal verb also, as described in the usage note below.

Verb

s/ (imperative only)

1. (informal or even humorous) Replace the following string with the one that appears after it.

   I hate you, you idiot!

   Erm, s/hate/love/ and s/idiot/lovable fellow/.

Usage notes

• As in the example sentences, the string to be replaced and the string replacing it are surrounded by slashes, although sometimes the final slash is omitted. Often, the second string is followed by a g; see etymology, above.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:s/.

French

Preposition

s/

1. Abbreviation of sur.

Usage notes

Chiefly used in place names, such as on signposts.

Further reading

• “s/”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.