Today, the print edition of the Los Angeles Times ran the following headline about Octavia Spencer winning an Oscar for her role in The Help:

Hands down: At last, it's just deserts for Spencer

Now, the LA Times is getting a flood of comments from people who believe the paper erred and that the headline should have read "just desserts," according to Henry Fuhrmann, who oversees the paper's copy desk.

The correct phrase is "just deserts." It has everything to do with the word "deserve" and nothing to do with sugary treats. (You can read more about it on the Grammar Girl site. I also covered it in [Book: 101 Misused Words].)

I heard a similar story a few weeks ago from a different source, which makes me think that "just deserts" may be a skunked term, as Bryan Garner of Garner's Modern American Usage calls words that cause problems no matter how you use them.

Furhmann seems to have a good attitude about the readers' gripes. He writes, "I appreciate their passion, even if they believe we erred."

Mignon Fogarty is better known online as Grammar Girl.