Some call them crash blossoms, those funny turns of phrase that copy editors may or may not intend, like “Milk Drinkers Turn To Powder.” More about crash blossoms in this article in Good by Mark Peters. This is part of a complete episode...
sneak and peek attrib.— «Senator Russ Feingold disclosed figures showing the Justice Department used PATRIOT Act authority to request hundreds of so-called “sneak and peek” warrants authorizing secret break-ins into US homes and...
There’s nothing like an oddly phrased headline to brighten your day. How about “Actor Sent to Jail for Not Finishing Sentence”? Or “Queen Mary Having Bottom Scraped”? Same for signs that make you do a double take, like...
Welcome to the A Way with Words newsletter, where "language" is our middle name. "Dangerous" was taken. This weekend we told you what a "trailer queen" and a "soup spitter" are, and we took a punny quiz about...
yngling n.— «A mystery to anyone without an interest in sailing before those Games, the boat drew headlines after the success of the trio—whose sporting prowess was augmented by good looks—and suddenly there was great interest in the...
screamer n.— Note: In print journalism, “screamer” can also refer to a large, bold headline. «The exclamation mark—or “screamer,” as it is sometimes called by journalists—is often derided as the most brash and...