21.26, Wednesday 5 Feb 2003

There's at least one startlingly good subeditor at the BBC. The page for A Strain on the System, on Radio 4 tonight, gives the subject of the second programme as "...the scientific and bureaucratic lessons learned in the 2001 Foot and Mouth epidemic". (note that last word). But on the (much more temporary) What's On listings, this has become: "In the second of three programmes assessing our preparedness in the face of national crises, Sue Broom investigates the lessons learned from the 2001 Foot and Mouth epizootic". Epizootic! What a word! Dict.org gives the definition as "Of the nature of a disease which attacks many animals at the same time; -- corresponding to epidemic diseases among men".

That there are people who notice things like this and correct them, I am very happy. That is one person I would not like to play Scrabble against. Epizootic! Ha.