I have made a mistake, and I am sorry. Through my blatant disregard for accuracy and truth, I have wounded the good people at the Day-Glo Color Corp.

At least, that's what they led me to believe in their June 25 letter to me, printed with a colorful border of daylight fluorescent ink. Notice how carefully I used the correct terminology this time, avoiding the improper construction "a totally far out and groovy border of trippy day glo colors."

My offense appeared in my March 12 column, "The Return of Frosted Denim." In it, I callously wrote, "With the dawn of the new millennium we can expect a resurgence of day glo colors, acid washed jeans and cut-off Flashdance sweatshirts. Yuck."

The offending word was not, as you might have guessed, "millennium." Instead, the problem was that I used "day glo" in a generic sense, when "Day-Glo" (or "DAY-GLO" as it appears boldly in the letter) is a trademark registered by the Day-Glo Color Corp. for a variety of fluorescent products.

You see, "Day-Glo" is a brand name, much like Band-Aid and Kleenex and Xerox, that is fast losing its distinctiveness. Which is why, I suppose, the Day-Glo Color Corp. has launched a massive informational campaign. Writers and reporters beware: They will track you down anywhere, wielding placards fashioned with "Day-Glo" fluorescent inks.

You will not escape them. Repent now.

In my massive research for this column — which consisted of chatting with another reporter at this week's commissioners meeting — I was amazed to discover that we have all been guilty of similar violations.

Repeat after me: Dumpster is a proper noun.

Believe it or not, Dumpster is a trademarked term for a large metal trash bin. The Associated Press stylebook directs reporters to use the terms "trash bin" or "trash container" instead.

So keep that in mind next time you're taking a bus tour to New York City. The proper usage is, "Hey! Look at that bum vomiting on the large metal trash bin! Gee, he looks like he could use an adhesive bandage, or perhaps a facial tissue. He looks lost: Maybe we should use a photocopy machine to post a sign made with daylight fluorescent materials from the Day-Glo Color Corp."

Included with the letter was an informational sheet detailing proper usage and listing the "colorant designations" of the "Day-Glo" line of fluorescent products.

They are not called, as you might have guessed, "Burning Hot Pink" or "Squished Lightning Bug Green" but instead bear such provocative names as "Blaze Orange," "Corona Magenta," "Lightning Yellow," "Aurora Pink," and "Mohawk Yellow."

By the way, it is also improper to add a "W" to "Day-Glo" or to drop the "Y." I think they should at least give me credit for spelling the word properly. But I guess there's no partial credit in the world of trademarks.

There. I hope I've done enough penance for my crime. And all because, like many reporters, I didn't want to attempt spelling "fluorescent."

Copyright 1999 by Alyce Wilson

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