-A COLUMN spec consists of a column name and an optional column width,
-separated by a colon. The widths of omitted columns are computed
-automatically.
-
-Columns:
+A COLUMN spec consists of a column name and an optional column width; the
+separator character determines the behaviour as shown below. The default is
+\`+0'.
+ NAME=WIDTH Exact width: truncate the contents to fit if necessary.
+ NAME:WIDTH Minimum width: spill into the next column (breaking the
+ alignment) if necessary.
+ NAME+WIDTH Minimum width: if a value won't fit then make the entire
+ column wider.
+
+Columns names: