I'm comparing objects and the way they behave. The behaviour is inconsistent.

When I select a cell, I mean the entire cell! Is this so hard?
When I select a cell and color the text, does the programmer have to read my
mind in order to know that I mean ALL the letters in the cell? This is
absurd.

If I select a cell that already has four borders defined, it doesn't take a
big mental leap for the programmer to know "Oh, he means THIS cell, which has
four borders." Well, duh, I'm pointing at the object, the way I point at a
cell, a column, a textbox---whatever. And yes, I know these objects aren't
all the same thing. But the approach to applying attributes for all is the
same---except for cell borders.