h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi echo,

flattered as I am that you picked my entry A3533997 on Millisle, County Down, I think I'm going to have to insist that you take the footnote out. It's an entry about a specific place, so the use of the word "football" is clear enough.

Why must you insist such a thing? I don't mean to seem rude or to disagree with the sovereign right of the author or anything, and what do I know, but I was just trying to make things clearer for all the dumb Americans out there. I'm lucky that I'm an American who's pretty well acquainted with the lexicon(s) of other countries, but not all Americans are, and the word 'football' would, to them, conjure up images of a 50-yard field (or is it 100 yards?) and large, vertical goal posts and a spheroid ball. It's my general policy when subbing to make sure British English is used throughotu the entry, but to include footnotes to clarify any unfamiliar terms for the benefit of Americans. That's really what they're there for. When I write my entries about American high school, I use lots of footnotes to make sure that terms like 'senior' and 'valedictorian', which would be perfectly evident to Americans, are clarified for people from other countries.

I, in my role as sub-editor, am going to insist that the footnote stays unless you have some damn good reason for taking it out. I don't mean to seem rude, though I'm sure I am, but there's nothing wrong with a little clarification. Better too much information than too little.

Well, because for one thing, the entry is about a country where gridiron football isn't played - by that fact alone, it is clear that it is highly unlikely to be the type of pitch to which you refer.

Also, if you add a footnote saying "Known to Americans as a 'soccer club'"- where do you stop? (Aside from being factually incorrect, as most Americans would probably know it as a Club de Fútbol) Why not have a footnote to the footnote, saying "known to Germans as a Fussball Mannschaft"?

As you say, better too much information than too little.

No they wouldn't, they'd know it as a soccer club. I should know, I have a very good friend that plays for one.

Soccer = football. It's a given fact.

Why would I put a footnote referring to German, if English is the only language allowed here - any other language contravenes the House Rules?

I don't really understand what your problem is. Clarification seems to me to be a perfectly logical idea. If I take it out, the editors will surely put it back in.

I don't see why they would put it in; it isn't in any of these:

A684380, A565148, A561818, A546446....

I just think it's overkill.

Point taken. I still don't agree, but I see what you're saying about the precedent, so I'm going to drop the Editors a line and ask them about it.

In all honesty though, it isn't that big a deal - I'd be equally happy to just forget about it. The footnote just looked a little odd to me - maybe just change the word to soccer in the text? That should be clear anywhere. Anyway, your call - there's no point fighting over it .

Anyway, thanks for subbing the entry

Just doing my job...

The italics say that the footnote should stay, so that's what it'll do. I always bow to their whims...