Romps, Tots and Boffins: The Strange Language of News

By Robert Hutton

A funny and irreverent annotated collection of "journalese"—words, phrases, clichés, and sacred cows beloved by newspapers but never used by anyone else. This "bumper crop" of examples is sure to "fuel controversy."

Anyone who has picked up a paper has read journalese—words and phrases that are only found in newspapers. Without them, how would intrepid journalists be able to describe a world in which late-night revelers go on booze-fueled rampages, or where troubled stars lash out in foul-mouthed tirades? When Rob Hutton began collecting examples of journalese online, he provoked a "Twitter storm," and was "left reeling" by the "bumper crop" of examples that "flooded in." He realized that phrases which started as shorthand to help readers have become a dialect which is often meaningless or vacuous to non-journalese speakers. In a courageous attempt both to wean journalists off their journalese habit, and provide elucidation for the rest of us, this book catalogs the highs and lows of this strange language, celebrating the best examples ("test-tube baby," "mad cow disease"), and condemning the worst ("rant," "snub," "sirs"). It will be a "must-read" "page-turner" that may "cause a stir" or even "spark" "tough new rules" in newsrooms.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
• Release date: Nov 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781909653443

Robert Hutton

Robert Hutton has been Bloomberg’s UK Political Correspondent since 2004. Before that he was a reporter on the Daily Mirror, and before that he built robots and taught computers to play Bridge at Edinburgh University. He’s married with two sons, and lives in South East London. Hutton's previous books include Would They Lie to You? and Romps, Tots and Boffins: The Strange Language of News.

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Reviews for Romps, Tots and Boffins

[jmkemp-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A really interesting commentary on the language used by journalists. Well worth reading. The chapters are themed, e.g. Politics, Sex, Death etc. and after a little introductory bit there are then a set of definitions for each of the terms. As well as being informative there is also a sense of humour to it and several of the entries made me chuckle out loud as I read them.

Definitely worth a read if you have an interest in language.