What’s in a name.
How many syllables, Dear Reader, are there in “car”?
Yup, that’s right. One.
So how many syllables are there in “C”?
No, you’re quite right – it’s also one.
So you would think there would be little point in replacing the word “Car” with “C”, would you? It’s not an improvement in terms of efficiency of language – if anything the opposite is true.
So, you can image my confusion this morning when someone on Radio 4 was referring to a “car bomb” as a “C-bomb”. Why would they want to do that, I wonder?
Because, Dear Reader, “C Bomb” sounds a bit like “A bomb” or “H bomb”, and as a result sounds scarier. And as we all know, it’s the job of the British media to frighten their audiences. Responsible journalism be damned – all they want is sensationalism, frightening content, and hyperbole. And if the news doesn’t exist, make it up.
It’s interesting that Messers Ross and Brand got themselves all over the news in the same week their new books were released.
December 4, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I thought the “C bomb” referred to a specific term describing the intimate feminine area. Similarly usage of the “N bomb” in close proximity to a burly gentleman of African extraction would almost certainly result in your being soundly beaten.
The more I think about it the thought of some hitherto unknown terrorist element detonating a massive c__t in a built-up area is quite alarming.