[drivers99]

Jef Raskin called those "quasimodes" in The Humane Interface (2000) and was in favor of them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mode_(user_interface)#Quasimod...

[rgoulter]

That's an apt term.

Or more to the point: 'mode error' is exactly what the upthread comment is complaining about with the Caps Lock key.