After living on Saipan for over seven years, we\u2019ve noticed a number of headlines that were meant to convey one message, but could be interpreted another way. The limited space to express the major topic of a story makes it easy for a headline to have a double meaning.<\/p>\n
For instance \u201cMillions of Slugs Invade Rota\u201d made us do a double take. Were these unwelcome vermin wading onto the shores of Rota to launch a full-scale attack, would more government assistance programs be needed, or were the crops in danger? Then there\u2019s the Father\u2019s day ad that had the whole meaning changed by splitting one word to fit on another line. It read: \u201cHAPPY FAT- HERS DAY.\u201d Was this a politically incorrect sale for females on the rotund side?<\/p>\n
Here are some more actual, ambiguous headlines collected by journalists that will cause you to take a second look before you understand the real story:<\/p>\n
We know that things have been dicey on the warfront, but this headline gives an indication of how tough things really are: \u201cIraqi Head Seeks Arms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking of body parts, it looked like professional golfers are trying different clubs to improve their score with the headline: \u201cShot Off Woman\u2019s Leg Helps Nicklaus to 66.\u201d And then there\u2019s \u201cEye Drops off Shelf.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExperts\u201d have all that education so they can explain complex things to the rest of us simple folk. This was a report after one accident: \u201cSomething Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says.\u201d And if you want more details, this genius provides more clues: \u201cPlane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told.\u201d <\/p>\n
Just in case you wanted an explanation for the crazy weather, this headline gives it: \u201cCold Wave Linked to Temperatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you have children who take the bus to school, you should know how dangerous it could be for the kids after reading: \u201cSafety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted.\u201d Speaking of kids, they are getting a bad rap these days: \u201cTeacher Strikes Idle Kids.\u201d It\u2019s good that schools are taking education more serious, but this headline indicates they may be going too far: \u201cLocal High School Dropouts Cut in Half.\u201d Even more unnerving are these headlines: \u201cInclude your Children when Baking Cookies\u201d and \u201cKids Make Nutritious Snacks.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you thought you could always depend on our fine law enforcement officers to make sure the streets are safe, this headline gives you something to ponder: \u201cPolice Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers.\u201d And with all the stray dogs running loose on the streets of Saipan, here\u2019s a headline that would cause concern: \u201cSquad Helps Dog Bite Victim.\u201d Hopefully, the squad had their rabies shots!<\/p>\n
If you think dogs are dangerous, just be thankful we don\u2019t live in a part of the world where they have psycho herbivores after reading: \u201cEnraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax,\u201d and \u201cDeer Kill 17,000.\u201d<\/p>\n
We bet you didn\u2019t know the courts could be unsafe after reading the headline: \u201cJuvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant.\u201d Even the lawyers are getting touchy after reading: \u201cProsecutor Releases Probe into Undersheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, it\u2019s good to know that justice is served after learning: \u201cSteals Clock, Faces Time\u201d and \u201cMan Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge.\u201d Even the plants can assist in the recovery of stolen property after reading: \u201cStolen Painting Found by Tree.\u201d <\/p>\n
On the subject of plants, you probably weren\u2019t aware that plants could get terminal diseases after reading: \u201cLung Cancer in Women Mushrooms.\u201d We wonder if the male mushrooms can get prostrate cancer?
\nIf you thought the lines were long at our grocery stores, this headline will make you grateful: \u201cTwo Sisters Reunited after 18 Years in Checkout Counter.\u201d <\/p>\n
Death may not excuse one after reading: \u201cMiners Refuse to Work after Death\u201d and \u201cKiller Sentenced to Die for Second Time in 10 Years.\u201d And resting in peace is not possible with this headline: \u201cTyphoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead\u201d and \u201cBan On Soliciting Dead in Trotwood.\u201d<\/p>\n
These politically incorrect headlines may have the ACLU up in arms: \u201cAir Head Fired\u201d and \u201cNew Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group.\u201d If one is height challenged, these headlines might be offensive: \u201cBritish Union Finds Dwarfs in Short Supply\u201d and \u201cHospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are some double entendres that will make you stop and think: \u201cStud Tires Out\u201d \u201cSex Education Delayed, Teachers Request Training\u201d \u201cIs There a Ring of Debris around Uranus?\u201d and \u201cPanda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over.\u201d <\/p>\n
(Rik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is the owner of Positively Outrageous Results. They have consulted with over 400 businesses in 40 different industries, and can be contacted at: biz_results@yahoo.com)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After living on Saipan for over seven years, we\u2019ve noticed a number of headlines that were meant to convey one message, but could be interpreted another way. The limited space to express the major topic of a story makes it easy for a headline to have a double meaning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86429\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}