fudge
n.— «This remarkable time record was rendered possible by a process known as “fudging.” The type lines set by the linotype-telegraph operator are wider at the top that at the base, so that when placed together they form the section of a small cylinder. They are firmly clamped in an ingenious little supplemental machine consisting of a cylinder and an inking roll for red ink. This is attached to a revolving shaft at the top of one of the huge printing presses, and so arranged that when the paper comes rushing through from the regular type cylinders below, the “fudge” prints a big red “WAR” and a few lines of extra news in spaces left for that purpose in the right-hand columns of the editions. This is the genesis of the “Red Extra,” and it is a typical development of modern journalism.» —“The Reporting of War News” by Albert Shaw American Monthly of Review of Reviews (New York City) July-December, 1898. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city’s youngest readers, extolling the many benefits of libraries. One of the loveliest was from E.B. White, author of...
One secret to writing well is … there is no secret! There’s no substitute for simply sitting down day after day to practice the craft and learn from your mistakes. Plus, childhood mixups around word definitions can lead to some funny stories...