Definition:
(Ben Zimmer, "Crash Blossoms." The New York Times Magazine, Jan. 31, 2010)
An ambiguous headline: a line of text in large type (usually in a newspaper or magazine) that conveys (often unintentionally) more than one meaning. Also known as a two-faced head.
See also:
Etymology:
"Last August [2009], . . . in the Testy Copy Editors online discussion forum, . . . Mike O’Connell, an American editor based in Sapporo, Japan, spotted the headline 'Violinist Linked to JAL Crash Blossoms' and wondered, 'What’s a crash blossom?' (The article, from the newspaper Japan Today, described the successful musical career of Diana Yukawa, whose father died in a 1985 Japan Airlines plane crash.) Another participant in the forum, Dan Bloom, suggested that 'crash blossoms' could be used as a label for such infelicitous headlines that encourage alternate readings, and news of the neologism quickly spread."(Ben Zimmer, "Crash Blossoms." The New York Times Magazine, Jan. 31, 2010)
Examples and Observations:
- "Kids Make Nutritious Snacks"
"Miners Refuse to Work After Death"
"Teacher Strikes Idle Kids"
"US President Wins on Budget, but More Lies Ahead"
"Stolen Painting Found by Tree"
"Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge"
"Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half"
"Include Your Children When Baking Cookies"
(cited by Paul Sanderson in Using Newspapers in the Classroom. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1999) - "Doctor Testifies in Horse Suit"
"Stud Tires Out"
"American Ships Head to Libya"
"Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax"
"Gadhafi Forces Barrel Into Main Rebel Base"
"Sting Proves Bing Copied Search Results"
- "The ambiguity of our language provides one of the biggest traps, such as the 'two-faced head': 'Mayor Gets Girl's Calf' . . . 'Alabama Bars Financing Gay Groups' . . . 'Man Freed in Businessman's Suit' . . .."
(J. M. Hamilton and G. A. Krimsky, Hold the Press: The Inside Story on Newspapers. LSU Press, 1997)
Also Known As: two-faced head
