Ambiguity

[David Kleinecke]

The caption writer on the Lost Coast Outlook hit it big
this morning:

Humboldt District Attorney's Office Seeking Two Women
with Outstanding Warrants

[Mark Brader]

Post by David Kleinecke
The caption writer on the Lost Coast Outlook hit it big
Humboldt District Attorney's Office Seeking Two Women
with Outstanding Warrants

I think you're making a distinction without a difference. The DA's
office has physical possession of the warrants, so they are "with"
the warrants in one sense; but if a warrant exists to arrest someone,
the person is described as a person "with a warrant (on them)", so
"with" also works in that reading.

[Garrett Wollman]

Post by Mark Brader

Post by David Kleinecke
The caption writer on the Lost Coast Outlook hit it big
Humboldt District Attorney's Office Seeking Two Women
with Outstanding Warrants

I think you're making a distinction without a difference. The DA's
office has physical possession of the warrants, so they are "with"
the warrants in one sense; but if a warrant exists to arrest someone,
the person is described as a person "with a warrant (on them)", so
"with" also works in that reading.

In old-style Headlinese, where space is at a premium, you might have
seen instead:

HED: Women Sought by Humboldt DA
DEK: Warrants outstanding for both on charges of [crime]

But that style of headline is "not SEO-friendly" as they say, so
nowadays headlines are less compressed.

-GAWollman

[Quinn C]

Post by Mark Brader

Post by David Kleinecke
The caption writer on the Lost Coast Outlook hit it big
Humboldt District Attorney's Office Seeking Two Women
with Outstanding Warrants

I think you're making a distinction without a difference. The DA's
office has physical possession of the warrants, so they are "with"
the warrants in one sense; but if a warrant exists to arrest someone,
the person is described as a person "with a warrant (on them)", so
"with" also works in that reading.

The two readings I see are that
- they are looking for two specific women
- any two women with outstanding warrants will do

It being the DA in practice disambiguates for the former. If it was an
investigative journalist's request, both make sense.

[David Kleinecke]

Post by Quinn C

Post by Mark Brader

Post by David Kleinecke
The caption writer on the Lost Coast Outlook hit it big
Humboldt District Attorney's Office Seeking Two Women
with Outstanding Warrants

I think you're making a distinction without a difference. The DA's
office has physical possession of the warrants, so they are "with"
the warrants in one sense; but if a warrant exists to arrest someone,
the person is described as a person "with a warrant (on them)", so
"with" also works in that reading.

The two readings I see are that
- they are looking for two specific women
- any two women with outstanding warrants will do
It being the DA in practice disambiguates for the former. If it was an
investigative journalist's request, both make sense.

Perhaps a man must have a dirty mind to imagine "warrant"
is a euphemism.

PS: A hit-amd-run and a thief.

[Mark Brader]

Post by Quinn C
The two readings I see are that
- they are looking for two specific women
- any two women with outstanding warrants will do

Ah, good point.

[Paul Wolff]

Post by David Kleinecke
The caption writer on the Lost Coast Outlook hit it big
Humboldt District Attorney's Office Seeking Two Women
with Outstanding Warrants

A Financial Times article headline yesterday:
"Big Four paid millions to advise Brussels on tax policy"

"Big four" are the largest accountancy firms, "Brussels" is the European
Commission. I couldn't see why the accountants would pay millions to
advise the Commission on tax policy, until I linked to the body of the
article and read the awful truth.

[Peter T. Daniels]

Post by Paul Wolff
"Big Four paid millions to advise Brussels on tax policy"
"Big four" are the largest accountancy firms, "Brussels" is the European
Commission. I couldn't see why the accountants would pay millions to
advise the Commission on tax policy, until I linked to the body of the
article and read the awful truth.

Passives Often Found In Headlines

[Paul Wolff]

Post by Peter T. Daniels

Post by Paul Wolff
"Big Four paid millions to advise Brussels on tax policy"
"Big four" are the largest accountancy firms, "Brussels" is the European
Commission. I couldn't see why the accountants would pay millions to
advise the Commission on tax policy, until I linked to the body of the
article and read the awful truth.

Passives Often Found In Headlines

But they aren't the first choice of a reader.

[Quinn C]

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