I don't know if this applies anywhere else but I just stumbled across the fact that our psql documentation is imprecise:
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/app-psql.html psql [option...] [dbname [username]] It does matter that "dbname" precede username; and that it be present if username is specified. But otherwise the first one or two non-option words on the command line are taken to be those regardless of position, and any extra non-option words are ignored. Options can thus be specified before, after, or in between the dbname and username. i.e., the following is valid: psql [dbname] [option...] [# you can place username here but only if dbname is specified...] Ubuntu Bash; 9.5 tested. I'm not sure how one would actually document the above in a syntax specification without being overly verbose but there is no hint that I've found pertaining to the true behavior. Haven't played with any other of the supplied binaries; I stumbled across this because I was wrapping psql in specialized functions and was surprised that where I placed the "$@" and/or the "service=service-name" specification didn't seem to matter. Is this some general Bash/Linux-ism that I've just never read about or realized until now? David J.
