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What would you do with “cod digits”? Can you identify a “monochrome mammal”? And what on earth is an “unfortunate ungulate”? They are all attempts by journalists – either elegant or absurd, depending on your outlook – to avoid repeating a noun already featured in an article. In the cases above, they are genuine journalistic attempts to describe fish fingers, a panda and a sheep stuck in a car.
Spotting examples of eye-catching “second mentions” became a hobby for couple Juliet and Matthew Maguire. They began collecting examples after Juliet encountered them during her journalism training. Their interest grew into a social media account, which became a lively exchange of the distinctive descriptors.
They have now compiled their favourite examples into a book – The Little Book of Second Mentions – which also examines their history, structure and mixed reputation.
“It turned out there are a lot of like minded people who also enjoy seeing them,” said Juliet. “Sometimes journalists get in touch and say: ‘I’m writing a story about penguins and I can’t think of a second mention. Can anybody help?’ We get requests.”
The married monographers say the art can arguably be traced back to Homer, who specialised in giving new nomenclature to his characters. Thus, Odysseus became “the great tactician” and Athena “the bright-eyed goddess”.
Whether or not reporters were actually drawing on the Odyssey, the use of linguistic variations has been a regular feature in British newsrooms, where they are also known as “nobbly monsters”. The name supposedly originates from a journalist at The Sun newspaper tasked with writing up a crocodile attack.
At the Guardian, sub-editors sometimes refer to them as “povs” – a reference to “popular orange vegetables”, more commonly known as carrots.
While amusing some readers and irritating others, Matthew said appropriate second mentions could enhance writing. “They can allude to the mood of an article,” he said. “When Justin Timberlake was arrested recently [after driving through a stop sign], his second mention was ‘the Cry Me A River singer’. It just fits the nature of the article perfectly.”
The Maguires suspect some more outlandish examples were inserted by journalists simply hoping to enjoy a frisson of subversive joy in seeing their synonym of choice appear in print.
They say animals often make for the best material. Beavers are dubbed “dam-building rodents”. Zebras have even become “striped equids”.
The pair said pigs, pandas, giraffes and hedgehogs seem particularly prone to new descriptions. However, they were once disappointed to find an article that used the word “hedgehog” 27 times, without any mention of a “prickly animal”.
Food also features heavily. Bananas have been renamed as “the energy-rich treat” – awkward, but preferable to salmon once being described as “the pink-fleshed crowd pleaser”.
While the traditional tabloids may have been the main purveyors of the endearing epithets, second mentions are documented everywhere in the media. The Financial Times has described noodles as “the rapid foodstuff”, while pork pies have been referred to in the Telegraph as the “iconic meat and hot water crust pastry combo”.
Over years of searching, the Maguires have acquired their own favourites. “If I ever see a fatter animal called a porker – particularly pigs – I just love it,” said Matthew. “The ‘errant porker’, ‘the runaway porker’, ‘the mischievous porker’ – anything porker related will get a laugh from me.”
Juliet prefers those that elevate mundane items, such as rebranding a scotch egg a “porcine poultry hybrid”. “It sounds very grand for something that’s very simple and every day,” she said.
Opinion has always been split over whether second mentions enhance the reading experience or simply amount to lazy journalism, with writers lapsing into absurd phrases no one would ever use in everyday life. It was certainly frowned upon by HW and FG Fowler in their 1906 book The King’s English, who warned some variations “are not justified by expediency, and have consequently the air of cheap ornament”.
While Juliet said it is a fine balance, she said the originality behind the mischievous missives should be applauded. “We see our book as more of a celebration of creativity,” she said. “There are people who might frown upon it, but we only see the joy.
“The news is quite a serious place at the moment. So if this brings just a bit of levity and fun into people’s lives, then that’s what we’re aiming for.”
