❓Who would have thought there was a common arthropodic thread running through the world of hair-splitters❓
Pedantry is tiresome to others, but it is a necessary trait when you’re a proofreader.
Here are some European terms for the word; many of them are invertebrate-related.
? Nit picker (UK)
? Ant fucker/mosquito sifter (Netherlands)
? Fly sodomiser (France)
? Fly fucker/Peter 19-grain (Denmark)
? Comma fucker (Finland)
? Raisin shitter/pea counter (Germany)
? Little dot shitter (Switzerland)
? Corner mumbler/thorn gatherer (Greece)
? Nit stick (Czech)
Will you fill the gaps in my knowledge in your language?
As a fly sidomiser (thanks, France!), myself, I find these job titles particularly amusing. When people ask, I say “freelance copyeditor,” and blank looks ensue. I might start using these as they sound less harsh than “grammar Nazi”!
Fly sodomiser is far preferable to grammar Nazi, Sarah!