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We have a question about "small" and "little"

It is fairly ancient, however the question seems reasonable. The use of "small" and "little" is not easily understood from dictionaries. Questions about close synonyms are accepted:

So I'd like this question unlocked, or clarity on why it was locked (and not just closed in the normal way). There does not seem to be a way to flag locked questions.

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  • 3
    Historical locks are reserved for questions that are off-topic, so they shouldn’t be attracting new answers, but have some reason they should be kept around. This looks like a mistake to me. Moderators don’t get a lot of training on some of the more unusual things they can do, and sometimes the consequences of using some of those tools aren’t described very well. I think it should be unlocked. Closing it would not cause it to be deleted eventually because of its score, and it’s not so controversial IMO that it needs to be locked if it stays open.
    – ColleenV
    Jul 21, 2021 at 13:01
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    Protecting the question would be better. The question is hardly off-topic for ELL, but as it stands it's not what I call a good question either.
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jul 21, 2021 at 20:56
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    Even weirder, no one can edit or fix typos in the answers. For example when answers says: little puppy dog, that doesn't mean the puppy is small. Erm, yes it does. A puppy is small by definition. And In another answer to a similar question on ELL it should be EL&U
    – Mari-Lou A
    Jul 21, 2021 at 21:01
  • History doesn't have to be perfect. If the 'human-error' is bothersome enough, and it is brought to a moderator (or someone with enough qualifications) attention and they want to fix it they can unlock it and make the repair, before locking it again.
    – user19179
    Jul 22, 2021 at 14:34
  • @GWarner Why exactly do you think that question should be locked?
    – ColleenV
    Jul 22, 2021 at 19:11
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    @GWarner one issue is that flags can't be raised on on locked questions, so there is no way for ordinary "citizens of good standing" to ask mods to look again, without raising on meta.
    – James K
    Jul 22, 2021 at 20:41
  • @ColleenV I wasn't making a statement that it should be unlocked or locked. Just the observation that if one feels an error in typo, grammar etc should be fixed, ask a moderator in meta to address it. Its what I did to get an HTML error in a historically locked post remedied.
    – user19179
    Jul 22, 2021 at 21:48
  • @JamesK Don't be intimidated to ask in meta or chat if you feel a 'clerical error' should be fixed in a locked post. It's their discretion of whether to do so.
    – user19179
    Jul 22, 2021 at 21:54
  • @ColleenV Sorry I was was actually responding to Mari-Lou A's comment about not being able to edit a typo. Even though her example is not a typographical error, as much as it is poor word word usage.
    – user19179
    Jul 22, 2021 at 22:02
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    @GWarner I was asking why you thought flagging for a moderator was necessary. It would be a lot simpler to unlock the question, unless you see some reason that it should be locked? There should always be a reason that a moderator's intervention is needed for moderation tasks usually entrusted to the community.
    – ColleenV
    Jul 23, 2021 at 12:43
  • @ColleenV I think we are talking about two different things. I wouldn't flag a moderator about a locked question. And when I say flag I mean the flag button. And I wouldn't ping a moderator in chat about it either. Nothing is that urgent that I need do that. I would share the link to the post in chat. And ask a moderator to unlock it, fix the typo where 'Jimmie Neutronn's name was misspelled. Then relock it. That would pertain to historically closed posts. The ones deemed important enough to preserve. I wouldn't give merit to off-topic posts that had clerical errors.
    – user19179
    Jul 23, 2021 at 23:39
  • When I say moderator I say that loosely as 'anyone' with reputation to unlock a post. I stiill am learning what authority moderators have over posts.
    – user19179
    Jul 23, 2021 at 23:43
  • @JamesK If a clerical error aggravates you in a locked post raise it in chat. If someone with rep feels like fixing it I am sure they will. I hit a historical lock that had an image missing a description. I brought it up in chat and with out saying anything about it again someone finally fixed it and relocked it.
    – user19179
    Jul 23, 2021 at 23:51
  • I am not debating whether it should be locked or not. Or whether we should be able to flag them at the post itself. I only wanted to tell JamesK, bring up this typo in chat. Once. And leave it to those who can deal with it in their own time.
    – user19179
    Jul 24, 2021 at 0:03
  • But really decide if it truly needs fixing. Sometimes its better to see the mistakes of the past, to keep making correct choices. My apologies. Getting too deep.. Sometimes the simplest answers are the hardest to explain. Are we there yet? Caution: Objects in mirror are closer then they appear.
    – user19179
    Jul 24, 2021 at 0:07

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