In reply to Jon Stewart:
> But for an ordinary climber, 'onsight' generally means 'led first go without cocking it up' regardless of minor details like having watched someone else climb it a while ago, or if their mate said that you need a little blue camalot in a slot just before the crux, or if there was chalk on the holds, or any other trivia.
No, what you're describing there is a flash. A flash ascent and an onsight are two different things. If you've done any of the above you've flashed the route but not onsighted it (aside from chalked up holds which are acceptable for onsights too.)
I suspect there might be some confusion because before sport climbing onsight in this country was more about doing a route ground up - that is not pre-inspecting the route by abseil, checking out runner placements, routefinding etc..
> On the other hand, some people, even though they're by no means part of the elite, *do* care about such trivia. It is up to each of us how to judge our own climbing; and how to judge these people.
Well it's not trivia when it's part of the meaning of the word to describe it. If people don't understand the difference it's good to point it out. If people do understand the difference but still claim they've onsighted something when really they've flashed then they're simply not being honest about what they've done.
I suppose the reality is that aside from non elite climbers no one really cares what you've done anyway - the only significance is to the climber. If you rest on the gear, or pull up on a friend and claim an onsight you can do that too if you want.