CNN online published an article on 23 August 2019 with the headline: Furore over Taylor Swift’s ‘London Boy’ song. What does ‘furore’ mean and why is there such a furore over a song?
The word is furore in English and furor in American. In English, furore is pronounced few-roar-ree. In American, furor is pronounce few-roar.
What does furore mean? The Collins English Dictionary defines furore as ‘a very angry or excited reaction by people to something.’ The Cambridge Dictionary is more specific. It defines furore as ‘a sudden excited or angry reaction by a lot of people.’
Therefore, the headline of the article announces that it is going to, presumably, be about listeners having an angry or excited reaction to Taylor Swift’s new song ‘London Boy’ on her seventh studio album ‘Lover’ released on 23 August.
What does the article say?
After clicking/tapping on the headline, readers are taken to a secondary headline: ‘London Boy’: The Taylor Swift guide to the UK capital. Readers are taken to the CNN Travel section.
So, the headline about people’s reactions quickly and inexplicably becomes a travel article.
The first sentence is: ‘Taylor Swift is in love again, ladies and gentlemen, and this time it’s with a nation.’ The third sentence states: ‘A besotted ode to both her actor boyfriend Joe Alwyn and his hometown of London, Swift name-checks hard in this three-minute guide to the UK capital.’ No mention yet of any angry or excited reaction to the song.
The fourth sentence gets closer – there is a hint of people’s reaction to the song. It states: ‘Like most kinds of PDA [Public Displays of Affection], it’s heartfelt but has people cringing – particularly London’s locals.’
There is no follow-up to this sentence. The next sentence launches straight into the travel story: ‘Here’s the lowdown on Taylor Swift’s take on the city – and where to find the places she mentions.’ The article then lists the markets, towns, and districts, that are mentioned in her song.
There is no mention of any angry or excited reaction. None.
The only word describing a reaction is ‘cringing.’ People, especially London’s locals, the article says, are ‘cringing.’
What does cringing mean? The Merriam-Webster defines cringing as ‘to recoil in distaste’ or ‘to shrink in fear or servility’ or ‘to behave in an excessively humble or servile way.’ Lexico defines cringing as ‘experiencing embarrassment or disgust.’ Disgust, embarrassment, recoil, and shrink in fear do not mean angry, nor excited.
There is nothing in this article that describes, explains, or reveals anyone being angry or excited about the song. In fact, the word furore is never ever mentioned in the article.
Scorecard for theCNNheadline is 5%, and that’s generous. The article doesn’t mention furore, doesn’t discuss any furore, provides no example of a furore – by one person, or any people, let alone a lot of people. So, no furore. It’s just a travel guide. The headline is not related in any way to the text in the article. I think I could have an angry reaction to that. In fact, I could get into a furore over it!
Photographs: Bryan Bedder
MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
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