scrawl
or ink
a spray can
or a keyboard
whatever is around
"a drawing or inscription made
on a wall or other surface,
usually so as to be seen by the public"
"a rude decoration inscribed
on rocks or walls "
"Usage Note: The word graffiti is a plural noun in Italian.
In English graffiti is far more common
than the singular form graffito
and is mainly used as a singular noun
in much the same way data is.
When the reference is to a particular inscription
(as in There was a bold graffiti on the wall),
the form graffito would be etymologically correct
but might strike some readers as pedantic
outside an archaeological context.
There is no substitute for the singular use of graffiti
when the word is used as a mass noun to refer to
inscriptions in general or to the related social phenomenon.
The sentence Graffiti is a major problem for the
Transit Authority Police
cannot be reworded Graffito is...
(since graffito can refer only to a particular inscription)
or Graffiti are...
(which suggests that the police problem involves
only the physical marks and not the larger issue of vandalism).
In such contexts, the use of graffiti as
a singular is justified
by both utility and widespread precedent."
?
tag
you're
it...

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