1246 Not So Specialist

I recently got a flyer in my mailbox. It was from a handyman guy with a gardening service company. The first thing his circular said is that he offers “Experienced Dependable Quality Service.”
That’s great. If I ever need my quality serviced, I’ll be sure to pick their experienced dependable people.
But there was something more disturbing on the flyer and it reminded me of an ad I’d heard on the radio once. A car repair place said that they specialized in “tune-ups, air conditioning, and brake repair.”
This landscaping guy was similar. On the front side of the circular, it says he specializes in landscaping and gardening services for residential, commercial, and apartments. On the other side, it says he specializes in waterfalls, ponds, and outdoor lighting.
Um, I think people don’t know what specialize means.
Specialize means you have studied something and mastered it to the exclusion of all else. A virtuoso violinist has specialized in the violin. You wouldn’t expect him to whip out an oboe and trill a triple-tongued double-reeded glissando.
Whatever a glissando is. I didn’t specialize in music in school.
But you get the idea. If you want to say you offer all these services, fine, but don’t say you’re a specialist. You are a generalist.
Nothing wrong with that. You can even say you are expert in more than one thing. Experts are developed all the time. No one would expect you to devote your whole life to ponds and/or outdoor lighting. Live a little, develop your skills in waterfalls and sod laying.
But say you’re a master. Or say you’re experienced. Just don’t say you specialize in more than one thing.
Yeah, I specialize in being a jack-of-all-trades...
America, ya gotta love it.