I once sat next to Anne Toner at a dinner. (I admit I don't remember her name, but I doubt there are any other female scholars in Cambridge studying the same to

I once sat next to Anne Toner at a dinner. (I admit I don't remember her name, but I doubt there are any other female scholars in Cambridge studying the same topic.) I asked her what she worked on, and she told me that her PhD was about the history of the ellipsis. I tried making a weak joke along the lines of "why the ellipsis? Why not, say, the comma?" She surprised me by launching into an extensive explanation of how the comma was far less interesting because its use was standardized much earlier, it is used in fewer situations, and so on. I felt abashed, but was happy that her enthusiasm and knowledge steamrolled right over the top of my weak mocking. It may be an obscure topic, but good for her for being so interested in and devoted to it.