Crash Blossom

[bibliolept]

Term: Crash Blossom


Your definition or explanation: A headline that has been edited so severely that it can be understood in multiple ways, leading to some humorous or puzzling meanings.


Example:
Reading AP headlines will make one wonder if some crash blossoms aren't actually purposefully perpetrated.


One or more places you have seen the term:

One of my favorite crash blossoms is this gem from the Associated Press, first noted by the Yale linguistics professor Stephen R. Anderson last September: “McDonald’s Fries the Holy Grail for Potato Farmers.”

Ben Zimmer, "Crash Blossoms," On Language Column, , The New York Times January 27, 2010


Have you looked for this term or meaning in dictionaries, and not found it? YesExamples listed in the article include:

• “Violinist Linked to JAL Crash Blossoms” - An article about a relative of a victim of the crush succeeding as a musician, this title is the origin of the phrase.
• “British Left Waffles on Falklands”
• “Giant Waves Down Queen Mary’s Funnel”
• “MacArthur Flies Back to Front”
• “Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim”
• “Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge"

One mention of crash blossoms in the Language Log blog cites this example: "White House Says Bears Part of Blame for Senate Loss"

 

[Cagey]

Here is the title of the January 3, 2010 column of headsup: the blog, whose specialty is commenting on heds (headlines):

Crash blossoms: Care and feeding

[The example discussed is 2009 Homicides, the headline of a story that appeared in the Chicago Tribune early in January]​

"Crash blossom" is discussed as a neologism in Testycopyeditors.org on Aug. 18, 2009. The discussion begins with the headline bibliolept cites in his post “Violinist Linked to JAL Crash Blossoms”.

Edit: Deletion.