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REFERENCE

grammar police

idiom
Meaning

One or more people who make negative comments, which are usually unsolicited and unwanted, concerning the correctness of someone's English usage.


Examples
SIMPLE

The grammar police corrected my text message again.

CONTEXTUAL

I posted a quick update online, but the grammar police immediately started pointing out my spelling errors.

COMPLEX

Despite the insightful nature of his argument, the online discussion was derailed by the grammar police who focused solely on his minor punctuation mistakes.

Anchors to
Related idioms2entries
  1. 01

    ducks and Geese

    [Cockney slang]F--k-in' Police

  2. 02

    grammar Nazi

    A person who habitually criticizes the grammar and (often) usage in others' speech or writing, often in ways that are sometimes not even linguistically accurate.

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