Comments on: Taking a swipe at our headline

By: michael-M

michael-M — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:48:05 +0000

I think “sideswipe” would have been a better word to use.

sideswipe |ˈsīdˌswīp|
noun
1 a glancing blow from or on the side of something, esp. a motor vehicle.
2 a passing critical remark about someone or something.
verb [ trans. ]
strike (someone or something) with or as if with a glancing blow : Curtis jerked the wheel hard over and sideswiped the other car.

By: AlsoRan

AlsoRan — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:55:53 +0000

I know what the dictionary says but I also know the vernacular, where “swipe” means to steal.

When I read the headline on Google News I was misled to thinking that someone had stolen two police cars.

“Driver hits L.A. police cruisers, injures 4 officers” would have been less ambiguous.

But maybe it’s just me.

Anyhow, thanks for your time and attention to this rather trivial matter.