Romps, Tots and Boffins

The Strange Language of News

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Reading, Vocabulary, Journalism
Cover of the book Romps, Tots and Boffins by Robert Hutton, Elliott & Thompson
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Author: Robert Hutton ISBN: 9781909653443
Publisher: Elliott & Thompson Publication: November 1, 2013
Imprint: Elliott & Thompson Language: English
Author: Robert Hutton
ISBN: 9781909653443
Publisher: Elliott & Thompson
Publication: November 1, 2013
Imprint: Elliott & Thompson
Language: English

A funny and irreverent annotated collection of "journalese"—words, phrases, clichés, and sacred cows beloved by newspapers but never used by anyone else. This "bumper crop" of examples is sure to "fuel controversy."

 

Anyone who has picked up a paper has read journalese—words and phrases that are only found in newspapers. Without them, how would intrepid journalists be able to describe a world in which late-night revelers go on booze-fueled rampages, or where troubled stars lash out in foul-mouthed tirades? When Rob Hutton began collecting examples of journalese online, he provoked a "Twitter storm," and was "left reeling" by the "bumper crop" of examples that "flooded in." He realized that phrases which started as shorthand to help readers have become a dialect which is often meaningless or vacuous to non-journalese speakers. In a courageous attempt both to wean journalists off their journalese habit, and provide elucidation for the rest of us, this book catalogs the highs and lows of this strange language, celebrating the best examples ("test-tube baby," "mad cow disease"), and condemning the worst ("rant," "snub," "sirs"). It will be a "must-read" "page-turner" that may "cause a stir" or even "spark" "tough new rules" in newsrooms.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A funny and irreverent annotated collection of "journalese"—words, phrases, clichés, and sacred cows beloved by newspapers but never used by anyone else. This "bumper crop" of examples is sure to "fuel controversy."

 

Anyone who has picked up a paper has read journalese—words and phrases that are only found in newspapers. Without them, how would intrepid journalists be able to describe a world in which late-night revelers go on booze-fueled rampages, or where troubled stars lash out in foul-mouthed tirades? When Rob Hutton began collecting examples of journalese online, he provoked a "Twitter storm," and was "left reeling" by the "bumper crop" of examples that "flooded in." He realized that phrases which started as shorthand to help readers have become a dialect which is often meaningless or vacuous to non-journalese speakers. In a courageous attempt both to wean journalists off their journalese habit, and provide elucidation for the rest of us, this book catalogs the highs and lows of this strange language, celebrating the best examples ("test-tube baby," "mad cow disease"), and condemning the worst ("rant," "snub," "sirs"). It will be a "must-read" "page-turner" that may "cause a stir" or even "spark" "tough new rules" in newsrooms.

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