An alphabetical checklist
An alphabetical reference list of words and phrases that can spell danger for the unwary scriptwriter
Here are a few of the unpleasantest words that ever blotteth paper.
(Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice)
We all have our pet hates in the use of English, and we will not always agree. To one writer a phrase may be an over-worked cliché; to another it may be a familiar and colourful colloquialism. And ‘banned’ words can easily become out of date, as language develops and new usages become generally acceptable. So this list is not prescriptive. It is advice drawn from my own observations and experience, and from other guides on writing, which have distilled the experience of many fine journalists over the years.
Here then for your consideration is an alphabetical selection of the more commonly used, or misused, pieces of cliché journalism. As you read this list, make up your own mind. Is this usage accurate or not? Is this phrase fresh and elegant, or stale and clumsy? I hope many journalists will keep this book handy, to use for quick reference, or to refresh their ideas periodically.
Admit Be careful. It strongly suggests an admission of guilt. It also suggests that the action ‘admitted’ by this person, company or government department is true. The word is weighted with value judgement. ‘The Health Secretary admitted that in some areas MRSA targets would not be met.’ When reporting what someone said, there are several possibilities: acknowledged, disclosed, confirmed. ‘Said’ might be best. Choose the one most apt for the circumstances. During ‘the Troubles’ in Northern Ireland, the BBC sought an alternative to the phrase, ‘have claimed responsibility’, which offended some people because it sounded boastful. The phrase ‘have admitted responsibility’ was preferred for a time, but to some ears sounded uncomfortable. Gunmen or bombers do not normally admit wrong-doing. Neutral phraseology is generally better. ‘In a statement, the so-called Continuity IRA said they had planted the bomb.’
Admit to Is nearly always wrong. You admit an error or misdeed, you do not admit to it.
After Used too loosely, too often. ‘Two people were killed after their car ran into a stationary lorry.’ No, they were killed when the car ran into the lorry.
Ahead of This irritating phrase has become enormously popular with broadcasters in recent years, despite the fact that it is seldom used in normal conversation: ‘ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final’; ‘ahead of tonight’s Commons vote’. What is wrong with ‘before’? Or even occasionally ‘in advance of’? It can also lead to a little confusion because the phrase refers not only to time, but to preference. ‘Wembley has been chosen as the site of the new national stadium ahead of Manchester’ (BBC TV News).
AIDS This is a difficult subject in more ways than one. AIDS (acquired immunity deficiency syndrome) is not a disease, but a medical condition. HIV is a virus, not a disease. To use the expression, ‘the HIV virus’ is technically tautology, but is widely used. A person who becomes HIV-positive may develop fullblown AIDS. Only then can we say he or she ‘has AIDS’. Death is usually caused by ‘an AIDS-related disease’.
Albeit An archaism meaning though or although, still used, rather surprisingly, in some sport reports. Does anyone ever say this word in normal spoken English? I don’t think so.
Alleged ‘Sir Norman faces a charge of alleged fraud’ is wrong. There is no such charge. He is either charged with fraud, or facing allegations (try to give the source) of fraud.
Amid Does anyone say this word in conversation? ‘Amid fears that’? No. But it’s heard regularly on the airwaves, particularly when tight security is in evidence, and in some sport scripts. ‘England’s test series ended prematurely amid a washout at the Oval.’ (BBC Radio Sport, 2002.) The best correspondents manage to avoid it. And we should all avoid ‘amidst’.
Amount Increasingly being used as a synonym for number rather than quantity. It is an amount of sugar, but a number of sugar-lumps. I first noticed this in April 1997, when BBC Radio 4 reported that ‘There’s been an increase in the amount of days-off caused by stress.’ My stress level tends to rise as I hear this usage more and more often. Surely it is an ugly error to say: ‘The amount of people using Gatwick Airport has fallen seven per cent and the amount of people using Stansted has fallen two per cent.’ (Economics correspondent speaking on BBC Radio 4, October 2009.)
Announce It is not quite the same as ‘said’. It implies disclosure of established fact, like the announcement of the Bafta winners. It means ‘to make publicly known’, so should not be used in any context where there might be dispute or doubt.
Another This is sometimes used a little loosely in broadcasting, when the updates continue minute by minute. If I write, ‘Another person has died in the legionnaires disease outbreak in Cumbria …’, can I use the same script half an hour later? It’s better to say, ‘A third person has died …’.
Anticipate This is a word in transition. Technically, it means to forestall or foresee, or to deal with in good time. So the goalkeeper saved the penalty because he anticipated where the ball would be directed. But it is now very widely used as a synonym for ‘expect’ or ‘look forward to’. My advice is to use it only in its traditional sense, to avoid irritating the initiated.
Anxious Has two popular meanings, which can be confused in listeners’ minds; best used to mean troubled or worried, rather than keen or eager.
Apprehend Officialese. Catch, arrest or detain.
Assassinate Should be reserve for the killing of political or religious leaders, not any murder with some kind of political context, such as sectarian killings in Northern Ireland, or the murder of a journalist.
Assistance As in ‘rendered assistance’. Helped. (See Officialese.)
At this moment in time Now.
Axe Classic journalese word. ‘Toyota aims to axe up to 750 jobs at its main UK factory, workers have been told’ (Guardian, 2010). ‘Fifty jobs are to be axed at a Wolverhampton cardboard factory’ (BRMB Radio, 2010). ‘Axe’ is a punchy monosyllable with a strong violent association, but is not usually used in speech. Try lose, cut, cancel, reduce or drop, depending on the context.
Baby Used as an adjective, it is often redundant. ‘…gave birth to a baby girl’.
Backlash An overworked journalism word. It suggests violence, or at least a very strong or angry reaction.
Bad news It’s a good idea to avoid using ‘bad news/good news’ value-judgements. The listeners and viewers can decide for themselves. Rain may be bad news for holidaymakers, but good news for farmers. Interest rates going up is certainly a bit of bad news for mortgage-holders and other borrowers, but it’s good news for the growing number of pensioners.
Banks ‘High street banks’ has become something of a cliché. They are not always in high streets. After deregulation, many former building societies and even large retailers are now banks. Many people now use online banking. ‘The main banks’ is preferable. And now that many building societies have become banks, ‘mortgage lenders’ may be preferable when talking about home loans.
Banned In broadcasting, we must take care with this word. Do not say, ‘… the leader of the banned Loony Party …’. It sounds like the leader of the band. Say instead, ‘Joshua Smith, the leader of the Loony Party, which is banned by the government …’. Or use ‘prohibited’.
Basis The BBC’s internal World Service Radio Guide says succinctly, ‘On a regular/daily basis’ is an ugly phrase. Why not ‘regularly’, or ‘every day’?
Beleaguered Journalese.
Bid A journalese classic. In normal conversation, you would not say, ‘The weather foiled my bid to get to work’, or ‘Management and unions are meeting in a bid to solve the dispute’. You would certainly never say, ‘Eleventh-hour bid’, or (heaven forbid) ‘Last-ditch bid’. In an auction, or at a poker game, or referring to a financial package such as the Olympics bids, yes. Otherwise, try ‘try’. Or ‘attempt’.
Billion In Britain, this used to mean a million million. Now we and the rest of the world have adopted the American definition, which is a mere thousand million. Incidentally, since the financial collapse of 2008, the USA has been counting its debt in trillions, which in the UK used to mean a million million million. Don’t even try to think about it. The English-speaking word has accepted the American maths (sorry, math), which is a paltry thousand billion.
Black box ‘The black box flight recorder’ is a widely used phrase, and is well understood. But people working in the aviation industry know that for very many years the box has been painted fluorescent orange. So ‘flight recorder’ is more accurate, and ‘black box’ on its own should be avoided.
Blaze Another journalese word seldom used in normal spoken English. Would you say, ‘I hear there was a blaze at the school last night’? Some journalists like ‘blaze’ because it is dramatic, and avoids too many uses of the words ‘fire’ and ‘firefighters’. But many fatal fires are not blazes. ‘Fire’ is nearly always better. If the ffs are ffalling over each other, try ‘outbreak’ or ‘incident’, and don’t be too concerned about repeating the word ‘fire’.
Blow Setback; disappointment; reverse.
Blueprint Cliché. It’s a proposal, a plan, or even an action-plan, which is what a lot of people say.
Blunder Like ‘bungle’, it would be a mistake to use this word very often. It’s defined as a serious mistake made clumsily and ineptly. So ‘blunder’ should not be used for any error of judgement. When Brazil scored against England with a freak long-distance free kick in a World Cup quarter final, the BBC Six o’clock News spoke with apparent relish of the goalkeeper’s ‘blunder’. A little unfair, I think.
Bombshell Journalese.
Bonanza Tabloidese.
Boost Journalese. Major boost, major journalese.
Bored It really should be ‘bored with …’ rather than the rather boring modern usage, ‘bored of …’.
Boss A slightly old-fashioned slang word, still used by newspaper journalists because it is short and punchy. ‘Manager’, ‘Chairman’, ‘Chief Executive’ are much better because they are accurate and precise.
Brainchild Idea would be a better idea.
Breakthrough Use very sparingly, and attribute the claim. It may be a perfectly fair description of the key moment of progress in difficult negotiations. But most medical and scientific advances are small steps on long and complex paths.
Call on ‘Call on’ can mean either ‘visit’ or ‘urge’. In broadcasting, there’s a danger of the listener having a moment of confusion. ‘He called on other members to support the plan’ would be better with a simpler word – ‘asked’ or ‘urged’.
Calm ‘Calm but tense’ is a cliché that is also a contradiction in terms.
Casualties Do all our listeners and viewers know that this means all those killed or injured in some way? It’s better to say ‘dead or wounded’ or ‘dead and injured’, and better still to give the numbers in each case. And remember that the figures should be attributed to a specific source if possible, such as the police, the army or rescuers.
Centred around It’s a sloppy phrase because it’s illogical. ‘Centred on’ is much better. ‘Based around’ is equally irritating to many listeners. And ‘focused on’ is clearly sharper than ‘focused around’.
Chaos Much over-used, as in ‘It’s chaos on the roads as the bank holiday gets under way’ (BBC Radio 2). Really?
Cheap Goods are cheap. Prices are low.
Chiefs As in education chiefs. Journalese. When the chief and the deputy are involved, it sounds like the Wild West Show.
Chronic It annoys many people, especially those in the medical profession, when they hear ‘chronic’ used to mean extremely serious, acute or severe. A chronic condition is lingering or long-lasting, the opposite of acute.
Claimed It should not be used when the more neutral ‘said’ will be better. ‘Claimed’ carries with it an element of scepticism. It certainly should not be used simply to avoid a repetition: ‘The Leader of the Opposition said hospital waiting lists had got longer in the past six months, but the Health Secretary claimed they had actually fallen.’ The Times Guide to English Style and Usage says, ‘The word carries a suspicion of incredulity’.
Clampdown Personally I would clamp down on the use of this word, though I concede that some people do use it in speech – but not often.
Clash Leave it to the Titans.
Cocktail ‘Cocktail of drugs’ has become a mind-bending cliché.
Commence Official-speak for start or begin.
Compared with ‘Compared with …’ is preferred by most writers to ‘compared to …’. Strictly speaking, A is compared with B when you are stressing the difference; A is compared to B when you are emphasizing a similarity. ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’
Constructed of Made of.
Crackdown Journalese, particularly as a noun.
Crescendo To say that the noise rose to a crescendo is wrong. Crescendo is a gradual increase in volume or intensity. So the noise, or music, rises to a climax.
Crisis Like ‘chaos’, this word has been degraded by over-use. It is also a value-judgement, better left to people being quoted. Use with care. When Manchester United had three midfield players injured, was it a crisis – as described by Radio 5 Live? For one of the most valuable clubs in the world, surely not? If they had been facing bankruptcy, now that would have been a crisis!
Crucial Another over-used word, which is often deployed by newspaper journalists to dramatise events. Try ‘important’.
Crunch In many stories, it’s journalese likely to get your editor’s teeth gnashing. But ‘credit crunch’ was terminology used by the US Federal Reserve more than forty years ago, and when the phrase came into circulation during the lending crisis of 2008/09, it was a convenient short name for the problem, soon understood by all.
Cutbacks Cut the cutbacks, because ‘cuts’ is better.
Daring When used to describe a crime or a military action, it can be taken to indicate our admiration or approval. Best used in this context only when quoting a source.
Dead on arrival (at hospital) This phrase usually comes from an Ambulance Service duty officer reading the official log to a journalist. In most cases, the main fact will be that the victim was killed in the accident or crime. That is how we should report it. (See Officialese.)
Deal A commonly used journalism word because it’s admirably short. But does it suggest shoddy dealing? Try ‘agreement’ or ‘arrangement’.
Death toll Journalese because it’s not spoken English. Is it not better to say, ‘at least a hundred thousand people have died in the Haiti earthquake’, or ‘it’s now known that a hundred thousand people were killed’, rather than ‘the Haiti death toll has reached a hundred thousand’?
Decimate Best avoided. Technically it means to destroy one tenth of. But it is now widely thought to mean to destroy a large proportion of. Confusing. (It was interesting that at the start of the first Gulf War, the Pentagon announced that the Iraqi Airforce had been ‘decimated’. Journalists assumed this meant that most of the planes had been destroyed. It became clear later that many of the pilots had flown to safety in other countries. Perhaps one in ten aircraft had been destroyed.)
Defuse Means to remove the fuse from, or to reduce tension. It must not be confused with ‘diffuse’, which means to scatter or spread around, or as an adjective, spread over a large area, verbose or imprecise.
Described as Described by whom, please?
Different ‘Different from, not to or than’, says The Economist Style Guide firmly. Most writers believe ‘different from’ is right. ‘Different than …’ certainly isn’t. ‘It’s one of the factors making this recession a bit different than the ones before’, opined a senior BBC Economics Correspondent in December 2009. No, different from, please.
Dilemma Not just a tough decision to be made, a dilemma is a choice between two unpalatable alternatives.
Disinterested Means impartial, neutral, or having no personal interests involved. Uninterested means not interested.
Dissociate The correct form of disassociate.
Dozens Journalists working on international channels should remember that outside Britain, most people haven’t a clue what a dozen is. Likewise a score. These are vague words, which all journalists would do well to avoid. ‘Several’ is another. Can we say how many exactly?
Draconian Some reporters seem to like this word whenever they mean ‘severe’ or ‘harsh’. Strictly speaking, it should be used to describe very harsh or cruel laws. (Draco was a Greek judge who handed down death sentences for parking chariots on the pavement.) When found in news scripts, deal with it severely.
Dramatic ‘Dramatic’ and ‘drama’ should be used on the air very sparingly, and only when a sense of theatre is involved in the event. If there be drama in an event, it should be apparent to everyone.
Drugs This word does not mean very much. Are we talking about cocaine or aspirin? Try to be specific – heroin, cannabis, LSD, ecstasy, amphetamines – even in headlines.
Dubbed Journalese. In broadcasting it usually means ‘as described rather cleverly by the tabloid newspapers’. Or in some cases described irresponsibly by tabloid newspapers: ‘GM Crops, dubbed as Frankenstein Foods …’ (GMTV, March 2004).
Due to Try not to confuse this phrase with ‘because of’. Play at Lords was stopped (verb) because of rain, but the stoppage (noun) was due to rain. ‘Due to’ means ‘caused by’.
Duped Journalese.
Effectively Widely misused to the mild irritation of pedants and scholars. It is not the same as ‘in effect’. Effectively means successfully. ‘In effect’ means to all intents and purposes. ‘The South Ossetia war is effectively over’ (BBC 5 Live, 2008). No, I think they meant the war was, in effect, over. Tom Fort’s A Pocket Guide to Radio Newswriting says, ‘Effectively is another battle almost lost, I fear, but still worth fighting.’
Electrocute Technically this means to kill by electric shock. So if the victims survive, they have not been electrocuted; they suffered or received an electric shock.
Emotional appeal Cliché. ‘Emotional plea’, worse cliché.
Enormity Means monstrous wickedness. (See section on accuracy, pages 52–58). For great size, use immensity. Or large scale. Or great size!
Ensure Means to make certain; you insure your property against risk; you assure your life.
Epicentre The spot on the Earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake. So the word should not be used merely as a pompous alternative to ‘centre’: ‘Travel is restricted in the Chinese province thought to be the epicentre of the Sars outbreak’ (BBC Radio 2 News). Perhaps the writer was getting confused with the word ‘epidemic’.
Epidemic Are you sure it’s an epidemic? Quote who says so. And beware of the possible confusion in the listener’s mind with ‘endemic’, which means ‘regularly found in a particular group of people’.
Evacuate To evacuate means to empty. So, to be strictly accurate, places are evacuated. People are evacuated only when they have been given an enema. Nearby houses were evacuated, or people were moved from nearby houses – not people were evacuated from nearby houses. But John Allen’s BBC News Styleguide regards this distinction as nitpicking and unsustainable, and concludes, ‘Let the people be evacuated.’
Ex- It’s OK to read about an ex-policeman in the newspaper, but it isn’t spoken English. Try ‘former’, or just say ‘who used to be a policeman’.
Exceeding (the speed limit) Speeding.
Exceedingly Very.
Excess of More than.
Execute People are executed only after due legal process. The word should not be used to describe illegal actions, even when groups use the word themselves to imply legitimacy. ‘The kidnappers have threatened to execute the hostages …’. (‘If anyone moves I’ll execute every last one of you!’ screams Hunny-Bunny as she holds up the diner in the film Pulp Fiction. At least that is the gist of what she said! Well, no, she was threatening to murder them.)
Eyewitness Try using ‘witness’.
Facilitate A rather horrible officialese word; ‘help’ or ‘enable’ is better.
Fact that This is almost always a circumlocution, as in ‘owing to the fact that …’ Try ‘because’.
Farther Not the same as ‘further’. Farther is applied to distance, both literal and figurative. Further means in addition to. ‘Nothing could be farther from the truth’. ‘A further point is …’.
Fatwa A legal opinion delivered by an Islamic court, not necessarily a death sentence.
Fewer Not to be confused with ‘less’. Fewer numbers; less quantity. But quantity seems to include the concept of a single measurement, so it is ‘less than two years’ and ‘less than two miles’.
Fighting for his life A dreadful cliché. Seriously ill people/babies are usually unconscious. We should stick to the fact that they are ‘critically ill’.
First It is an adjective and an adverb. As an adjective, check carefully. Is it really the first? And ‘first ever’ is tautology. As an adverb, I think ‘first’ is better than ‘firstly’, first because it is crisp and easier to say, and secondly because ‘firstly’ irritates some people. This little word has been the subject of surprisingly fierce argument by scholars over very many years. De Quincy called ‘firstly’ a ‘ridiculous and most pedantic neologism’.
Flaunt Means to display something. Flout means to ignore something disdainfully. You will be flaunting your ignorance if you mix them up.
Fleet Street It’s no longer a handy phrase to describe Britain’s national press, because all the leading newspapers and news agencies have migrated east to Docklands. Only to be used when talking about the past.
Following Too often used instead of ‘after’, or ‘as a result of’, or even ‘as’. Also too often used at the start of a sentence.
Forced to This is a judgement rather than a fact. ‘Police were forced to open fire’ (ITV News) would be better as the straight fact, ‘Police opened fire’. (See ‘Had to’.)
Forensic This has become a tricky adjective in recent years. Do you know what it means? According to the dictionaries, it does not mean ‘scientific’, it means ‘concerned with law courts’. Originally the word comes from the Latin ‘forum’, meaning the court. So ‘forensic scientists’ not ‘forensic experts’ help the police to prepare their case. I have recently started asking classes of media students if they know the meaning of ‘forensic’. About 250 have been asked so far. None has got it right. And correspondents I respect have been heard to use such phrases as ‘forensic teams are still searching the house and garden here in Soham’ (BBC TV News). I guess all the viewers understood, and very few tut-tutted. Nonetheless, many police officers and the people directly involved in the profession of forensic science know the real meaning, and will be unimpressed by the reporter’s imprecision. And there’s a nice sense of satisfaction in using the word precisely. So I would advocate such uses as ‘scientific teams’ or ‘forensic scientists’.
Fresh Becoming stale from over-use by journalists, as in ‘fresh talks are to be held’.
Fulsome Take care. It means excessive, cloying or gushing. Over-generous rather than generous. So to report that the Prime Minister gave fulsome praise to the Chancellor is rather unflattering to both of them.
Gambit It is not a synonym for tactic. It is a technical term in chess meaning the early sacrifice of a piece for advantage later.
Getaway As in ‘he made his getaway’ is journalese. Better to say he ‘got away’ or ‘he escaped’. When the police tell us ‘he made his getaway on foot’, perhaps journalists should write something more natural, such as ‘he ran off’. And ‘he made good his escape’ is classic police-speak which should not get into news scripts.
Going forward Meaning ‘in the future’. It’s a ghastly example of corporate-speak which seems to have become widely popular – normally with the insincere and pretentious. All I can say is, please avoid it in the future.
Gone missing Most editors dislike this phrase, arguing that people do not ‘go missing’. They are missing, or have been missing since, or they’ve disappeared. Others are more relaxed about the phrase because it is used in ordinary speech, and ‘disappeared’ or ‘vanished’ can suggest that the person has dematerialised, which would be a pretty strong twist to the story. I’m a bit of a traditionalist on this one, and believe that Fred West’s victims, Lord Lucan and Osama Bin Laden all ‘disappeared’ in their different ways.
Green Paper Traditionally in the British Parliament, and increasingly at the European Commission, this means a consultative document, which may turn into a draft bill, or White Paper. But ‘Green Paper’ means little to many people; it would be wise to add a line explaining what it is.
Growing tension Is it a cliché? For how long can tension grow? Quite often, the tension must be continuing.
Gunned down Journalese from the Dodge City News.
Gunshot wounds This phrase is used surprisingly often by broadcast journalists, and is irritatingly imprecise. ‘Bullet wounds’ is correct. If a shotgun is used, it should be ‘shotgun wounds’. You can hear a gunshot, but I don’t think it can draw blood. There must be confusion in the minds of the viewers and listeners between gunshot and shotgun. It’s not too difficult to avoid the ‘gunshot wounds’ cliché in a script. Try hard to find out whether a handgun, a rifle, an automatic weapon or a shotgun was involved in the incident.
Gutted Try ‘burnt out’, unless your script is about fish.
Had to As in ‘Gatwick had to be closed’ (BBC Radio 2) or ‘The village had to be evacuated’ (IRN) may be contentious. ‘Forced to’ as in ‘Police were forced to use plastic bullets’ is even worse. Stick to the facts.
Hammered out Used too often for agreements or negotiated settlements; leave it to the Union of Metalworkers.
Head As a noun it’s fine, but as a verb, as in ‘Jane Smith is to head the enquiry …’, is less natural, and ‘to head up’ is plain horrible.
Headache Not appropriate for every problem. Use sparingly.
Helping the police with their enquiries Police official-speak and now journalese. The suspect is possibly being rather unhelpful. ‘Being questioned’ or ‘being interviewed’ is much better.
Historic Means notable in history. Used too frequently. Will this story really find a place in the history books? And when it certainly will, such as Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, the word seems to be on every bulletin. Use with extreme care. Incidentally, ‘historical’ means belonging to history.
Hit out Like ‘lash out’ and ‘slam’, these macho monosyllabic phrases are not normal spoken English. Try ‘criticise’ or ‘condemn’.
Hopefully ‘Hopefully she’ll reach the summit before the weather closes in’ (BBC Radio 4). She may well be climbing hopefully, but our reporter means ‘It’s hoped she’ll reach …’. But this word is now understood so widely to mean ‘it is hoped’ that it is probably pedantic to complain about the new usage. However, BBC World Service’s internal style guide still says uncompromisingly, ‘… is misused to such an extent that it may be a lost cause. Do not use’.
Hospitalise American word for admit/send/take to hospital, which pops up in agency copy, but is not used in speech by most people in Britain. (See section on Americanisms, pages 34–39.)
However In the sense of nevertheless, this word is hardly ever used in spoken English. To be avoided in broadcast scripts.
Hurt Another of those short newspaper headline words that have percolated into the text of stories. It is better to say ‘injured’ in an accident or ‘wounded’ in battle.
Imply and infer ‘Imply’ means to suggest without stating directly. ‘Infer’ means to deduce. So a speaker implies what the listener infers. ‘What are you inferring?’ (wrong). I am implying that journalists should not mix up these two words.
Important The Economist Style Guide advises – if something is important, say why and to whom; use sparingly.
In collision with Police-speak for ‘collided’; quite often it’s possible to say, ‘the bus hit a car’, or ‘a train hit a van’, without implying blame or attracting a lawsuit. (See section on officialese, pages 23–26.)
In connection with ‘Being questioned in connection with’ is official-speak for being questioned about something.
Industrial action Usually means inaction, which can come in many forms. If it is an indefinite strike, say so. Or if it is a work-to-rule, or an overtime ban, say so. If a trades union is threatening industrial action, try to specify the precise nature of the threat if you can.
Inferno Fire. Consign ‘inferno’ to the blaze, along with ‘blaze’.
Inflammable Surely only the English language could come up with the inconsistency that ‘incombustible’ describes something that won’t burn, and ‘inflammable’ describes something that will, as does ‘flammable’, which is being used more and more instead of ‘inflammable’ to avoid any dangerous misunderstandings. I guess that ‘inflammable’ will be consigned to the flames before too long. But for now, it means combustible.
Infrastructure Is this not official-speak jargon?
Initiate Start or begin.
Innocent victim People killed or injured when not committing a crime are invariably innocent, so the adjective can often be dropped. Does it imply that other victims are somehow guilty?
Involved A word very popular with journalists, which can be used too often and too vaguely. Originally meaning complex or tangled, it should really be used only when that kind of entanglement is involved. There are many other words that are more apt for each circumstance: ‘flexible working is included in the agreement’; ‘two hundred staff are engaged in the strike’; ‘the chairman is implicated in the fraud’.
Ironically This is a particularly irritating example of journalese. The word is rarely used in normal speech, but is regularly wheeled out by writers who do not know what it means. Irony is a subtle concept. Look it up in the dictionary. It is not the same as paradox or coincidence. Bryson calls it ‘the use of words to convey a contradiction between the literal and intended meanings’. It certainly has nothing to do with the man of the match missing a late penalty. If you spot a curious paradox, coincidence, or even a genuine irony in a story, the listener is quite capable of noticing it too. All in all, it’s a word to avoid.
Jail Prison is better, but the verb ‘jailed’ is much more widely used than the rather archaic ‘imprisoned’. ‘Sent to prison’ is probably best. In broadcasting, don’t spell it ‘gaol’. Newsreaders may easily misread it as ‘goal’.
Jets It is surprising that we still hear ‘an attack by fighter-jets’ or ‘jet fighters were scrambled’. Do we really believe that some fighters in the twenty-first century have propellers?
Joyriding This word, invented by a tabloid journalist in the ’80s, conveniently summarised the growing problem of youths driving stolen cars at speed. But it soon became clear that the word greatly upset the families who had been affected by death or injury caused by these incidents. No joy for them. The police believe the word glamorises the offence of ‘aggravated vehicle-taking’. In 1992, the BBC issued guidelines to its staff to avoid the word ‘joyriding’ unless it is attributed. It’s better just to describe what happened, or at the very least say ‘so-called joyriding’.
Justify Do not use this when you mean ‘defend’. Not ‘the Chancellor justified the tax increase’ but ‘the Chancellor tried to justify’ or ‘defended’ the increase.
Key As in key issues, key decisions and key meetings, it’s becoming rather a tedious adjective. Likewise ‘keynote’ for a speech or address.
Kick-start An economists’ cliché, best left to motorbikes.
Languishing In jail, of course. Do not allow this cliché any freedom in your scripts.
Lash out When referring to verbal criticism, this is a tabloidese exaggeration.
Launch This is another of those monosyllables that has become a routine word for the journalist. Not only boats are launched nowadays, but also campaigns, books, initiatives, plans, schemes and websites. Must we use this word every time? And surely it should not be used as an intransitive verb, as in ‘BBC Three launched in 2003’.
Lay and lie These two verbs are confused more and more, but there really is no excuse for a journalist to get them wrong. Lay is transitive, with past tense laid. Lie is intransitive, with past tense lay. Pop music has been very influential in mixing them up. Bob Dylan implored the lady to lay across his big brass bed. Lay what? The coverlet? Eggs?
Learned It has become fashionable for news items to begin with ‘The BBC has learned …’ or ‘Sky News has learned …’ to indicate an exclusive, without using the word ‘exclusive’. I dislike this trend. The broadcaster is not the main point of the story, which should come first. It also sounds like a confession that broadcasters hardly ever have original stories. Can you imagine reading in a newspaper, ‘The Telegraph has learned that …’? This introduction should be reserved for very occasional and very significant exclusive information.
Less Is not the same as fewer. (See Amount.) Less refers to quantity and fewer to numbers. Less football, but fewer matches. ‘Less than a hundred people turned up’ is an ugly error, which many people watching or listening will dislike.
Literally If we are scrupulously accurate in our reporting, the word will be tautological. But when it is used in metaphor, it becomes fatuous. ‘He literally flew down the back straight’ (BBC Local Radio, 1987). Remarkable story!
Luxuriant ‘She spent the money on a luxuriant lifestyle.’ No, it was luxurious. Luxuriant refers to something that grows profusely.
Magnitude Size.
Major A much over-used adjective, often superfluous, especially when describing a speech.
Management Without the definite article, this is union-speak. Say ‘the management’ or ‘the company’. (See section on the definite article, pages 33–34.)
Manhunt Was the title of a rather exciting American TV series many years ago. But it is not spoken English. Police search, or murder hunt, is better.
Manufacture Make.
Mass Is celebrated or said, not held.
Massive An over-used word. It means very large and solid. Hardly the adjective for security, or a heart attack.
Meanwhile Classic journalese. This word is hardly ever used in normal speech, and is very rarely used by top-class correspondents. Unfortunately, it is all over broadcast news, popping up relentlessly as a link-word between two loosely connected stories. ‘Meanwhile’ is loved by sport reporters for reasons unknown. If you have two related stories or sporting events, please try cutting the ‘meanwhile’, and let the reader’s voice indicate the connection.
Meet with This American and international usage is disliked by some British listeners. I think that ‘meet’ or ‘will have a meeting with’ is still preferable, because it will irritate no one. (See section on Americanisms, pages 34–39). The BBC News Styleguide is uncompromising: ‘In North America, people meet with other people. Everywhere else, they meet them.’ As for ‘met up with’, the broadcaster John Humphrys calls this a hideous American import, and has offered a bottle of bubbly to anyone who can explain how the phrase differs from ‘met’. The bottle is still sitting in his office.
Mercy As in mercy flight. ‘Relief flight’ is better. Mercy dash? Please no! As for ‘mercy-killing’, it’s an emotive journalese phrase which is best avoided.
Miraculously Elliot’s A Question of Style asked in 1979, ‘Who are we to determine God’s work?’ As with many adjectives designed to dramatise a story, when spoken by a broadcast journalist, it sounds like over-sell.
Mob Should not be used as an alternative word for crowds, demonstrators or rioters, unless you are quoting someone.
Morgue An Americanism. In Britain, bodies are taken to a mortuary. They might then be subject to a post-mortem examination, not an autopsy.
Moribund Sometimes used in business reporting, as in ‘the German economy is moribund’. Take care. It is sometimes taken to mean ‘lacking in vitality’, but technically means ‘about to die’. Many viewers and listeners will not know what it means, so it’s a word to avoid.
Move As a noun meaning development or decision, it is journalese.
Nationwide Is the name of a financial services group that sponsors football; and years ago was the name of a very good BBC TV programme. ‘National’ is preferable for events, trends or surveys that take place across the whole country (though in Britain there can be confusion between the nations of the UK, so more precise phraseology might be necessary, ‘across the UK’ or ‘a survey in Scotland’).
Near miss When two aircraft pass each other at uncomfortably close range, most people call it a ‘near miss’. Some editors and those in the aviation industry are surprisingly agitated by this description, arguing that it is a ‘near collision’ or an ‘air miss’. The Civil Aviation Authority obfuscates this uncomfortable subject by calling it an ‘airprox incident’! I think that ‘near miss’ is very widely used and understood, and I have no objection to it. But check with your editors before you use the phrase, in case it sends any of them into a flat spin.
New Sometimes used unnecessarily. ‘In a new report from the Consumers’ Association.’ I think the audience assumes that items on the news are new.
Non-payment of Legal jargon for ‘not paying’.
None Should take a singular verb, being a shortened form of ‘not one’ or ‘no one’. ‘None of our aircraft is missing’. But most people would say ‘none of our aircraft are missing’, and I think the precise usage is getting close to being archaic. When you think none of the older listeners and viewers care any more, then feel free to use the plural, as I have just done. But I reckon there are still plenty of people around to spot the perceived error, and I advise writers to stick to the singular.
Normality This Americanism has almost become the norm now. But not quite. In the UK, things do not get restored to normality, they are restored to normal. And they certainly should not be ‘normalised’.
Numerous Many.
On the increase/decline or even ‘on the up’. Increasing or declining is better.
Ongoing An unpleasant and unnecessary word.
Only Try to make sure that it goes in the right place and qualifies the right word if there is any danger of confusion. ‘Only he swore at Beckham.’ ‘He only swore at Beckham.’ ‘He swore only at Beckham.’ The sentences have different meanings. But do what sounds most natural. I can’t imagine Michael Caine in The Italian Job exclaiming, ‘You were supposed to blow only the bloody doors off!’
Opinion polls Should be treated with great caution. In recent years in Britain, there have been a succession of embarrassingly inaccurate opinion polls. The BBC Editorial Guidelines say, ‘Do not use language which gives greater credibility to the polls than they deserve.’ So opinion polls ‘suggest’ or ‘indicate’ rather than ‘show’, and they never ‘prove’ anything.
Order to ‘In order to …’ is very formal language bordering on officialese. The word ‘to’ on its own is much more natural
Oust Journalese, or at best boardroom-battle jargon.
Over For reasons unknown, this has become a journalese word, as in ‘Police are questioning a sixteen-year-old youth over the death of …’. Surely they are questioning him about the crime, not over the crime. ‘There are concerns over …’ should be concerns about, and ‘fears over’ is better expressed as ‘fears of’.
Pair Meaning two people being sought by police, is journalese. ‘The pair were spotted in Blackpool.’ Duo is worse. Trio is sometimes used in newspapers for three missing people or suspects. These short words are used to avoid repetition as well as for brevity, but they are not used much in speech. ‘The two suspects’ or ‘The two missing people’ is better and only slightly more wordy.
Participate Take part in.
Per cent Some financial journalists insist on saying ‘a half of one per cent’. I guess this is because ‘per cent’ technically means out of a hundred. So to say ‘half a per cent’ or ‘a half per cent’ is the equivalent of saying ‘a half of out of a hundred’. Nonetheless, I reckon that the vast majority of people will tell each other, ‘interest rates have gone up half a per cent’. It’s perfectly clear, and to use the technically correct phraseology is in danger of sounding pedantic.
Plea Journalese.
Pledge Usually journalese, as in ‘campaigners have pledged to carry on the fight’.
Plunge Fall, unless into water.
Poised About to; ready to.
Police in ‘Police in … (wherever)’ opens news stories far too often. Try it a different way. If you must start the story this way, say ‘The police …’. (See section on the definite article, pages 33–34.)
Pre- This prefix can be unnecessary. Pre-planned, pre-conditions, pre-record are tautology.
Press conference This is clearly acceptable. But many broadcasters prefer ‘news conference’. Broadcast journalists are not the press.
Prior to Officialese. A pompous way of saying ‘before’.
Pro-life campaigner Originating in the USA, this self-adopted name is politically contentious. Most script-writers stick to ‘anti-abortion campaigner’.
Probe A medical word, describing what doctors do and use. Does not apply easily to police officers or committees of MPs.
Protagonist The principal character in a drama. Technically there can be only one, but now it’s generally accepted that there can be a few main characters – the protagonists. So to say ‘the main protagonists’ is a waste of a word. And it does not mean adversaries, as some seem to think. That would be ‘antagonists’.
Pushing the envelope Originally referring to a fighter aircraft’s known operational limits, this rather irritating phrase is sometimes used to describe anything which seems to be extending the boundaries, from a computer program to a rugby performance. It has pushed its way into the envelope marked ‘journalese’.
Quantum leap A cliché, which is also technically inaccurate. Quantum physics is difficult for most of us to understand, but I’m told ‘quantum’ means enough to change the state or sufficient to be altered. The Concise Oxford Dictionary describes a quantum leap as ‘a sudden transition in an atom’, though it also acknowledges the phrase can mean ‘a sudden large increase or advance’.
Quit Journalese. Resign. Leave. Give up.
Quiz As a noun meaning a TV or radio programme, yes. As a verb meaning to interrogate, no.
Refute Means to prove something wrong, not merely to argue against it, deny it or reject it.
Regretfully Not to be confused with ‘regrettably’. The first means with feelings of regret. ‘Regretfully they said their goodbyes.’ ‘Regrettably their mother could not be there to see them off.’
Rendered (… first aid); gave it.
Repeat ‘Repeat again’ is a tautology. ‘Again’ is usually superfluous with ‘re-’ words such as reaffirm and reiterate. To be technically correct, ‘iterate’ means repeat, so to ‘reiterate again’ is to re-re-repeat.
Request Ask.
Responsibility ‘The dissident republican group the Real IRA have claimed responsibility’ can sound like a boast, and offends many listeners who think planting bombs is irresponsible. ‘The dissident republican group the Real IRA say they planted the bomb’ is better. Incidentally, things cannot bear responsibility for anything. Bad weather can’t be responsible for higher potato prices. It’s the cause.
Rocks In Britain, rocks are too big and heavy to throw. Only the Americans have the muscle to throw rocks. We Brits throw stones, and the occasional brick.
Row This journalese monosyllable should not be an automatic synonym for any debate, dispute, argument or difference of opinion. Save it for the verified shouting-match.
Rubbish In more formal English, this is a noun, not a verb. And in Britain we do not talk about trash, and we very rarely mention garbage, though garbage is rising! I confess I quite like to hear a political correspondent, in the less formal style of a two-way interview, using rubbish as a verb: ‘The Leader of the Opposition rubbished the plans …’, but that is not acceptable on the lips of a newsreader.
Rush to hospital Emergency patients are always taken there as quickly as sensible. And ambulances are not always in fleets. Try to give the numbers involved.
Safe haven Some people are irritated by this phrase because a haven is by definition a safe place of shelter – originally for ships. An unsafe haven would be a contradiction in terms.
Scene This is an officialese word often used by fire and police officers. ‘Four appliances attended the scene.’ ‘He was pronounced dead at the scene.’ Journalists should try to avoid using the word in this context.
Scheme A popular news-script word. But it is not used very often in conversation. And does it suggest scheming or dishonest dealing? Try plan, idea, project or proposal.
Secret talks ‘Secret talks are continuing to settle the postal workers’ dispute …’ (BBC Radio 2). This sounds rather ridiculous. If they are secret, how does Radio 2 know they are taking place? If they are at a secret location, we should make that clear.
See Try to avoid endowing inanimate things with the power of sight: ‘BA saw its profits nosedive …’; ‘1903 saw the first manned flight …’.
Set According to one TV script, Prince Charles was ‘set to step into a row’, which in my view is condensed journalese. ‘Set’ is particularly popular in sport scripts, when an injured player is ‘set to make a comeback’. Try to confine its use to jellies and tea-tables.
Sewerage Sewage is waste; sewerage is the system that carries away the sewage.
Ships Used to be feminine. In my view they have now been de-sexed in general usage and news bulletins, but preserve their femininity in commentaries describing ceremonial occasions.
Shot in the arm Not only a cliché; since the spread of hard drugs, the imagery is questionable.
Shun To be shunned, because rarely used in spoken English.
Sighed with relief Aaah. Cliché.
Situation As in ‘crisis situation’. It is an unnecessary word and can lead to a listener irritation situation.
Smoking gun Has in recent years become a cliché meaning a crucial piece of evidence which indicates guilt in a crime. Take care. Yes, it’s a dramatic metaphor. But can papers in the Vatican archive, indicating that during the Second World War the Pope did not protest vigorously enough about the Jewish genocide, be described as a ‘smoking gun’? (BBC Radio News). Surely you would not describe it this way when relating the story to a friend.
Some In the ’90s, this suddenly came into vogue, as in, ‘Some two hundred people …’ Do we mean 200, or more than 200, or at least 200, or about 200? ‘Some 200’ is imprecise, and rather pompous. It seems to work in solemn reports, or in descriptions of state occasions, but for routine stories it seems pretentious. It certainly isn’t the way most people speak.
Spark off Cliché.
Spell out Cliché.
Spree Tabloidese.
Standstill ‘Overnight snow brought motorways almost to a complete standstill’ (BBC Radio 2, 1991). In Dublin, RTE journalists were once instructed in a memo from the editor to bring this kind of convoluted usage to a halt!
Stepping up As in ‘Thompson is stepping up his attack on bad English usage’, is out of step with Good Spoken English.
Stricken As in famine-stricken or poverty-stricken is archaic usage, except in the scripts of some cliché-writers.
Strike action Journalese. In conversation we would be unlikely to say, ‘London tube drivers are threatening strike action’. The drivers are threatening to strike or go on strike.
Subsequently Later. And ‘subsequent to …’ means after.
Substantial Unless quoting a source directly, it would be more natural to say ‘large’ or even ‘big’.
Suffer As in ‘He suffered a broken leg’ is officialese. In real speech, you would be much more likely to say ‘He broke his leg’. And ‘She suffers from cancer’ is better expressed as ‘She has cancer’.
Sufficient Enough.
Sustain fatal injuries Die.
Sweeping changes Is this now a cliché?
Swoop Hawks do. Police don’t. Even at dawn.
Taliban Note that it’s plural. It means ‘students’.
Target Is this used too often by journalists? It’s a metaphorical word. You can aim at a target, hit it, miss it or undershoot it. But can you stay within it? Is it the same as an objective or planned expenditure? Maybe writers can give ‘target’ a temporary respite.
Temporary respite A respite can only be temporary, so you can cut the adjective and save half a second.
That This is used much more in written English than in the spoken language. ‘He insisted that the congestion charge would be a boon’ is technically correct reported speech, but most people would say, ‘He insisted the congestion charge would be a boon’. Elliot describes this word as ‘the most intrusive, over-used and usually irrelevant word in sentence construction’. So that’s what it is!
The then As in ‘the then Scotland Manager’ is an ugly expression. The quest for brevity should never lead to unnatural usage like this. Say ‘So-and-so, who was the Scotland Manager at the time …’.
Today With rolling news channels, and many big events reported live, the audience is likely to assume that they are watching or hearing about today’s events. Many years ago, when satellite technology was making its first impact, the ITN notice board displayed a slogan from the editor: ‘Todayness has impact’. Surely not today? And where does the writer put the word ‘today’? ‘The Select Committee looking into the origins of the Iraq war will meet today relatives of some of the troops who died’ (BBC Breakfast, October 2009) It sounds unnatural. This morning, this afternoon, tonight, may have more relevance. If they are to be used, I suggest such words or phrases words are put in their natural place: ‘Later this morning/this afternoon the Select Committee … will meet relatives of some of the troops who died …’ or ‘members of the Select Committee are meeting …’ (you don’t have to write ‘today’).
Toddler Tabloidese. One small step away from tot, or even tiny tot.
Top-level Overused.
Total Often a meaningless adjective. ‘Total shutdown.’ ‘Total extinction.’ (Total and utter? – Rik Mayall in The Young Ones.)
Tracker dogs Journalese. As is ‘sniffer-dogs’. ‘Police with dogs’ is usually perfectly clear.
Tragedy Another over-used reporter-word. Properly derived from Greek drama, it should indicate an important person’s downfall initiated by his or her own actions. In modern usage, the word at least requires a sense of scale if it is not to be devalued by over-use.
Transpired Does not mean ‘took place’ as in ‘The Mayor had a different version of what transpired’ (The New York Times). Nor does it mean turned out. It means emerged or leaked out.
Trigger off Cliché.
Try and Many people regard this as sloppy. ‘Try to …’ is correct.
U-turn Much overused, particularly by political correspondents, some of whom remember Mrs Thatcher’s famous ‘you turn if you want to’ speech. It should only be used for a sudden and complete reversal of policy.
Undergone As in surgery. It’s probably more natural to say ‘had’.
Under consideration Is officialese, much better expressed as ‘being considered’. Likewise ‘under preparation’. ‘Under the circumstances’ is better, as ‘in this/that case’.
Under way Used in scripts far too much; people don’t use this phrase in normal conversation very often. ‘An attempt is under way …’, ‘A search is under way …’. The simple active voice is usually better: ‘They’re trying to …’, ‘The police are searching …’.
Unique By definition, the word cannot be qualified, as in ‘quite unique’ or ‘totally unique’ (although I would not quarrel with ‘almost unique’).
Utilise Official-speak for ‘use’.
Valued at Worth. But take care. Damage cannot be worth anything. It may be estimated to cost quite a lot. Valuations of fire damage, stolen items or ‘lost production’ can be exaggerated. It is wise to attribute them.
Vehicle A world seldom used in spoken English. Try to say what kind. ‘Motor vehicle’ is officialese.
Victim Victims of AIDS or cancer victims are victims of insensitive journalism. People have AIDS or cancer. They are patients, not victims.
Virtually It means ‘in effect’, not ‘nearly’. It’s now misused so widely in spoken English that it is virtually a lost cause, but good writers avoid this usage. Vital Much over-used.
Vowed Promised/threatened/predicted/said.
Walkabout When the Queen walked up to the crowds for the first time on a tour of Australia, ‘went walkabout’ was a very clever piece of journalism. Now it has become a rather tedious cliché. The British royals have a long-established policy of contacting people directly on nearly every visit. Elliot’s guide says, ‘Went walkabout smacks of the nursery’.
Walked free (from court). Cliché.
Warders No, they are prison officers.
Wed As in ‘Joan Collins to wed again’ is journalese (unless you are deliberately deploying a North of England usage).
Well planned If we report that robberies are ‘daring’ or ‘well planned’, it might seem to indicate approval or admiration. Better to say ‘carefully planned’.
Which Is often confused with ‘that’. It’s correct to use ‘that’ when the following words qualify the noun, rather than act as a subordinate clause, or take you on to a new idea. ‘This is the car that was used in this carefully planned robbery’. ‘This car, which was used in the robbery, had been stolen a week earlier.’ ‘This is the stolen car, which someone may have seen parked in this street.’
While It means ‘during the time that’, and is also acceptable as ‘although’: ‘While I can understand your position, I can’t agree …’. But it should not be used to mean ‘and’ or ‘whereas’. (It’s nonsense to write, ‘The Party Chairman opened the conference with a silent prayer while the Prime Minister delivered a stirring call for unity.’)
Whose Can be used with things as well as people. ‘The tree whose branches were laden with apples …’ is correct, and far better than ‘The tree, the branches of which …’.
Widespread anxiety A cliché which causes some programme editors mild concern.
World As in ‘the world of entertainment, or athletics, or business’; it is usually quite easy to drop the world.