Sunday, February 12, 2006

Words mean stuff

A reminder to the funnier-shaped of the two leading Sunday dailies in town: Words come with meanings. Don't use them at random, and don't expect people to ignore a word's meaning just because you want to use it as a signal.

Recycling's crushing costs (12A Sunday). If we were trying to say "cost of crushing," we failed. None of the numbers in the story suggest that the cost is "crushing."

Curb your recycling curiosity (13A Sunday). Are we trying to get people to read the stuff under headlines (in this case, a Q&A)? Telling them not to be curious is a pretty silly way to do that.

Pilot breaks world record
after emergency landing (9A Sunday)
Well, no. The record's for nonstop flight, so it's a good bet he broke it sometime before the emergency landing.

6 Comments:

Blogger melissa angle said...

In this category: The Shreveport (La.) Times today ran a hed that reads: "How long will black history month last?"

Thought No. 1: One month.
Thought No. 2: Are they sick of it? Wish it were over?

Discuss.

1:31 PM, February 13, 2006  
Blogger fev said...

Got a link to that one? We're coming up on heds in 4400, and "How long ..." might have to join the slide show.

12:54 AM, February 14, 2006  
Blogger melissa angle said...

Sorry, Freddo, not anymore. Just saw it at the Newseum. You might want to take a look in the Missourian archives, though. My favorite hed of all time was published during my sophomore year, so, 1998, in the spring, I think. Anyway, it was "Firefighters help burn survivors." Which reminds me of a hed on our Web site recently: (paraphrased) "Police look for help in slaying of man."

1:38 AM, February 14, 2006  
Blogger melissa angle said...

p.s. Fred, I'll be around in April to judge the SSND contest....will you be around?

1:39 AM, February 14, 2006  
Blogger fev said...

Sure. What time in April? If it's design week, come do a guest growl in 4400 (nee 110).

4:14 PM, February 14, 2006  
Blogger melissa angle said...

You got it. I'll be there April 17-19. The 18th is the judging and I'd like to get in early on the 17th, so if that works for you I'll swing by.

4:29 PM, February 14, 2006  

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