FEAST OR FAMINE

The Guardian published an article on 2 January 2023 with the headline: Almost 50 UK shops closed for good every day in 2022, says report.  What does ‘closed for good’ mean? What type of ‘good’? Who benefits – i.e., whose ‘good’ is the closure for?    If something is closed, then it is not open. The Cambridge Dictionary states that if something is ‘closed for good’ it is closed for ever – for ever and ever – that means permanently. The Collins Dictionary defines ‘closed for good’ as for always; finally; permanently.    Therefore, the headline of the article indicates that 50 shops in the United Kingdom closed permanently in 2022. What does the article tell the reader?   The sub-title, the line underneath the headline, states: ‘Centre for Retail Research says 17,145 stores shut in total, up almost 50% on 2021, during pandemic.’ It doesn’t state that the shops closed permanently though, so let’s read further.   The first paragraph of the article says that...

  The New York Times  international edition   published an article on 25 August 2023 with the headline: China strives to increase its influence in Africa. What does this mean? What does ‘increasing influence’ mean in practical terms?   The subject of the headline is China, and the first sentence of the article tells readers that President Xi Jinping of China is travelling to Africa. Good start. What is the President going to do in Africa to increase China’s influence there?   The second paragraph‘s subject is BRICS. What is BRICS? BRICS is the acronym for five countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The group was formed in 2006 and their first summit was held in June 2009. The article does not inform readers about BRICS until paragraph 13. For twelve paragraphs, the article writes about BRICS, not China. China as the headline’s subject is not mentioned again until the second half of the article.    The headline states that China is s...

The New York Times  published an article on 30 March 2022 with the headline: In Tennis, Racket Smashing Gets Out of Hand. What does ‘out of hand’ mean and what does it have to do with smashing a tennis racket?    The Free Dictionary defines ‘out of hand’ as ‘an unruly or unmanageable state or manner; out of control.’ The Cambridge Dictionary also defines ‘out of hand’ as ‘out of control.’ These definitions are from an objective third party view or a reflective view – i.e. a bystander or witness has an opinion that an action is out of control, such as ‘Absenteeism is out of hand in this company.’   From the view of the person doing the action, The Free Dictionary adds that ‘out of hand’ also means ‘immediately and without thinking about something fully or listening to other people’s arguments’ and ‘without consideration; immediately.’ The Free Dictionary gives the example: ‘(He) dismissed my complaint out of hand.’   Therefore, the headline of the article announc...

Sky News online  published an article on 4 November 2020 with the headline: US election 2020: Trouble flares in Washington DC as protestors square off with police. What does ‘square off’ mean and what does a geometric shape have to do with a political election?    Idioms by The Free Dictionary defines ‘square off’ as ‘to get ready for an argument or a fight.’ The Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘square off’ as ‘to prepare to fight, compete, or argue with someone.’    The use of a geometric shape refers to ‘taking a stance’ or ‘facing a competitor’ which may have originally come from a boxing term, where competitors squared off in a boxing ring. A boxing ring was initially a circle of spectators watching two people fight, but is now, for professional contests, a raised and roped-off square.    Therefore, the headline of the article announces that protestors are getting ready to argue or fight with the police.   What does the article say, and does it m...

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 ...

The New York Times  published an article on 16 February 2019 with the headline: You’re Addicted to Plastic? Can You Go Cold Turkey? What does ‘go cold turkey’ mean and what does turkey have to do with plastic? What does going cold turkey mean? The Free Dictionary defines the phrase as ‘to stop doing or using something abruptly and completely.’ The Free Dictionary continues: ‘the image is of one of the possible unpleasant side effects of this, involving bouts of shivering and sweating that cause goose flesh or goose pimples, a bumpy condition of the skin which resembles the flesh of a dead plucked turkey.’  Therefore, the article is asking readers, who are addicted to plastic, whether they can suddenly stop using it.  What does the article say? The article begins dramatically and visually with the image of dead birds: ‘For Beth Terry, the epiphany came when she read an article about how albatross chicks are being killed by discarded plastics. It wa...