# Loophole

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loophole/154127>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [February 10, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loophole/154127 "2003-02-10T16:33:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loophole/154127/1 "2003-02-10T16:33:45Z")

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[link](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mloophole.html)

> [@](#):
>
> The only openings in a seemingly impenetrable wall were these slits, which a child or small adult child could squeeze through

_Small adult child_? - is this a typo?

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loophole/154127/2 "2003-02-10T16:42:48Z")

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A mini-me?

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**Author:** ![Concensus\_gentium\_fallacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Concensus\_gentium\_fallacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Concensus_gentium_fallacy)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loophole/154127/3 "2003-03-19T16:23:09Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Mangetout \*  
> \*\*_Small adult child_? - is this a typo? \*\*

Doesn’t look to be a typo, since the words are typed correctly.  
Not a misnomer either. Perhaps a text stutter? Not common, but it happens.

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**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loophole/154127/4 "2003-03-19T17:09:35Z")

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Perhaps “small adult child” was intended to signify “teenager”?

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**Author:** ![alex5390](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@alex5390](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alex5390)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loophole/154127/5 "2003-03-19T18:55:47Z")

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I think they meant to say that only a small adult _or_ child could fit through.

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**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loophole/154127/6 "2003-03-20T04:19:25Z")

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Ken was obviously tarting up his work by adding more words. It’s pretty small as it is but …

> [@](#):
>
> which a child or small adult child

it looks like he wrote child and when revising added ‘or small adult’, then not seeing the original word ‘child’ added it again.

I think both Ken and Ed Zotti should be taken out the back and severely edited for missing such a significant ‘oops’ as this in such a small piece of writing.

The only way they could have made it smaller would have been to provide the following:

SDSTAFF Ken replies:

Dad = Right.

–SDSTAFF Ken  
Straight Dope Science Advisory Board