diff --git a/etiquette/photodb.py b/etiquette/photodb.py
index ae8ae00..b1d9083 100644
--- a/etiquette/photodb.py
+++ b/etiquette/photodb.py
@@ -928,7 +928,7 @@ class PDBTagMixin:
         tag = objects.Tag(self, [tagid, tagname])
         return tag
 
-    def normalize_tagname(self, tagname, warning_bag=None):
+    def normalize_tagname(self, tagname):
         '''
         Tag names can only consist of characters defined in the config.
         The given tagname is lowercased, gets its spaces and hyphens
@@ -943,20 +943,10 @@ class PDBTagMixin:
         tagname = ''.join(tagname)
 
         if len(tagname) < self.config['min_tag_name_length']:
-            exc = exceptions.TagTooShort(original_tagname)
-            if warning_bag is not None:
-                warning_bag.add(exc.error_message)
-                return None
-            else:
-                raise exc
+            raise exceptions.TagTooShort(original_tagname)
 
         elif len(tagname) > self.config['max_tag_name_length']:
-            exc = exceptions.TagTooLong(tagname)
-            if warning_bag is not None:
-                warning_bag.add(exc.error_message)
-                return None
-            else:
-                raise exc
+            raise exceptions.TagTooLong(tagname)
 
         else:
             return tagname
@@ -1280,7 +1270,7 @@ class PhotoDB(PDBAlbumMixin, PDBBookmarkMixin, PDBPhotoMixin, PDBTagMixin, PDBUs
         '''
         output_notes = []
         def create_or_get(name):
-            print('cog', name)
+            #print('cog', name)
             try:
                 item = self.get_tag(name)
                 note = ('existing_tag', item.qualified_name())
diff --git a/etiquette/searchhelpers.py b/etiquette/searchhelpers.py
index dae8d9f..dabed69 100644
--- a/etiquette/searchhelpers.py
+++ b/etiquette/searchhelpers.py
@@ -309,12 +309,17 @@ def normalize_tag_mmf(tags, photodb, warning_bag=None):
 
         try:
             tag = photodb.get_tag(name=tag)
+            exc = None
         except exceptions.NoSuchTag as e:
+            exc = e
+        except (exceptions.TagTooShort, exceptions.TagTooLong) as e:
+            exc = exceptions.NoSuchTag(tag)
+        if exc:
             if warning_bag:
-                warning_bag.add(e.error_message)
+                warning_bag.add(exc.error_message)
                 continue
             else:
-                raise
+                raise exc
         tagset.add(tag)
 
     if len(tagset) == 0:
diff --git a/etiquette_site.py b/etiquette_site.py
index b2226cb..b5eb9e6 100644
--- a/etiquette_site.py
+++ b/etiquette_site.py
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@ def delete_tag(tag):
 
 def delete_synonym(synonym):
     synonym = synonym.split('+')[-1].split('.')[-1]
-    synonym = P.normalize_tagname(synonym)
 
     try:
         master_tag = P.get_tag(synonym)
@@ -708,7 +707,7 @@ def post_tag_create_delete_core(tagname, function):
             'error_message': e.error_message,
         }
         status = 400
-    print(response)
+    #print(response)
 
     return jsonify.make_json_response(response, status=status)