Confusing headlines

Topics that can go away
Qwynegold
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Qwynegold »

bradrn wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 5:10 am
Residents driven
‘crazy’ by
construction stuff
socks in shaking
toaster
(Without the linebreaks this is a lot more understandable…)
I just don't get it. Why are there socks in toasters?
bradrn
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by bradrn »

Qwynegold wrote: Sun Dec 17, 2023 3:06 am
bradrn wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 5:10 am
Residents driven
‘crazy’ by
construction stuff
socks in shaking
toaster
(Without the linebreaks this is a lot more understandable…)
I just don't get it. Why are there socks in toasters?
More: show
Residents [driven crazy by construction] [stuff socks] [in shaking toaster]

Presumably, the socks muffle the toasters when they shake.
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Raphael
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Raphael »

Qwynegold wrote: Sun Dec 17, 2023 3:00 amI've been meaning to post about it in the linguistic pet peeves thread for a really long time now.
We have a linguistic pet peeve thread? Where?
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zyxw59
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by zyxw59 »

Beijing home price slide fans China property sector alarm
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Raphael
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Raphael »

zyxw59 wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:31 pm Beijing home price slide fans China property sector alarm
So there's some kind of water slide, that people can slide down on, and there's a mechanism that catches the kinetic energy of the people sliding down the slide, and that mechanism powers a device that sounds an alarm whenever there's trouble in the Chinese property sector?
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Man in Space
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Man in Space »

In the Random Thread, Raphael wrote: Fri Dec 22, 2023 2:20 pm One of the best headlines of the year (found it via someone on Mastodon):

Frome the Globe and Mail

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politic ... onsulting/

Ottawa paid nearly $670,000 for KPMG’s advice on cutting consultant costs
Is it advice on slashing the costs of consultants generally or advice on the cost of consultants who specialize in downsizing?
Qwynegold
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Qwynegold »

bradrn wrote: Sun Dec 17, 2023 3:35 am
More: show
Residents [driven crazy by construction] [stuff socks] [in shaking toaster]

Presumably, the socks muffle the toasters when they shake.
I feel like it's necessary to read the whole article to understand the headline. Is it the residents' own toaster that shakes?
Qwynegold
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Qwynegold »

Raphael wrote: Sun Dec 17, 2023 5:25 am
Qwynegold wrote: Sun Dec 17, 2023 3:00 amI've been meaning to post about it in the linguistic pet peeves thread for a really long time now.
We have a linguistic pet peeve thread? Where?
It must've been on the old forum.
Moose-tache
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Moose-tache »

Wikipedia, desperately in need of a comma:
The Jena Band [of Choctaw Indians] was isolated until the 1950s on Whatley and Bowie lands, having limited contact with area whites because of Choctaw determination to maintain their community and discrimination.
I did it. I made the world's worst book review blog.
Richard W
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Richard W »

Moose-tache wrote: Wed Dec 27, 2023 1:12 am Wikipedia, desperately in need of a comma:
The Jena Band [of Choctaw Indians] was isolated until the 1950s on Whatley and Bowie lands, having limited contact with area whites because of Choctaw determination to maintain their community and discrimination.
Move it on a generation, and you'd think they were trying to maintain discrimination against their freedmen!
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Raphael
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Raphael »

Found this on Bluesky - a sign at the University of Aberdeen:
bafkreifboh3tbmxosmcjcv3iag3j7334z7sbf44tfrogypat6ca2flljlm.jpg
bafkreifboh3tbmxosmcjcv3iag3j7334z7sbf44tfrogypat6ca2flljlm.jpg (160.37 KiB) Viewed 3321 times
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by zompist »

At the post office today, I saw a sign reading

SHIP GREEN WITH
READYPOST PACKAGING

But at first I only glanced at it, and my brain said "Did that say shitpost?"
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Linguoboy
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Linguoboy »

From the Beeb: Japan: Man sentenced to death for Kyoto anime fire which killed 36
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Linguoboy
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Linguoboy »

This one from NPR is kind of a crash blossom: New 'Washington Post' CEO accused of Murdoch tabloid hacking cover-up
bradrn
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by bradrn »

Tiger Moth Jams Bat Sonar

(I actually didn’t find this one very confusing, but apparently some other people did.)
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Raphael
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Raphael »

bradrn wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:47 am Tiger Moth Jams Bat Sonar
So the tiger moth took part in a jam session, and one of the songs it played was called "Bat Sonar"?
bradrn
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by bradrn »

Raphael wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:18 am
bradrn wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:47 am Tiger Moth Jams Bat Sonar
So the tiger moth took part in a jam session, and one of the songs it played was called "Bat Sonar"?
No, that would be stupid.
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Man in Space
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Man in Space »

Raphael wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:18 am
bradrn wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:47 am Tiger Moth Jams Bat Sonar
So the tiger moth took part in a jam session, and one of the songs it played was called "Bat Sonar"?
I want to make this a song title now.
Glenn
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by Glenn »

Man in Space wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:54 pm
Raphael wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:18 am
bradrn wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:47 am Tiger Moth Jams Bat Sonar
So the tiger moth took part in a jam session, and one of the songs it played was called "Bat Sonar"?
I want to make this a song title now.
It would probably be a very high-pitched song… 😉
fusijui
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Re: Confusing headlines

Post by fusijui »

I just saw a pretty good one, I think: Biden inches away from Netanyahu as Israeli PM fails to heed US on Gaza.

1) Biden is moving away from Netanyahu, slowly and gradually;
2) Biden's position is right next to Netanyahu, nearly touching.
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