Language Log

Headline from NL Times (9 July 2023): "Sheep farmer injured after wolf attack in Wapse, ordered to be shot."

From the Guardian's front page: The linked story is here.

A headline from today's BBC News: "Knife crime: St John Ambulance to teach teens to help stab victims."

New York Times, October 26, 2018:

"Crash blossoms" — those ambiguously phrased headlines that encourage absurd interpretations — are flourishing like never before. Here's a roundup of the latest specimens spotted in the wild. 1. "Matt Cassel trade a simple, cheap bandage for Bills QB problem" (CBS Sports, Mar. 4, 2015)

Attachment ambiguity strikes again! Originally the headline was "Screenwriter Graham Moore reveals he tried to commit suicide during 2015 Oscars acceptance speech for 'The Imitation Game'". Now it's "Screenwriter Graham Moore reveals during Oscars acceptance speech for 'The Imitation Game' that he tried to commit suicide at 16", Daily News 2/23/2015.

Jonathan Falk writes: I rarely get an email where my first two interpretations of the subject line [in this case, "AYA Burns Supper at Mory's"] are wrong.  The first, obvious interpretation is that the Association of Yale Alumni for some reason was cooking the meal at Mory’s and they weren’t very good at it.  My second […]

Posted by Alex Bledsoe on Twitter: Copy editors…I miss them. pic.twitter.com/oTpDhpi6Wf — AlexBledsoe (@AlexBledsoe) October 9, 2014

The current BBC home page has some breaking news about Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond: My first thought on reading this was that it's rather late in the day for Salmond to be going after the No vote, considering No already won handily. Then I realized it's not go after as in "pursue," but […]

This: BREAKING: Dutch military plane carrying bodies from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash lands in Eindhoven. — The Associated Press (@AP) July 23, 2014 [h.t. Omri Ceren]

As if New York Mets fans don't have to suffer enough, what with the five straight losing seasons and the embarrassing bullpen meltdown in yesterday's home opener, this headline (tweeted by Mark Fishkin) appeared in today's Wall Street Journal: One lucky fan, surely. #Mets pic.twitter.com/xymPstjVSE — Mark Fishkin (@MarkFishkin) April 1, 2014

Steve Kleinedler spotted this crash blossom on the home page of the New York Times today: "G.O.P. Critics of Immigration Bill Plan Offensive." Screenshotted for posterity: The article itself has the less interesting headline, "G.O.P. Opponents Plan Immigration Bill Attack."

A commenter on FARK noted this headline on the website for KMOV St. Louis: Infant pulled from wrecked car involved in short police pursuit …adding, "No word on how far his short little legs took him before the police caught up with him." The headline was quickly edited thereafter, and it now reads: Infant pulled […]