In the dictionary, "hoe" typically refers to a gardening tool. To Facebook, the word means something entirely different, and it led to a bit of a social media uproar in the port city of Plymouth, located in the English county of Devon. That's where, per the Guardian, locals chatting online started noticing their posts and comments were getting flagged or removed whenever they mentioned their beloved Plymouth Hoe—a UK seafaring landmark where Sir Francis Drake was said to have finished a game of lawn bowls before heading out to beat the Spanish Armada in 1588. The issue occurred because Facebook moderators—or the site's AI, per the Sun—apparently thought "hoe" was being used as an offensive, misogynistic slur.
Not in this case, though. In addition to being used to refer to a tilling implement, the word "hoe" is also derived from the Anglo-Saxon "hoh," which refers to a sloping ridge that looks like an inverted foot and heel. Facebook apparently isn't up on its Old English, as users suddenly started seeing messages from forum administrators warning them against using the word, with some having comments removed or even receiving a temporary ban from posting, per the Plymouth Herald. People started resorting to spelling "hoe" as "h o e" to get around the restrictions, but the site has since realized its mistake and is working on fixing it. "These posts were removed in error and we apologize to those who were affected," the social media giant now says. "We're looking into what happened and will take steps to rectify the error." (More Facebook stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
