Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Discussions worth keeping around later.
Vijay
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 2244
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:25 pm
Location: Austin, TX, USA

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Vijay »

It took me a while to come up with an interpretation that would make sense to me, namely something like "when you make something out of fish, it never spoils," even though that isn't true. :P

User avatar
Viktor77
Sumerul
Sumerul
Posts: 2635
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 11:27 pm
Location: Memphis, Tennessee

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Viktor77 »

I think Le Soir should stick to being a French newspaper.

This text has been written by Béatrice Delvaux, senior writer for « Le Soir », a few time after the double terrorist attacks that killed more than 30 people in Brussels.

« Le Soir » publishes this text in English, as we believe those words are universal.
Falgwian and Falgwia!!

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.

Vijay
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 2244
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:25 pm
Location: Austin, TX, USA

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Vijay »

Well...if we can include awkward-sounding English here, then this isn't a headline, but it sure is confusing! It's a YouTube comment for a really weird (13-minute-long) Indian movie :?
one's legnet your's hasbend's after every house wife crying

after your's all waiys is clouse

but one waiy wait in your life that is your ded

so dont be legnet your life and your hasbend life

yours hasbends all waiys needid in your life long

so beecearfull in your life disejans
I think it's trying to warn housewives not to cheat on their husbands. Maybe it means something like: "Every housewife starts crying when they're negligent about their husbands, after all ways are closed off to them and the only way out of such a life is death. So don't be negligent about your life and your husband's life. You need your husband for your whole life, so be careful with the decisions you make in your life."

User avatar
Viktor77
Sumerul
Sumerul
Posts: 2635
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 11:27 pm
Location: Memphis, Tennessee

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Viktor77 »

This CBS headline is a great example of how you can spin something:: "House Rejects Amendment That Would Have Curtailed Religious Freedom." I can also do it, CBS, hey look "House Rejects Amendment That Would've Curtailed LGBT Discrimination."
Falgwian and Falgwia!!

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.

zompist
Boardlord
Boardlord
Posts: 3368
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2002 8:26 pm
Location: In the den
Contact:

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by zompist »

Saw this on twitter, so no cite.

Headline: "California bill to allow people to free hot dogs".

jmcd
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 1034
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2004 11:46 am
Location: Réunion
Contact:

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by jmcd »

This headline (Free hot dogs! California bill would allow it) is perhaps slightly clearer but still disappointingly unclear. All the hobos of California should be up in arms.

User avatar
faiuwle
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 512
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:26 am
Location: MA north shore

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by faiuwle »

If anything, that one is misleading and zompist's is the one that has only one interpretation (even though "hot dogs" still tripped me initially).
It's (broadly) [faɪ.ˈjuw.lɛ]
#define FEMALE

ConlangDictionary 0.3 3/15/14 (ZBB thread)

Quis vult in terra stare,
Cum possit volitare?

User avatar
jal
Sumerul
Sumerul
Posts: 2633
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:03 am
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by jal »

No garden path, but just some funny headline: "Colombian soccer player charged with battery in Miami". Original from Twitter, article itself now says "arrested for battery".


JAL

Vijay
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 2244
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:25 pm
Location: Austin, TX, USA

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Vijay »

faiuwle wrote:If anything, that one is misleading and zompist's is the one that has only one interpretation (even though "hot dogs" still tripped me initially).
But "hot" can also have more than one meaning! ;)

User avatar
faiuwle
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 512
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:26 am
Location: MA north shore

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by faiuwle »

Oh god, I don't want headlines about either spicy or sexually attractive dogs. :(
It's (broadly) [faɪ.ˈjuw.lɛ]
#define FEMALE

ConlangDictionary 0.3 3/15/14 (ZBB thread)

Quis vult in terra stare,
Cum possit volitare?

Vijay
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 2244
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:25 pm
Location: Austin, TX, USA

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Vijay »

What about just very popular dogs?

User avatar
faiuwle
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 512
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:26 am
Location: MA north shore

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by faiuwle »

I guess that would work. On that note, though, I don't think I've ever seen that meaning for "hot" outside of newspaper/magazine headlines. Or at least, I'd feel really weird using it.
It's (broadly) [faɪ.ˈjuw.lɛ]
#define FEMALE

ConlangDictionary 0.3 3/15/14 (ZBB thread)

Quis vult in terra stare,
Cum possit volitare?

Vijay
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 2244
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:25 pm
Location: Austin, TX, USA

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Vijay »

Really? "Spicy mustard, you are hot tonight!" (Okay, that's a bit different in the reference I'm thinking of, I guess, but still, definitely a related meaning).

But yeah, I'd probably feel weird about using it that way, too. :D

User avatar
linguoboy
Sanno
Sanno
Posts: 3681
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2002 9:00 am
Location: Rogers Park/Evanston

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by linguoboy »

Won Holds Slide as Brexit Angst Lingers (Bloomberg)

User avatar
alynnidalar
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 491
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2014 9:35 pm
Location: Michigan, USA

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by alynnidalar »

Y'know, I even googled the article that's from, and I'm still not completely clear what the headline means.
More: show
So, the "won" in this case is the South Korean currency. And the "Brexit" caused things to happen with the won. But I'm still unclear as to what "holds slide" means. Holdings of won are sliding? (in value)
I generally forget to say, so if it's relevant and I don't mention it--I'm from Southern Michigan and speak Inland North American English. Yes, I have the Northern Cities Vowel Shift; no, I don't have the cot-caught merger; and it is called pop.

User avatar
finlay
Sumerul
Sumerul
Posts: 3600
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2003 12:35 pm
Location: Tokyo

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by finlay »

I thought that was German.

Vijay
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 2244
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:25 pm
Location: Austin, TX, USA

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Vijay »

My dad had the opposite problem when he bought me a Dutch newspaper (Algemeen Dagblad) once when passing through Amsterdam. One time, he saw a newspaper article on our table in the family room with a headline that began with "Spanning in Portadown," all three of which seemed like perfectly good English words, and didn't realize that it was this one until he saw that the rest of the headline was "loopt op." I also pointed out that the same thing could have happened with the weather forecast for the day, which began with "Wind: machtig tot krachtig."

User avatar
jal
Sumerul
Sumerul
Posts: 2633
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:03 am
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by jal »

That would be "matig" :)

User avatar
linguoboy
Sanno
Sanno
Posts: 3681
Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2002 9:00 am
Location: Rogers Park/Evanston

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by linguoboy »

Chicago Tribune: Condo associations careful about collecting can weather foreclosures

Vijay
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 2244
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 3:25 pm
Location: Austin, TX, USA

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Vijay »

I read that headline like seven times and I still have no idea what the second half of it means. :o

EDIT: Wait, so 'can' is a modal verb, and 'weather' is a verb?

User avatar
alynnidalar
Avisaru
Avisaru
Posts: 491
Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2014 9:35 pm
Location: Michigan, USA

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by alynnidalar »

I think so. That's a good one, took me several reads to get it.
I generally forget to say, so if it's relevant and I don't mention it--I'm from Southern Michigan and speak Inland North American English. Yes, I have the Northern Cities Vowel Shift; no, I don't have the cot-caught merger; and it is called pop.

User avatar
jal
Sumerul
Sumerul
Posts: 2633
Joined: Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:03 am
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by jal »

Indeed. Didn't know "wheather" is also a verb. Merriam-Webster to the rescue. At first I could only parse it as foreclosures of can wheathers, and the collecting thereof.


JAL

Zju
Lebom
Lebom
Posts: 243
Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 11:10 am

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Zju »

Mutilated body washes up on Rio beach to be used for Olympics beach volleyball

hwhatting
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 2315
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2002 2:49 am
Location: Bonn, Germany

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by hwhatting »

Zju wrote:
Mutilated body washes up on Rio beach to be used for Olympics beach volleyball
One can take recycling too far...

User avatar
Qwynegold
Smeric
Smeric
Posts: 1606
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 11:34 pm
Location: Stockholm

Re: Confusing headlines and other trips down the garden path

Post by Qwynegold »

Not quite what this thread is about, but it's funny. I read about Heron Island, and one headline said "Known shipwrecks on the reef". The next headline said "Voyager spacecraft". First I interpreted that as a subheading, and was thinking like "A spacecraft has crashed on to the reef?!!"
Image
My most recent quiz:
Eurovision Song Contest 2018

Post Reply