Oh my god!

The February issue of Smithsonian magazine includes an article, at the top of the website, described as follow:

In an inspiring response to World War I's merciless trench warfare, a few sculptors and artists rose to the challenge of creating lifelike masks for gravely wounded soldiers.

The summary at the top of the story reads, "Amid the horrors of World War I, a corps of artists brought hope to soldiers disfigured in the trenches." [It is talking about terrible facial disfigurement.] The story begins:

Wounded tommies facetiously called it "The Tin Noses Shop." Located within the 3rd London General Hospital, its proper name was the "Masks for Facial Disfigurement Department" ...

facetiously???!

I imagine the writer chose that word purposely, chuckling all the way.

I'm inclined to agree with Kalleh. Whoever writes headlines is usually desparate for some way to make their point - and cause anguish!

Bob

But facetiously appears in the first sentence in the story, not the headline. What I find humorous is the word rhinoplasty; it just sounds and looks funny.

You're right, zmj. I have always found rhinoplasty to be a strange word because I think of a rhinoceros, and they have that long, ugly, pointed nose. Since "plasty" means to "mold or form surgically," rhinoplasty theoretically could mean to mold the nose surgically to emulate the nose of the rhinoceros.