If Zoe Williams is reading this...

[RosaIsRed]

I feel sure it was the Guardian subs desk rather than you who made the terrible, nay egregious, error in your column today.
But just in case....
A mantel of domesticity is a shelf above the fireplace that you put cute china figurines of kittens on.
A mantle of domesticity on the other hand is probably the metaphorical item of clothing to which you wished to refer.
No, not at all, happy to help.

have you not seen my thread searching for you? Ps bit baffled is thread about easter eggs or mantlepieces?

its actually 5 for £4! And why do i have to buy ds one cant i eat them all myself! Bonsoir petitlapin

Bonsoir MM, I am namechanging as every fecker is being me on another thread

The thread has veered wildly as ever!

quoi? Who is being you on which thread surely there is only one tres belle petitlapin non!

I feel the need to bring pedantry back to this thread. Elkiedee, you always have the same case after the verb to be as before it. So I am she, not I am her. Got it?

It could be "subs desk". If "subs" is used adjectivally here.

I'd go with UQD - the desk is defined by the task, not by the people. News desk, features desk, subs desk - it's where subbing happens, it's not 'the desk of the sub-editors'.

Mind you, the way newspaper proprietors are going, sub-editors are an endangered species. So this will be a moot point.

Just like "pensions office". And "war crimes tribubal". And "accessories department".

TribuNal, sorry. It's late...

Having worked on a subs desk for many years myself, I always considered subs to be adjectival rather than possessive. But glad to be backed up by two such eminent pedants as UQD and Edam.

Wow, praise for my pedantry from a sub.

Message withdrawn

Wouldn't it be more elegant to say cute china kitten figurines rather than cute china figurines of kittens?

Accuracy is one thing, elegance quite another

No, the 'k' 'ch' 'k' sounds are quite ugly in succession.

I suppose you could also say that the "figurines of" is redundant, since there wouldn't be much doubt about whether china kittens were real or not

I wonder if anyone on mn does have cute china kittens on the mantelpiece?

I have two little nodding Chinese figures on one of mine, and some china penguins on the other. Naff eh?

Do you ever wish you hadn't started something?

It makes for enjoyable reading though, Rosa.

Curiously, we seem to have a large stone bear on ours. It was a birthday present to dh from some Canadian friends. It has just never been moved since he put it there when he unwrapped it.

Stone bear - sounds good.

Our TV room mantelpiece just has piles of DVDs on it .

Our piles of DVDs are on the floor. I recommend it- easy to reach.

LOL. Not sure I want the DSs to be putting on the boxed set of Shameless just yet, though.