Proof, yet again, that that the well-honed craft of the ingenious subeditor is alive and well, and following in the fine tradition of fortuitous circumstances which conspire to make a headline-writer’s day (as discussed at some length in these pages, last year) m’colleague (and new desk neighbour) Neil pointed me in the direction of an odd story about a recent contest in South Korea to determine the fastest crossing by a high-wire walker, unsupported, over a famous wide river.
The headline?
Skywalkers in Korea cross Han solo
But of course.
Beautiful. I might be sick if I read one more article about Milene Klass with the headline Top Of The Klass or Klass Act or Upper Klass.
God, it would be so much better without the ‘in korea’. Booooo.
Genius. I would never have the creativity to come up with a headline like that.
Incidentally, I still think the best thing The Sun has ever done has been reporting on the Caledonian Thistle shock defeat of a lackluster Celtic side in the Scottish FA Cup. The headline
“SUPER CALEY GO BALLISTIC CELTIC ARE ATROCIOUS”
One of the ones my father used to dream of (he’s sad that way) would be an escaped lunatic to rape someone in a laundrette before running away.
He always said he’d have to title it
“Nut Screws Washers and Bolts”
Although he did manage to get a story headlined “Where have all the pansies gone” back in the sixties/seventies, which was then quoted in several of the punny headline compilation books.
I’m sorry, I still like the fake one in Private Eye years ago about the Essex librarian’s strike.
Book lack in Ongar.
It works on so many levels! OK, so just the once. But still funny!
From today’s BBC News website, on Sheryl Crow adopting a newborn baby:
“All I wanna do is be your mum”
Oh, and can we do clever shop names next week?
I’ll start things off with a Portsmouth-based central heating company:
“Napoleon Boiler Parts”
Checking the comments on this thread, and the previous one (jesus, how much time did bruv have on his hands?), I can’t believe that no-one has gone for the fantastic “Young Boys Wankdorf Erection Relief”:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=337901&cc=5739
Every time I mention this to someone and look for the URL, i can’t believe that ESPN haven’t realised and taken it down. Some Sub-ed punched the sky and left work early for a celebratory pint after that one…
I remember one from The Sun many years ago which wasn’t funny or clever - it just struck me as being oddly poetic in its economy. On reporting the failure of Lord Longford’s attempt to have Myra Hindley granted a parole hearing, it simply read:
Free
Myra
Plea
Flops