Is it my imagination? Or are “naughty” — intentional or not — headlines finding their way into newspapers more often these days?
The one making the rounds today is this one, from today’s Express, the free daily youth + commuter tabloid published in the D.C. area by the Washington Post.
Jesus. What were they thinking?
An anonymous source sent me that picture a short while ago. But there are plenty zooming around Twitter and Facebook today. One of my favorites was presented with the editorial comment:
Seriously? Nobody at the Washington fucking Post saw a problem with this headline?
Heh.
Here’s the entire page. Click for a readable version.
The word “taint” appears nowhere in the story. I can only assume they meant “tent.” Which might make this — I dunno — Typo of the Year or something.
Either that, or this was intentional. Surely not, though. Surely not.
Just last week, the Portland Oregonian ran this deliciously filthy sports headline that just can’t possibly have been unintentional. But perhaps was.
And back in July, USA Today seemed as if it was entering the world of cartoon porn with this weather graphic. I know for a fact that one was unintentional. But still.
You can try to remove the taint of something, although you usually see it in a different form, like “his opinion was tainted by an experience as a kid.”
There are words that just work better in a headline in an era of narrower pages and tight column widths. It helps though to remember the alternative meanings of words, and avoid headlines that unintentionally taint the mind, so to speak.
I don’t think they meant “tent.” I think they meant “taint,” in its traditional, non-nasty sense. They’re looking for people who are tainted (contaminated) by their past association with Gadhafi.
I think you’re both absolutely correct. It’s been so long since I’ve seen that word used that way that it’s slipped my mind.
Either way, however, t’aint a word I’d use in a headline.
Taint wrong. Taint right. It’s somewhere in between.
Ferrets and taints: A match made in heaven. Or somewhere else.
At least they didn’t resort to the verb ‘sniffs.’