diff --git a/docs/src/reference-main-arrays.md b/docs/src/reference-main-arrays.md
index e91435aa6..abdc3bb63 100644
--- a/docs/src/reference-main-arrays.md
+++ b/docs/src/reference-main-arrays.md
@@ -139,9 +139,9 @@ x[4], x[5]]`.
 
 ## Out-of-bounds indexing
 
-Somewhat imitating Python, out-of-bounds index accesses are
-[absent](reference-main-null-data.md), but out-of-bounds slice accesses result
-in trimming the indices, resulting in a short array or even the empty array:
+Out-of-bounds index accesses are [absent](reference-main-null-data.md), but out-of-bounds slice
+accesses result in trimming the indices, resulting in a short array or even the empty array.  (This
+behavior intentionally imitates Python.)
 
 <pre class="pre-highlight-in-pair">
 <b>mlr -n put '</b>
diff --git a/docs/src/reference-main-arrays.md.in b/docs/src/reference-main-arrays.md.in
index e25dff3d1..3c200f72c 100644
--- a/docs/src/reference-main-arrays.md.in
+++ b/docs/src/reference-main-arrays.md.in
@@ -94,9 +94,9 @@ GENMD-EOF
 
 ## Out-of-bounds indexing
 
-Somewhat imitating Python, out-of-bounds index accesses are
-[absent](reference-main-null-data.md), but out-of-bounds slice accesses result
-in trimming the indices, resulting in a short array or even the empty array:
+Out-of-bounds index accesses are [absent](reference-main-null-data.md), but out-of-bounds slice
+accesses result in trimming the indices, resulting in a short array or even the empty array.  (This
+behavior intentionally imitates Python.)
 
 GENMD-RUN-COMMAND
 mlr -n put '
diff --git a/docs/src/reference-main-strings.md b/docs/src/reference-main-strings.md
index ba07216b2..df35284f4 100644
--- a/docs/src/reference-main-strings.md
+++ b/docs/src/reference-main-strings.md
@@ -122,9 +122,9 @@ bcd
 
 ## Out-of-bounds indexing
 
-Somewhat imitating Python, out-of-bounds index accesses are
-[errors](reference-main-data-types.md), but out-of-bounds slice accesses result
-in trimming the indices, resulting in a short string or even the empty string:
+Out-of-bounds index accesses are [errors](reference-main-data-types.md), but out-of-bounds slice
+accesses result in trimming the indices, resulting in a short string or even the empty string.
+(This behavior intentionally imitates Python.)
 
 <pre class="pre-highlight-in-pair">
 <b>mlr -n put '</b>
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ in trimming the indices, resulting in a short string or even the empty string:
 <b>    x = "abcde";</b>
 <b>    print x[1];</b>
 <b>    print x[5];</b>
-<b>    print x[6]; # absent</b>
+<b>    print x[6];</b>
 <b>  }</b>
 <b>'</b>
 </pre>
@@ -146,16 +146,16 @@ e
 <b>mlr -n put '</b>
 <b>  end {</b>
 <b>    x = "abcde";</b>
-<b>    print x[1:2];</b>
-<b>    print x[1:6];</b>
-<b>    print x[10:20];</b>
+<b>    print "\"" . x[1:2] . "\"";</b>
+<b>    print "\"" . x[1:6] . "\"";</b>
+<b>    print "\"" . x[10:20] . "\"";</b>
 <b>  }</b>
 <b>'</b>
 </pre>
 <pre class="pre-non-highlight-in-pair">
-ab
-abcde
-
+"ab"
+"abcde"
+""
 </pre>
 
 ## Escape sequences for string literals
diff --git a/docs/src/reference-main-strings.md.in b/docs/src/reference-main-strings.md.in
index 30099aab2..e67560550 100644
--- a/docs/src/reference-main-strings.md.in
+++ b/docs/src/reference-main-strings.md.in
@@ -80,9 +80,9 @@ GENMD-EOF
 
 ## Out-of-bounds indexing
 
-Somewhat imitating Python, out-of-bounds index accesses are
-[errors](reference-main-data-types.md), but out-of-bounds slice accesses result
-in trimming the indices, resulting in a short string or even the empty string:
+Out-of-bounds index accesses are [errors](reference-main-data-types.md), but out-of-bounds slice
+accesses result in trimming the indices, resulting in a short string or even the empty string.
+(This behavior intentionally imitates Python.)
 
 GENMD-RUN-COMMAND
 mlr -n put '
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ mlr -n put '
     x = "abcde";
     print x[1];
     print x[5];
-    print x[6]; # absent
+    print x[6];
   }
 '
 GENMD-EOF
@@ -99,9 +99,9 @@ GENMD-RUN-COMMAND
 mlr -n put '
   end {
     x = "abcde";
-    print x[1:2];
-    print x[1:6];
-    print x[10:20];
+    print "\"" . x[1:2] . "\"";
+    print "\"" . x[1:6] . "\"";
+    print "\"" . x[10:20] . "\"";
   }
 '
 GENMD-EOF
diff --git a/todo.txt b/todo.txt
index 294ec9aea..eb5d14d3a 100644
--- a/todo.txt
+++ b/todo.txt
@@ -8,8 +8,13 @@ RELEASES
   ? ??? for doc-string contents search -- ? & mlr help namegoeshere foo ...
 
   o several needs-doc issues
-    https://github.com/johnkerl/miller/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Aneeds-documentation
-    echo "a=14°20" | mlr put '$out=sub($a,"^([0-9]+)°([0-9]+)$","\1\2")'
+    i https://github.com/johnkerl/miller/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Aneeds-documentation
+    - 908
+      funct
+        https://miller.readthedocs.io/en/latest/reference-main-data-types/
+        https://miller.readthedocs.io/en/latest/reference-dsl-variables/#type-declarations-for-local-variables-function-parameter-and-function-return-values
+      :context
+      https://github.com/johnkerl/miller/issues/908#issuecomment-1032573038 NFR
 
   k strptime/882
   k fmtifnum, & recursive fmtnum/fmtifnum