[RFC] Shorter alternative representation for `of'

[Jose E. Marchesi]

> Damn, gmail did a premature and  unintended "send message now" to my
> previous message
>
> Anyhow is the suggestion to use    ` (backtick) or ' (apostrophe) ?


The original suggestion was to use apostrophe, '.

I prefer to use either \ or `.  Both "point left", but \ is more easily
distinguishable from '.

>
> On Sat, Jan 17, 2026 at 7:45 PM jpl <jpl.algol68@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Yeah, I was confused a bit about the use of the word "apostrophe" a
>> few times reading the post.  I have most often seen:
>>
>>   `   called a "backtick"
>>
>>   '   called an "apostrophe"
>>
>> Just to make use I understand.  Is the suggestion for "of" to be:
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jan 17, 2026 at 6:00 PM Jose E. Marchesi <jemarch@gnu.org> wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> > >>Hello.
>> > >>
>> > >>As Hansen puts it in AB427:
>> > >>
>> > >> "Essentially, there must be a special-character representation of the
>> > >>  'of symbol' because the operation binds so much more closely even than
>> > >>  monadic operators and yet the bold OF is at least four characters
>> > >>  long.
>> > > <snip>
>> > >>   So:
>> > >>
>> > >>      foo\bar\baz   represents  foo of bar of baz
>> > >>      foo'bar'baz   represents  baz of bar of foo
>> > > <snip>
>> > >>
>> > >>WDYT?
>> > >>
>> > >>PS: the suggestion of ./, also mentioned in AB427 is cute, because it
>> > >>    looks like longhand "of".  But it is two characters long.
>> > >
>> > > Hello, a few quick comments:
>> > >
>> > > 1)  The use of the apostrophe matches nicely with the transput new line of 'n
>> > >
>> > > 2)  The suggested foo\bar\baz is quite much more visually distracting
>> > > than foo'bar'baz
>> > >
>> > > 3)  A standard English contraction of the word "of" would be o', so
>> > > the apostrophe
>> > >      there kinds of glues the word "of" in my brain when I see it
>> > >
>> > > So, my personal taste would be for the apostrophe. (Probably point 2
>> > > is strongest.)
>> >
>> > To me an apostrophe "points" to the right.
>> > A backlash "points" to the left.