The Sad Prostate Of Grammar

(My friend and I are both copy editors on our college newspaper, which makes us significantly more interested in grammar than the average Joe. I’ve found a newspaper column dedicated to the minutiae of grammar.)

Me: *reading from the newspaper about gendered pronouns* “Last month a chatter said, ‘If the person is a she, a prostate exam is not an issue.’ This is not always true. See–” *a link to a medical page about trans people* “The columnist’s reply was ’But, but, but …’”

Friend: “I don’t get it.”

Me: “What are prostate exams known to involve? Don’t worry; you’ll get it in the end.”

Friend: “Yeah, okay. Your number two joke is pretty good, sir. I guess I deserved it; my pun account was in arrears.”