A "Duster" too far

[caz963]

If you read fic of any kind... you know how sometimes, you read something and think, "Oops. We/They would never say that"?

And how, sometimes, you think, "oh well, it's just a simple mistake." and don't let it spoil your enjoyment of the story?

But then you see the same mistake made by someone else. And this time, it jars a bit. But you again think "oh, well," and keep reading.

Then you see it in another fic.

And it jars even more.

And another.

And another... and another... and another... and...



http://community.livejournal.com/doctor_donna/1180746.html

ETA - one of the mods asked me to f-lock the post for some reason, so here's the gist.

I am fed up with seeing Ten's coat referred to (in the small amount of fic I DO read) as "a duster".

Because THIS -



is a DUSTER. A little yellow cloth that we use to polish stuff.

What Ten is wearing in this picture -



- is an overcoat or just a "coat".

(I know it's tough - but try to look at the coat in that picture, okay? Just for a second before your attention wanders elsewhere...)

A fairly long discussion has ensued with the majority of commenters agreeing with me :-)

I have never made any secret of the fact that I am a fic snob. ^{TM zinke}.

BUT I WOULD NEVER SPRAY MR. SHEEN ON THAT COAT AND ATTACK MY MANTLEPIECE WITH IT!!

*ahem*

And yes. I do have work to do. Why do you ask?!

Comments

[lostakasha.livejournal.com]

Technically, Ten's coat could be called a duster if he was wearing it while splayed flat on his back on my dining room table, about to be ravaged. The table would have to be dusty, tho....

Yank here: My grandmother used to call housecoats 'dusters,' so I associate that word with something you'd wear while dusting. What do you call housecoats?

And I'm totally lost on the O'Grady clip, I think, unless French polishing is slang for a blow job...

[caz963.livejournal.com]

What do you call housecoats?

Um. Housecoats! ;)

unless French polishing is slang for a blow job...

Yep.

Being serious for one second - I know that the coat COULD be termed a duster; my point was that we don't use that term for it over here, and that whenever I see it written down, I think of the little yellow cloth.

I'd always make sure my table was full of dust if Ten visited, although it would play hell with my asthma! But some things are worth suffering for...