the (chiefly) American usage of a comma rather than the word 'and' in headlines.

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Sloppy, annoying, or useful shorthand?

Grandpont Genie, Friday, 26 October 2007 08:55 (eighteen years ago)

Oddly enough, I first became aware of this via The Onion! Since then I have discovered it is common practice in US newspapers and websites.

It seems wrong to me, as a British person. I am not sure that I have ever seen it done in a British publication. How long has it been in use?

Grandpont Genie, Friday, 26 October 2007 08:57 (eighteen years ago)

it is disallowed by the ny times. it's kind of awkward, but not as annoying as a lot of other things i see in headlines (e.g. un-gerunded gerunds: "shoot suspect sought").

tipsy mothra, Friday, 26 October 2007 13:59 (eighteen years ago)

Classic! I love an impossibly awkward headline. As they sing in Newsies, "If I hate the headline, I'll make up a headline."

Abbott, Friday, 26 October 2007 18:11 (eighteen years ago)

I like this, as a thing! And yes, the Onion has drawn so much humor out of playing with this.

INTERNET POSTER ENDORSES HEADLINE COMMAS, KUCINICH

nabisco, Friday, 26 October 2007 18:15 (eighteen years ago)

NEWSIES HATE HEADLINE, MAKE UP HEADLINE

TS: Capitalizing all words in a headline or just the first and proper nouns

Abbott, Friday, 26 October 2007 18:17 (eighteen years ago)

There's also the habit of not using verbs, which the Onion used to good effect in last week's IT ONLY TUESDAY headline.

jaymc, Friday, 26 October 2007 18:19 (eighteen years ago)

I guess not all verbs, just forms of "be."

jaymc, Friday, 26 October 2007 18:21 (eighteen years ago)

WOMEN SHOPPING

nabisco, Friday, 26 October 2007 18:23 (eighteen years ago)

IT ONLY TUESDAY

ha that's pretty good

sleep, Friday, 26 October 2007 18:24 (eighteen years ago)


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