23 AUGUST 1997, Page 24

Attention-seeking

Sir: My important and valuable attention has been drawn to the fact that the phrase `my attention has been drawn' is still alive and well and living in your correspondence columns.

It was all right for Sir Edward Heath to use it not long ago in a letter to you, because he's the sort of man who has his attention drawn to things rather than notic- ing them himself. But when the creator of Captain Pugwash starts having his attention drawn, then I think it's time to scotch this literary snake. There are a whole lot of words and phrases which should be pen- sioned off, and a good start could be made with this one.

C.A. Latimer

3 The Street, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk