Is "many a times" correct?
I've been doing proofreading on a beta site and there appears to be a typo. Is there any usage of "many a times" that is correct, or is it always wrong to apply a singular "a" to a plural noun?
The standard phrase, judging by popularity of use, is "Many a time". This ngram illustrates it:
As you can see, there are some people who write "many a times". An example, from the 1800s, of some dialog heard in the US:
1868 Hearn the old adjective participle for heard is quite frequently heard where old English most prevails in New England and in Virginia.
"I have hearn master say so many a times (John Randolph's Body servant at the Funeral)"
Thus, it seems to be a colloquial usage of the more grammatical phrase "many a time", perhaps conflated with "many times". Grammatically, it doesn't make sense to say "a times", and the usage of this phrase is heavily tilted toward the singular, so if you insist on using this phrase then use "many a time", unless you're quoting someone who says it the other way. Otherwise, you might want to just say "many times".
"Many a times" is wrong. Applying a singular indefinite article to a pluralized noun (in all cases that I can think of) is incorrect. On the other hand, "many a time" is correct, as is "many times". I would say that this is a typo, or just a mistake on the part of whoever wrote it.
Edit:
It would seem that "many a time" is not common in the United States. It is common, however, in Canada and the UK. If someone says "many a times", then they are wrong. It is incorrect to apply a singular article to a pluralized noun. One does not say, "These tooth..." or, "This feet...". The same rule applies to "many a times". "A" is a singular indefinite article, and "times" is plural. The two do not mix, therefore, it is wrong. "Many a times" may be a colloquialism, but it is still incorrect. "Many a time" and "many times" mean the same thing, but "many a time" is a more formal or old-fashioned way to say "many times".
QUESTION: Is there any usage of "many a times" that is correct, or is it always wrong to apply a singular "a" to a plural noun?
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The 2002 reference grammar by Huddelston and Pullum et al., The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CGEL), says about the expression "many a", on page 394:
Many in combination with a
Many combines with a to form two kinds of complex determinative:
[66]
i. [Many a man] has been moved to tears by this sight.
ii. [A great many complaints] had been received.
Many a is syntactically inert: nothing can intervene between many and a, and many cannot even be replaced in this position by its antonym few. Like a, many a always functions as determiner. It is found in proverbs such as There's many a slip twist cup and lip, and in the frequency adjunct many a time, but is elsewhere somewhat formal or archaic. The many component indicates a large number, but the a has an individuating and distributive effect requiring a count singular head.
Great in a great many can be replaced by good, but one or other of these adjectives is required; for the rest, these expressions are syntactically comparable to a few. They function as determiner or fused determiner-head (simple or partitive).
From CGEL, it seems they would probably consider the phrase "many a times" to be a typo or nonstandard.
The older 1985 reference grammar by Quirk et al., A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, also has some info: 5.23 fn, 10.35 fn, 13.66 fn. (Their info wasn't that much, but you might find it interesting.)
My handy usage dictionary, Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage, has an entry on "many a". On page 489:
many a
The phrase many a is followed by a singular noun, . . .
And that info is consistent with the 2002 CGEL.
In conclusion, it appears that your sense of this issue is pretty much on. That the expression "many a times" is either a typo, or else it is not standard usage.
I think 'many a' can be added to any countable noun, to make it make it plural. Many a time, many a man, many an apple are all legitimate usages. Eg: "Many a man has tried and failed in this mission" . In this usage the phrase still takes conjugations like a singular noun(i.e., it takes a singular verb etc.)." Many a times" looks like an incorrect way of using the form, possibly from the misconception that since it's plural it needs an 's' added somewhere!