Stephen Chicken chastises the Guardian for using “reach out”, presumably because it is American slang (Letters, 1 February). He suggests “contacting” instead. However, the Oxford English Dictionary gives the origin of “contact” as, oops, early 20th-century American colloquialism. Plus ça change, plus everything is the same thing.
judith flanders
Montreal Canada
Taking a bath in the dark can be very calming (Pass Notes, February 4), but keep in mind that most bathroom fans are activated by a light switch. The fan must remove 15 liters of moist air every second – where will all that moisture go if the fan doesn’t run?
Carroll O’Byrne
cardiff
I’ve installed Cloudbot (the viral AI personal assistant seen as a step change – but experts warn of risks, February 2) and instructed it to read the Guardian every day and generate 10 pithy emails to Guardian letters in the hope of boosting my disappointingly low publishing rate.
Ron Jacob
London
As students in the 1960s we brought two duvets home to Newcastle from Copenhagen (Letter, 4 February). A customs officer took a razor blade and cut them open in search of drugs. He couldn’t believe they were beds.
roger day
Weedhampton, Wiltshire
I completely agree with your editorial on leasehold reforms (January 29), but I would suggest a linguistic change. People who buy freeholds to receive income from land rental are not “investors”. They are tenants.
donald mason
London
