My husband, who was once a writing tutor and in one of his proudest moments made a girl cry when he used big words that she didn't understand (words like pejorative), called me up yesterday to suggest that I should change the glaring mixed metaphor at the end of the last post. It's true. It is a pretty dreadful one, but I'm feeling far too lazy to change it. I told him I didn't want to and called him a pedant.

My seven year old's ears perked up. He, too, often gets called a pedant by his parents. In mock annoyance he declared, "I'm Mr. Pedant! No fair stealing my title and giving it to Dad!"

I've always said that boy was just like his father.