Sweating the small stuff

Despite the best intentions of the wellmeaning advice ‘‘don’t sweat the small stuff’’, I suspect we all have a little pedant gene in our makeup somewhere.

But who says being a stickler for getting things right is a bad thing anyway?

Not me for starters, especially in this media business.

Recent feedback from readers along these lines got me thinking perhaps we should make a feature of this in The Wash, but do it in a lighthearted yet informative way.

Take, for example, a phone call yesterday from a reader asking if I had spotted the ODT sports page heading this week ‘‘Crotty signs til 2108’’?

Well no, I had not, but the caller was right when he asked, with a chuckle, did this mean 28yearold Ryan Crotty could still be playing for the All Blacks when he turns 119?

And that made me laugh, too, which is also not a bad thing.

Another example was provided by Murray Davidson, of Waverley, who sent today’s sign photograph and this observation:

‘‘Hi Dave. I will keep the location of this sign secret but it has always tickled my sense of humour. Does it mean that the shop is now open? The finer points of grammar evident (or not) although, I am sure, the message is clear.’’

And a third example came from David Cottle, of Outram, who pointed out, in Wednesday’s Wash, that Phil Scadden had asserted no hills ‘‘around Dunedin’’ are above 800m when, in fact, Mt Maungatua is 845m above sea level —‘‘and has been so for some thousands of years’’.

Phil agrees David is correct but says, in his defence, ‘‘I can’t see Maungatua from my place; I live in Dunedin; ergo Maungatua isn’t in Dunedin.’’

So, if there’s something that bugs you and you want to get pedantic about it, (a pedant is ‘‘. . . a person who is excessively concerned with formalism, accuracy and precision’’), let me know.

Remember though, this is supposed to be lighthearted, so don’t get too personal!