Spotted at Crufts: One Missing Letter, Completely Different Meaning

Six days ago, my post reached 28,000 expressions — thank you.

I am now sharing it on my Wix blog.

The post said:

Spotted at Crufts. A useful reminder that software only outputs what it is given.The printing company probably printed exactly what was in the file. In the same way, AI and other software tools can reproduce errors perfectly unless a human stops and checks. One missing letter. Completely different meaning. Proofreading still matters.

Alt text: A photo of a large exhibition hall sign that appears to read “Hearing Dogs For Death People,” likely a mistaken or misspelled version of “Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.” The sign is mounted above a booth structure, with metal ceiling beams and an exit sign visible in the background.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tim-scannell_spotted-at-crufts-a-useful-reminder-that-activity-7435713153155600384-K4dF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAfVDxEBUlYb7g-FMydDz_Dy9BiPrexkXwM

Thank you to members of our Deaf community in Warwickshire and Coventry who attended the Crufts dog show and shared their photos.

Some LinkedIn comments made people smile:

• “We once attended Depressed College for Dead People!”

• “The sad thing is that this got past many sets of eyes. Someone approved that.”

• “Maybe they’re for Deaf undertakers?”

• “You wouldn’t let anyone in a company write something public-facing without it being checked by someone senior. It is shocking that people treat AI any differently and do not actually read what it generates.”

• “Obviously, it is just missing a comma after ‘Death’ 😉”

  
  

It is a funny example, but it also makes an important point: proofreading still matters. One missing letter can completely change the meaning.

The most important correction is:

• “software only outputs what it’s given” → better as “software only outputs what it is given”

• “someone seniors nose” → “someone senior” or “under the nose of someone senior”

• “public facing” → “public-facing”