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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Usage
BBC News site headlines: Today's crop
Not funny today, but still Dead Wrong:
"Officer resigns over racism film"
(He doesn't think it should have been shown? Probably not, but that's not why he resigned. He resigned because he was exposed as a racist thug by the film, bang to rights.)
"Italy PM back in Strasbourg fray"
(There's a fray because he's back in Strasbourg? He's in another Strasbourg fray? Answer: Neither, as the beginning of the story makes clear: "It is the first visit to the parliament for Mr Berlusconi ")
"Everlys join Simon & Garfunkel"
(A new Fab Four? No, the Evs are just S&G's new support act.)
Ross Howard
"Officer resigns over racism film"
(He doesn't think it should have been shown? Probably not, but that's not why he resigned. He resigned because he was exposed as a racist thug by the film, bang to rights.)
"Italy PM back in Strasbourg fray"
(There's a fray because he's back in Strasbourg? He's in another Strasbourg fray? Answer: Neither, as the beginning of the story makes clear: "It is the first visit to the parliament for Mr Berlusconi ")
"Everlys join Simon & Garfunkel"
(A new Fab Four? No, the Evs are just S&G's new support act.)
Ross Howard
Top answer
[nq:1]Not funny today, but still Dead Wrong: "Officer resigns over racism film" (He doesn't think it should have been shown? Berlusconi ") "Everlys join Simon & Garfunkel" (A new Fab Four? )[/nq] On the other hand the job of the headline writer is to get you to read the story by piquing your curiosity.
- [nq:1]Not funny today, but still Dead Wrong: "Officer resigns over racism film" (He doesn't think it should have been shown?
- Berlusconi ") "Everlys join Simon & Garfunkel" (A new Fab Four?
- )[/nq] On the other hand the job of the headline writer is to get you to read the story by piquing your curiosity.
- Plus, they under tremendous space constraints, it's often impossible to summarize comprehensively what the story is about.
- Result: a kind of headline shorthand style has arisen that most readers are accustomed to and if they have been following a particular story, such as the first example you cite, they will have at least an inkling what this new development may mean.
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25 Answers
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[nq:1]Not funny today, but still Dead Wrong: "Officer resigns over racism film" (He doesn't think it should have been shown? ... Berlusconi ") "Everlys join Simon & Garfunkel" (A new Fab Four? No, the Evs are just S&G's new support act.)[/nq]
On the other hand the job of the headline writer is to get you to read the story by piquing your curiosity. Plus, they under tremendous space constraints
On the other hand the job of the headline writer is to get you to read the story by piquing your curiosity. Plus, they under tremendous space constraints
00
[nq:1]Not funny today, but still Dead Wrong: "Everlys join Simon & Garfunkel" (A new Fab Four? No, the Evs are just S&G's new support act.)[/nq]
Not surgeons who wished to create a new kind of conjoined twin?
John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply
Not surgeons who wished to create a new kind of conjoined twin?
John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply
00
[nq:2]Not funny today, but still Dead Wrong: "Everlys join Simon & Garfunkel" (A new Fab Four? No, the Evs are just S&G's new support act.)[/nq]
[nq:1]Not surgeons who wished to create a new kind of conjoined twin?[/nq]
Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? If not, perhaps we should; "Siamese" isn't confusing or offensive, since the nationality is now called "Thai". "Conjoine
[nq:1]Not surgeons who wished to create a new kind of conjoined twin?[/nq]
Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? If not, perhaps we should; "Siamese" isn't confusing or offensive, since the nationality is now called "Thai". "Conjoine
00
[nq:1]Result: a kind of headline shorthand style has arisen that most readers are accustomed to[/nq]
It fits on the page.
But do newsreaders know how silly they sound when they use it in speech? It spread, along with the newsreader double-act, until all stations became infected. Weird.
Paul
My Lake District walking site (updated 29th September 2003):
It fits on the page.
But do newsreaders know how silly they sound when they use it in speech? It spread, along with the newsreader double-act, until all stations became infected. Weird.
Paul
My Lake District walking site (updated 29th September 2003):
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[nq:1]If the "Everlys join Simon & Garfunkel" read "Everlys join Simon & Garfunkel on tour as their opening act" it would be more accurate, certainly, but it would not fit in the space[/nq]
"Everlys to open for Simon & Garfunkel." Might have fit.
"Everlys to open for S & G." Might have worked, depending...
Dena Jo
(Email: Replace TPUBGTH with denajo2)
"Everlys to open for Simon & Garfunkel." Might have fit.
"Everlys to open for S & G." Might have worked, depending...
Dena Jo
(Email: Replace TPUBGTH with denajo2)
00
Ross Howard wrote, in part:
[nq:1]Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? If not, perhaps we should; "Siamese" isn't confusing or offensive, since the nationality is now called "Thai". "Conjoined" was probably coined by the person responsible for "SARS". Why not call them "fused twins"?[/nq]
That makes me wonder what cruel *** fused them together.
SML
ess el five s
[nq:1]Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? If not, perhaps we should; "Siamese" isn't confusing or offensive, since the nationality is now called "Thai". "Conjoined" was probably coined by the person responsible for "SARS". Why not call them "fused twins"?[/nq]
That makes me wonder what cruel *** fused them together.
SML
ess el five s
00
[nq:2]Not surgeons who wished to create a new kind of conjoined twin?[/nq]
[nq:1]Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? If not, perhaps we should; "Siamese" isn't confusing or offensive, ... even more accurate than "conjoined" in some ways (they generally share certain systems, as well as being physically joined together).[/nq]
Confusing to people who might wonder why two Engl
[nq:1]Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? If not, perhaps we should; "Siamese" isn't confusing or offensive, ... even more accurate than "conjoined" in some ways (they generally share certain systems, as well as being physically joined together).[/nq]
Confusing to people who might wonder why two Engl
00
[nq:2]Not surgeons who wished to create a new kind of conjoined twin?[/nq]
[nq:1]Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? If not, perhaps we should; "Siamese" isn't confusing or offensive, ... even more accurate than "conjoined" in some ways (they generally share certain systems, as well as being physically joined together).[/nq]
I suspect that they were called something other t
[nq:1]Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? If not, perhaps we should; "Siamese" isn't confusing or offensive, ... even more accurate than "conjoined" in some ways (they generally share certain systems, as well as being physically joined together).[/nq]
I suspect that they were called something other t
00
The inimitable Ross Howard (Email Removed) stated one day
[nq:2]Not surgeons who wished to create a new kind of conjoined twin?[/nq]
[nq:1]Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? If not, perhaps we should; "Siamese" isn't confusing or offensive, ... even more accurate than "conjoined" in some ways (they generally share certain systems, as well as being physically joined togethe
[nq:2]Not surgeons who wished to create a new kind of conjoined twin?[/nq]
[nq:1]Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? If not, perhaps we should; "Siamese" isn't confusing or offensive, ... even more accurate than "conjoined" in some ways (they generally share certain systems, as well as being physically joined togethe
00
[nq:1]Ross Howard wrote, in part:[/nq]
[nq:2]Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? ... person responsible for "SARS". Why not call them "fused twins"?[/nq]
[nq:1]That makes me wonder what cruel *** fused them together.[/nq]
Are they conjoined, are they fused?
Or even worse - are they confused?
Phil
Unpatched IE vulnerability: mhtml wecerr CAB flip
Des
[nq:2]Which reminds me have we done "conjoined" here yet? ... person responsible for "SARS". Why not call them "fused twins"?[/nq]
[nq:1]That makes me wonder what cruel *** fused them together.[/nq]
Are they conjoined, are they fused?
Or even worse - are they confused?
Phil
Unpatched IE vulnerability: mhtml wecerr CAB flip
Des
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