For weeks now the press has been unable to make up its mind about Tony Blair's position. Some papers say one thing, some another; some change their stance from day to day; worst of all, some take one view on one page and a different view on another page of the same issue.
Of course we do not want unanimity from our newspapers, but it would be nice to see some kind of consistency in their handling of this matter. Our language is rich in synonyms, but if we eschew fancy or obscure words only four choices remain, or really only three, because embattled isn't quite right.
Journalists must stop pussy-footing around with the alternatives and decide: is Blair besieged, beset, or beleaguered?
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3 comments:
'Befuddled'
Minerva deciding, in her usual fashion, to be utterly perverse.
Well, of course he is, and a lot of other words which I need not spell out; you and I could think of hundreds, even without the obscene ones. But all these describe him, and not what is happening to him, so regretfully and respectfully I must reject it.
I listed the words which are being used to describe his current situation. "Benighted" could be another but I haven't seen it used in the press, yet.
How about "bemired"? That's a situation, not an attribute. Haven't seen it used yet.
Jocelyn
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