A dictionary that can provide a translation to those words you only ever see in newspapers.
TOT: child aged anywhere between six months and three years.
As in: ?Tot?s autopsy photos stir courtroom emotions? - the Philadelphia Star, January 25.
As it is never said in real life: ?What a nice tot you have?; ?How old is your tot now??
SLAMMED: criticised.
As in: ?Celtic boss Gordon Strachan has slammed the fees paid by English clubs for average players and claims it is spoiling the market.? ? Clubcall, January 22.
As it is never said in real life: ?That?s a terrible decision. I slam it.?
ACE: footballer, especially a forward.
As in: ?Tottenham ace set for Parkhead?? ? FansFC.com, January 24.
As it is never said in real life: ?Newcastle could do with a new ace if we?re going to avoid relegation.?
STOPPER: footballer, especially a defender or a goalkeeper.
As in: ?Another goalkeeper who could be on the move is Aston Villa stopper Thomas Sorensen. He is wanted by ambitious QPR after they ditched plans to sign Stefan Postma ? another former Villa stopper.? ? Metro, January 24.
As it would never be said in real life: ?I hear Newcastle are buying a new stopper from Red Star Belgrade.?
QUIZZED: asked some questions.
As in: ?Man quizzed by murder detectives.? BBC Online, January 2.
As it would never be said in real life: ?Sorry I?m late, dear ? I was being quizzed by my boss over that report I wrote.?
BUNGLE: make a mistake, especially of a council officer.
As in: ?Our taxes must not be wasted on exorbitant legal fees to put right yet another bureaucratic bungle.? ? Yorkshire Evening Post editorial, January 4.
As it would never be said in real life: "Oops. That's a bit of a bungle."
CAGED: put in jail.
As in: ?A teenager has been caged for 16 months after battering a man in a drugs row.? ? Greenock Telegraph, January 24.
As it would never be said in real life: ?I hear that bloke from across the street has been caged for not paying his taxes.?
REVELLERS: people who are having a drink in a pub/nightclub.
As in: ?A crime busting campaign that included giving condoms to Christmas revellers cut crime by 16%.?
As it would never be said in real life: ?Blimey, it?s a bit packed in here. Shall we go somewhere where there are fewer revellers??
BOFFINS: someone who works in a university (or is just a bit brainy).
As in: ?Drinking beetroot juice can help lower blood pressure, say boffins at St Bart?s Hospital in London.? ? The Sun, February 6.
As it would never be said in real life: ?The boffin has given me a terrible mark for my essay.?
SWINGEING (as used to described cuts): large.
As in: ?Will Salmond's £70million bribe to local government be enough to stave off swingeing cuts?? - Daily Record, February 22.
As it would never be said in real life: ?You?ve lost a swingeing amount of weight. Are you on a diet??
LAMBAST: criticise.
As in: ?Is Ferguson right to lambast football agents or are they simply doing their job? ? BBC Online, February 22.
As it would never be said in real life: ?I lambast you for that terrible decision.?
SOURCE: person who?s told a journalist something and we want to make sound mysterious.
As in: ?The Arizona Diamondbacks have reached an agreement on a minor league contract with veteran outfielder Trot Nixon, according to a baseball source.? ? ESPN, February 21.
As it would never be said in real life: ?Who told you that?? ?Oh, a source.?
BRAVE: someone with a disease.
As in: ?Councillor loses brave cancer battle.? ? East Anglian Daily Times, February 7.
As it would never be said in real life: ?My brave boyfriend?s battling a cold today.?
FRACAS: a fight.
As in: ?Three men were arrested last week after a fracas that resulted in a police officer being arrested.? ? Foster?s Daily Democrat, February 21.
As it would never be said in real life: ?Look over there ? there?s a fracas.?
COFFERS: bank account.
As in: ?The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show tax receipts were brimming over at the public coffers in January.? ? Accountancy Age, February 19.
As it would never be said in real life: ?I?m going to pay that cheque into my coffers.?
FURY: mild annoyance (which a journalist has to flam up to get his story onto the front page).
As in: ?Six post office branches will be closed in Waltham Forest under plans announced this week, to the fury of customers and staff.? ? This is London, February 19.
As it would never be said in real life: "The corner shop has sold out of Mars bars. I react with fury."
Topic: A guide to words used regularly in journalism that no one ever says in real life (Read 631 times)