Journalese definitions
An amusing article from The Independent:
Journalese definitions
Acolytes Supporters of someone with whom we disagree
Arcane Rules ones we can’t be bothered to explain
Bed What love rats and lotharios do to their conquests
Boffin Anyone with a job at a university, a science GCSE, or a lab coat
Bonk Casual sexual relations
Booze-fuelled rampage What vile thugs go on, to the dismay of revellers
Bubbly How friends described the victim. She may also have “loved life”
Budding Someone under 20 who’s good at something
Calculated snub The worst kind of snub
Champagne lifestyle Typically, what someone “plundered bank accounts to fund”
Draconian The Government is proposing something with which we disagree
Foul-mouthed tirade Someone has said a Bad Word. This event is always “extraordinary” or “astonishing” to newspapers, whose staff are well known for their delicate sensibilities
Innocent bystanders The people who look on in horror when bad things happen. If injured themselves, they become “innocent victims”, to distinguish them from the victims who pretty much had it coming
Jekyll and Hyde character No one predicted he’d go on a killing spree. Probably because neighbours described him as a “loner” who “kept himself to himself”
Love rat One who has “two-timed” a partner. Almost always a man. If he’s a celebrity, his exploits should be recounted with a slight air of admiration, and he should be described near the start as a “bad boy”. Also used of adulterous politicians and men on welfare who’ve fathered six children by five women. If writing about a woman, try “marriage wrecker”.
Raft The standard unit of “measures”. Under the imperial system, a “cocktail of measures” is an eighth the size of a raft. A “whole raft of measures” is a raft plus a cocktail
Rapped In March 2013, several outlets including the BBC offered the headline: “Police chief rapped over Hillsborough”, conjuring the image of some kind of appalling duet with Jay-Z
Red-faced What council chiefs usually are after a “humiliating U-turn” over parking charges
Rushed The only way anyone gets to hospital, typically after ambulances raced to the scene
Sex session One or more bonks
To put it another way (newspaper euphemisms)
Bon viveur Drunk
Confirmed bachelor He’s gay
Flamboyant He’s gay
Fun-loving She put herself about a bit
He never married He was gay
Well turned out He’s gay
Feel free to add to the list below!