diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 49e5e603e..7e5648b56 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # broom (development version)
 
+* Clarified documentation for a number of cases where dots were
+  documented as unused but actually passed to internal functions 
+  (#1214).
+
 * Addressed error in `augment.betareg()` and `augment.betamfx()` 
   with `data = NULL` and non-null `newdata` (#1216, #1218).
 
diff --git a/R/mass-negbin-tidiers.R b/R/mass-negbin-tidiers.R
index 1fa21031f..e7cec4afb 100644
--- a/R/mass-negbin-tidiers.R
+++ b/R/mass-negbin-tidiers.R
@@ -58,7 +58,8 @@ glance.negbin <- function(x, ...) {
 #'
 #' @param x A `glm.nb` object returned by [MASS::glm.nb()].
 #' @template param_confint
-#' @template param_unused_dots
+#' @param ... For `tidy()`, additional arguments passed to [summary()].
+#' Otherwise ignored.
 #'
 #' @family glm.nb tidiers
 #' @seealso [MASS::glm.nb()]
diff --git a/R/multcomp-tidiers.R b/R/multcomp-tidiers.R
index 8869f4ff9..984c4dae0 100644
--- a/R/multcomp-tidiers.R
+++ b/R/multcomp-tidiers.R
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 #'
 #' @param x A `glht` object returned by [multcomp::glht()].
 #' @template param_confint
-#' @template param_unused_dots
+#' @param ... Additional arguments passed to [summary()] and
+#' [tidy.summary.glht()].
 #'
 #' @evalRd return_tidy("contrast", "null.value", "estimate")
 #'
diff --git a/R/survival-survfit-tidiers.R b/R/survival-survfit-tidiers.R
index 1bbf8c547..a7e1834a2 100644
--- a/R/survival-survfit-tidiers.R
+++ b/R/survival-survfit-tidiers.R
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 #' @template title_desc_tidy
 #'
 #' @param x An `survfit` object returned from [survival::survfit()].
-#' @template param_unused_dots
+#' @param ... For `glance.survfit()`, additional arguments passed 
+#' to [summary()]. Otherwise ignored.
 #'
 #' @evalRd return_tidy(
 #'   "time",
diff --git a/R/vars-tidiers.R b/R/vars-tidiers.R
index 9de72de89..c86fe68a6 100644
--- a/R/vars-tidiers.R
+++ b/R/vars-tidiers.R
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 #'
 #' @param x A `varest` object produced by a call to [vars::VAR()].
 #' @template param_confint
-#' @template param_unused_dots
+#' @param ... For `glance()`, additional arguments passed to [summary()].
+#' Otherwise ignored.
 #'
 #' @evalRd return_tidy(regression = TRUE,
 #'   component = "Whether a particular term was used to model the mean or the
diff --git a/man/tidy.glht.Rd b/man/tidy.glht.Rd
index b5d9cc8ca..a3402cd22 100644
--- a/man/tidy.glht.Rd
+++ b/man/tidy.glht.Rd
@@ -17,18 +17,8 @@ interval in the tidied output. Defaults to \code{FALSE}.}
 if \code{conf.int = TRUE}. Must be strictly greater than 0 and less than 1.
 Defaults to 0.95, which corresponds to a 95 percent confidence interval.}
 
-\item{...}{Additional arguments. Not used. Needed to match generic
-signature only. \strong{Cautionary note:} Misspelled arguments will be
-absorbed in \code{...}, where they will be ignored. If the misspelled
-argument has a default value, the default value will be used.
-For example, if you pass \code{conf.lvel = 0.9}, all computation will
-proceed using \code{conf.level = 0.95}. Two exceptions here are:
-\itemize{
-\item \code{tidy()} methods will warn when supplied an \code{exponentiate} argument if
-it will be ignored.
-\item \code{augment()} methods will warn when supplied a \code{newdata} argument if it
-will be ignored.
-}}
+\item{...}{Additional arguments passed to \code{\link[=summary]{summary()}} and
+\code{\link[=tidy.summary.glht]{tidy.summary.glht()}}.}
 }
 \description{
 Tidy summarizes information about the components of a model.
diff --git a/man/tidy.negbin.Rd b/man/tidy.negbin.Rd
index 2e6614369..7f8c6a801 100644
--- a/man/tidy.negbin.Rd
+++ b/man/tidy.negbin.Rd
@@ -21,18 +21,8 @@ the coefficient estimates. This is typical for logistic and multinomial
 regressions, but a bad idea if there is no log or logit link. Defaults
 to \code{FALSE}.}
 
-\item{...}{Additional arguments. Not used. Needed to match generic
-signature only. \strong{Cautionary note:} Misspelled arguments will be
-absorbed in \code{...}, where they will be ignored. If the misspelled
-argument has a default value, the default value will be used.
-For example, if you pass \code{conf.lvel = 0.9}, all computation will
-proceed using \code{conf.level = 0.95}. Two exceptions here are:
-\itemize{
-\item \code{tidy()} methods will warn when supplied an \code{exponentiate} argument if
-it will be ignored.
-\item \code{augment()} methods will warn when supplied a \code{newdata} argument if it
-will be ignored.
-}}
+\item{...}{For \code{tidy()}, additional arguments passed to \code{\link[=summary]{summary()}}.
+Otherwise ignored.}
 }
 \description{
 Tidy summarizes information about the components of a model.
diff --git a/man/tidy.survfit.Rd b/man/tidy.survfit.Rd
index 7c398b858..88739ea68 100644
--- a/man/tidy.survfit.Rd
+++ b/man/tidy.survfit.Rd
@@ -10,18 +10,8 @@
 \arguments{
 \item{x}{An \code{survfit} object returned from \code{\link[survival:survfit]{survival::survfit()}}.}
 
-\item{...}{Additional arguments. Not used. Needed to match generic
-signature only. \strong{Cautionary note:} Misspelled arguments will be
-absorbed in \code{...}, where they will be ignored. If the misspelled
-argument has a default value, the default value will be used.
-For example, if you pass \code{conf.lvel = 0.9}, all computation will
-proceed using \code{conf.level = 0.95}. Two exceptions here are:
-\itemize{
-\item \code{tidy()} methods will warn when supplied an \code{exponentiate} argument if
-it will be ignored.
-\item \code{augment()} methods will warn when supplied a \code{newdata} argument if it
-will be ignored.
-}}
+\item{...}{For \code{glance.survfit()}, additional arguments passed
+to \code{\link[=summary]{summary()}}. Otherwise ignored.}
 }
 \description{
 Tidy summarizes information about the components of a model.
diff --git a/man/tidy.varest.Rd b/man/tidy.varest.Rd
index f65c2cb1a..828da3e01 100644
--- a/man/tidy.varest.Rd
+++ b/man/tidy.varest.Rd
@@ -17,18 +17,8 @@ interval in the tidied output. Defaults to \code{FALSE}.}
 if \code{conf.int = TRUE}. Must be strictly greater than 0 and less than 1.
 Defaults to 0.95, which corresponds to a 95 percent confidence interval.}
 
-\item{...}{Additional arguments. Not used. Needed to match generic
-signature only. \strong{Cautionary note:} Misspelled arguments will be
-absorbed in \code{...}, where they will be ignored. If the misspelled
-argument has a default value, the default value will be used.
-For example, if you pass \code{conf.lvel = 0.9}, all computation will
-proceed using \code{conf.level = 0.95}. Two exceptions here are:
-\itemize{
-\item \code{tidy()} methods will warn when supplied an \code{exponentiate} argument if
-it will be ignored.
-\item \code{augment()} methods will warn when supplied a \code{newdata} argument if it
-will be ignored.
-}}
+\item{...}{For \code{glance()}, additional arguments passed to \code{\link[=summary]{summary()}}.
+Otherwise ignored.}
 }
 \description{
 Tidy summarizes information about the components of a model.