Would it be too terrible

[brainofck]

So, I was reading a story. A decent story. Pretty well written. Entertaining. Hot smut.

But the author wrote, at one point, that someone had a problem they were going to "nip in the butt." This did not appear to be a joke.

Now.

Would it be quite rude for me to feedback to this person that the expression is not, in fact, "nip in the butt?"

Because, on the one hand, I would be very embarrassed to get feedback like that. To the point I might even screen the comment in shame. But I would definitely want to know.

Thoughts?

Comments

[thalassatx.livejournal.com]

I'd want to be told. It could be just a simple typo, but I'd want to be told.

[demilo19.livejournal.com]

Tell. I would rather someone tell me my zipper is down so I can fix it and be moderately embarrassed rather than have people all day pointing and starting and going home and seeing it and then freaking out and never coming out of my house again. SO yeah, tell. Esp. if it was a good story - no one wants to be remembered for a typo but rather decent writing.

[spyderqueen.livejournal.com]

I'm always kind of torn on those kinds of feedback, a lot of time I make the decision based on how long ago it was posted, because once it's a certain age I think a lot of authors are less inclined to correct things.


I also don't really correct cliches/idioms that often because in many cases the meaning doesn't change (How does "card sharp" make ANY more sense than "card shark" at this point in time anyway?), but since she did just change the meaning of the idiom (now it sounds more like "grabbing attention to the problem" rather than "stopping the problem before it gets worse) it does sound like a candidate for correction

[lt-kitty.livejournal.com]

Ack! That phrase should not be allowed unless meant literally or as a deliberate play on the original idiom.

i.e., If you don't nip this horrendous misuse of the English language in the bud, I may have to send a very large dog over to nip you in the butt.

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

Always so hard to decide! You can say a few things you liked about the fic, and then add the correction at the end in < small >, like:

Typo: "nip in the butt" --> "nip in the bud"

[idlesloth.livejournal.com]

If you don't know the person, maybe say nothing, on the basis that you never know what might upset people - LJ can be a mad, mad place - (and frankly if they are capable of making that mistake in the first place, their standards might be different from yours?).
I've lost count of the number of times I've read absolute howlers in otherwise well-written fics (shuttered for shuddered seems to be a current favourite...). One fic which I am hugely enjoying has so many bizarre typos that I've rather grown to love them (zinc for sink, starred for stared - consistently, the whole way through). *shrugs*

[january-snow.livejournal.com]

I actually think that this is funny rather than embarassing. As the author was writing a nice piece of slash, they seem to have had their mind on the obvious, hence 'butt'. Why not alert them to this little Freudian slip?