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Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 11 posts ] 
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 Post subject: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Wed Jan 29, 2003 1:58 am 
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Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 356
Location: Everett, Wash.
Actually the news editor caught this in another paper north of here.
I saw it, too, and cringed.
His e-mail to the desk read:<p>Subject: A head you shouldn't write<p>An experiment you shouldn't Dew
'Middle school curiosity' gets best of students
What started as a lunchtime experiment involving a canister of carbon dioxide and a quarter-full bottle of Mountain Dew has left two Concrete middle school students suspended and facing the possibility of further disciplinary action.<p>I'm afraid this one might win a headline contest.


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 Post subject: Re: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Wed Jan 29, 2003 12:30 pm 
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Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2002 1:01 am
Posts: 3557
Location: Cusp of retirement, grave or both
We should have a contest to see who can point out the most levels on which that is a terrible, terrible hed. And someone is damned proud of it, too.


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 Post subject: Re: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Wed Jan 29, 2003 4:21 pm 
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Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 836
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Well, there's the product placement angle which is offensive.
Dew is not pronounced the same as do, so the pun is worse than normal.
The syntax is awkward.
There's a start.


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 Post subject: Re: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Wed Jan 29, 2003 5:13 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2003 1:01 am
Posts: 58
Location: Salt Lake City
Dew is not pronounced the same as do, so the pun is worse than normal.<p>
Um ... how is Dew pronounced ... in Toronto ...


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 Post subject: Re: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2003 3:56 am 
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Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 840
Location: Ashland, Ore.
The two seem to be homonyms to me as well ...<p>Of course, growing up out West, we can't distinguish between "caught" and "cot," either. That was explained on day one of Intro to Linguistics. Every single student was shocked that the two could even be considered audibly distinguishable.<p>Then again, no one here knows what "spendy" means -- and no one in Seattle thought it was a regional word.


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 Post subject: Re: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2003 10:28 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 3135
Location: Albuquerque, N.M. USA
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Kawtry:
[b]Dew is not pronounced the same as do, so the pun is worse than normal.<p>
Um ... how is Dew pronounced ... in Toronto ...[/b]<hr></blockquote><p>
isn't it pronounced like "out"?


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 Post subject: Re: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2003 11:13 am 
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Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 836
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Dew is pronounced like due
Do is like doo.
But I cannot distinguish between cot and caught, although maybe I ought to be able to.


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 Post subject: Re: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2003 11:23 am 
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Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2002 1:01 am
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Location: Cusp of retirement, grave or both
I think "Dew" and Doo" are pronounced the same in most of the United States. <p>Thanks for the reminder that the Canadian pronounciation is slightly different, which makes this hed even more puzzling to Canadians.<p>Award-winning hed? Bank on it! Bad syntax to accommodate bad wordplay. How can you possibly beat that?


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 Post subject: Re: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2003 3:42 pm 
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Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 38
Then there are those of us who pronounce "due" and "do" the same way, as well. Not to mention "Mary," "marry," and "merry." :D


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 Post subject: Re: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2003 3:55 pm 
She slew Sue in the slough ... say that five times fast.


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 Post subject: Re: Bad hed of this week
PostPosted: Sat Feb 01, 2003 2:21 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 76
Location: NJ
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>But I cannot distinguish between cot and caught, although maybe I ought to be able to.<hr></blockquote>In my corner of the continent, it's roughly:
cot="caht"
caught="cawt".<p>But that's Central Jersey; the parts of North Jersey anywhere near N.Y.C. are another story that I don't really want to get into ("They coh-awt him!")...


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