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I started an internal email discussion with the title "Editorial: link issues, some spelling issues and then some".

However, upon rereading my own mail, it occurred to me that this might express something like "I found some link and spelling issues, but really, much more is wrong here", implying finger-pointing to the receiver for how bad it is.

Yet, I wanted to express something like "I found some link and spelling issues and some uncategorized minor stuff".

Is the implied meaning of the original sentence relatively rude to English natives, or would you consider it more or less neutral? How should I rephrase, if at all?

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And then some, according to The Free Dictionary, means:

with considerably more in addition: This project will take all our skill and then some.

Note that in the above definition, the considerably can be ignored; I haven't seen the phrase used to mean anything more than with more in addition.

It's not a rude expression at all, except (since it's an emphasizing phrase) when you apply it to other people's mistakes. In essence, you're saying they made a lot of mistakes, which isn't polite to emphasize.

I'd call offensive too strong a word for it, but it isn't particularly friendly. At best, it sounds rather arm's-length.

I would suggest you use "Editorial: link issues, some spelling issues and some other details" so you don't sound judgmental.

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  • Arm's length? As in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arm%27s_length_principle? But bottom line, I gather there is a judgmental tone to it.
    – Abel
    Commented Jun 29, 2012 at 14:56
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    It's really only judgmental in cases such as this, when you're listing someone else's mistakes. In sentences like The job required a truckload of stone, and then some, it wouldn't be at all out of place. It's just when you're telling someone the mistakes he made, it's not that polite to pile it on.
    – Daniel
    Commented Jun 29, 2012 at 14:58
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    Context is everything. "The hotel offered every luxury we had hoped for, and then some."
    – Tolerance72
    Commented Jul 12, 2012 at 22:33
  • That's why I said It's really only judgmental in cases such as this, when you're listing someone else's mistakes.
    – Daniel
    Commented Jul 12, 2012 at 22:34
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    Absolutely agree with your "the considerably can be ignored" in regard to The Free Dictionary's definition. In fact, I suspect it's almost always the case that the "considerable" implication will already be present earlier in the utterance, applying to whatever we're already talking about. In the case of the stone needed for your job, for example, no-one would be likely to say "The job required a couple of small bags of stone, and then some". Plus it's got nothing to do with offensiveness - it's just very "informal/slangy".
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jul 13, 2012 at 16:27

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