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Don't know if anything has been posted about these before, but they always make me laugh. As it sounds - it's where you get long headlines that are entirely made of nouns or contain a long run of nouns in them. Anyone else seen any of these? Post a link here to your favourites if you see any good ones! This one's quite impressive: "Profit Distribution Plan share buy back offer acceptance notice" - although presumably "buy back" should actually be one word, so this comes in at 8 nouns long. Also it's not a headline, so perhaps it doesn't count. Anyone top that? ------------------------ If your rhubarb is forwards, bend it backwards. | ||
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Language Log often has fun with these. In addition, these noun piles often end up as crash blossoms. Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life. | |||
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Hehe, I love the term "crash blossoms"! Adding that to the mental wossname. Stanley noun pile conversation word game possibility wonder. ------------------------ If your rhubarb is forwards, bend it backwards. | |||
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Isn't share used as a verb there? | |||
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No, Kalleh. It's a noun, meaning 'stock'. The fact that it looks like a verb adds to the confusion when trying to parse it. Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life. | |||
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Hmmmm.... redolent of "Odour of Chrysanthemums." by D.H. Lawrence. If one expires in a crash, aren't mums crash blossoms? | |||
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Of course, arnie. Now it makes total sense; last night it didn't. I must have been tired. | |||
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