I am contemplating giving up pedantry...

[hatwoman]

...it's bad for my health. Last week, in addition to the usual stresses of commuting, I had to listen repeatedly to some pre-recorded moron say: "From 18th May South West Trains will be running a new timetable. New copies of the timetable are available at all stations." (Clearly they are not "new copies"....they are copies of the new timetable)

When it starts to bug you this much I do wonder if it's just time to quit.

They might still be new copies of the new timetable though. Go and lie down.

well where are the old copies then? hey???

Yes, you have it bad!

Perhaps they spilt coffee on them?

You weren't expecting pedants just to LET IT GO, were you?

stop it hatwoman!

you will turn into my dad!

You just try to quit. It will not work. The dreaded Pedantry will return - with more annoying things than ever.
I know. I've tried

I have always prided myself on not being overly pedantic, but tbh hatwoman that would have annoyed the undergarments off me too

Hatwoman: they may have spilt coffee (tea, hot chocolate) on them, give them the benefit of the doubt!

quantify precisely the definition of "new" please

Or a selection of cold beverages

I was mildly annoyed by a 10 "spelt" 1O the other day... I have it bad.

And no, not on Downing Street. I have a benign fondness for No. 1O there [freak]

once, when really quite drunk, I managed to take a photograph of a sign on a South West train which included a rogue apostrophe, with every intention of emailing the offending pic to HQ telling them that it jolly well wasn't on

Never got around to it though. Nowt worse than a lazy, disorganised pedant

Give it up.

Pedantry is never an attractive quality.

No obsession is, but I find pedantry particuarly odious.

'Oh look I know the rules and want to ensure thay are correctly applied.'

Nice.

You knew what he/she meant that was what was imporatnet.

Yes, and more importantntly necessary.

However, pedants rushing about obsessing about every slight inaccuracy, is neither important, necessary or endearing.

Unless you are the editor or a newspaper, a teacher, or a publisher, but even then I'd say 'leave it at work'

As I said I can think of no obsession that is attractive, however important the issue, and if you're going to be obsessive I can think of much more interesting and impotant issues than this (but the over preoccupation would stillo be dull).

They are new, even if they are not replacing old copies -- or do you tut when someone says thay have a 'new' baby?

(Agree that 'copies of the new timetable' is better)

I tried to take a pic of someone on some sort of sponsored sports thingy with a t-shirt that had:

'Edmunds' Tea Possy'

printed on it.

I think they were part of a group of cowboys who were riding out to make tea for someone called Edmund, but I'm not completely sure...

you'd think before putting it on a t-shirt, you might check you'd got it right...

'It is important that notices, announcements and so on be accurate'

I agree , I would not argue that it is unimporant, and have not done so, in fact I have said that is is imporant and necessary, so please stop 'ing at me LL as if you are bewildered and confused.

It is however a long way down my personal priority list of 'things that are impoartant', BUT my point was that it's the obsessive nature of continously noticing and pointing out inaccuries that I find unattrractive, as often any over preoccupation is.

For instance I am a vegetarian and this is imporant to me, but if every time I saw some one eatinfg meat, or walked past a butchers, or went to the supermarket I explained all the reasons for it's imporantnce, imo, I would be very tedioyus indeed.

The points would be eqaully as valid, the issue as imporant, but I would be very dull and irratating.

Proviso: vegetarinaism is just an example off the top of my head but I think the same could be applied to any 'imporant' issue. e.g. constant pointing out of ALL bad manners observed
Every exapmle of poor driving

and many others i will no doubt think of later...

Notjustmom you may notice a few inaccuries in my posts.

This is partly because I am a champion against perfection, and partly becuse I am a lazy arse in a hurry who can't be bthered to proof read.........

unless I'm at work or going to be published when I will deign to abide by the conventions.