Somewhere in one of her books, the great and wonderful Muriel Spark discourses on the subject of spelling and says something to the effect that ‘desiccated’ is one of the words that people most often get wrong. (I thought it was one of the many useful tips offered by the splendid Mrs Hawkins in A Far Cry From Kensington, but I failed to find it in a quick whip-through the novel on Sunday.) I am certain Mrs Spark was right. In the past week alone I have come across two instances of the usual error ‘dessicated’. The first was supplied in The Times on Saturday by the drama critic Benedict Nightingale (or by whoever subbed his copy). The second was in the new volume of Isaiah Berlin's letters, Enlightening. On Page 17, the philosopher writes: “If one were only so dessicated oneself . . .”

On the same page, Berlin offers the correct spelling, ‘tranquillity’ of another word that is very often misspelt – understandably I have always thought. But on Page 111 we are told of “peace, tranquility” aboard the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth.

Above is an unfortunate error from The Times on Tuesday. Does it not demonstrate a certain metrocentricness (to coin a word) on the part of the sub-editors that they don’t know of the missing ‘o’ in Middlesbrough?

And now I sign off for the day, leaving readers to hunt for the spelling mistake/s that – in the light of this item – are bound to disfigure my contributions to The Oxford Times this week.