In help declare it says: Using `+' instead of `-' turns off the given attribute.
In the Bash man page it says: Using `+' instead of `-' turns off the attribute instead, with the exceptions that +a and +A may not be used to destroy array variables and +r will not remove the readonly attribute. The help text needs to be updated to reflect this limitation. Something like: Using `+' instead of `-' turns off the given attribute except for a, A and r. -- Visit serverfault.com to get your system administration questions answered.