galley proof
1
7.7
- noun
- /ˈɡæli pruːf/
- Specialized
:
prueba de galera
- I stood up, cleared the table of galley proofs, manuscripts, and sheets of paper, tore up the page on which I had noted my work plan for the weekend, and hunted in my disorganized filing cabinet for the series of clippings that might be of some use in the coming hours.
- send galley proof
Examples
-
I didn't get to write Beckett or to send him galley proofs; all my dealings were with his American publisher, Barney Rossett.
Academic text (1991) -
Galley proofs were sent to the authors and eventually returned to Stanford.
Academic text (1991) -
The author first learned of the changes in his manuscript when he or she read the galley proof, but surprisingly, there were few complaints.
Academic text (1991) -
I sent you the galley proof of your paper before it had been read by either Mr. Brooks, our proofreader, or me.
Academic text (1990) -
I'd have to stay up all night, writing reports, correcting galley proofs, improvising blurbs...
Fiction book (1991) -
A volunteer editor employed by the Geological Survey was so excited by the 'discovery' that she shared galley proofs of the article with her son, a reporter at Ha'aretz, Nadav Shragai.
Academic text (2003) -
The author received the galley proof of his book and carefully checked for any spelling errors.
-
Before final printing, the editor reviewed the galley proof to ensure all formatting was correct.
-
She made several corrections to the galley proof before it was sent off to be printed.
Synonyms
14
5.1
A test print made to check for mistakes before final printing
1
3.4
A first written version that will be changed before the final one
A test print people use to check for mistakes before the final print
A printed page you check for mistakes before the final printing
A first printed copy used to check letters and layout before final printing
How Finished
Surface Forms
Morphology
galley + proof
The headword 'proof' already signals a preliminary print, so the compound denotes a kind of preliminary print; however 'galley' is specialized printing jargon (and is not defined here), so the exact printing-stage sense is not obvious to most B1 learners. Because one constituent gives a clear cue while the other is technical and requires domain knowledge, the meaning is partially predictable but not fully transparent.
Etymology
Galley proof comes from old printing shops: a galley was a long metal tray that held lines of metal letters, and a proof was an early printed copy taken from that tray. Editors used this early copy to 'check' for mistakes, so today galley proof means a 'trial copy' used to find errors before the final printing.