Another headline

Another fine headline, perhaps from the 1950s. Such is its linguistic creativity that I’ll settle here for the language of the day, rather than trying to rephrase the story in PC-speak:

A patient escaped from a loony bin, burst into a launderette, and molested two staff before running off.  The headline ran:

Nut screws washers and bolts

Linguistically an even more perfect version manages to award the first word a plural too:

A rich family named Nuts owned a chain of laundromats [cf. the old “lavatory chain” line]. Having exploited their workers for years they finally absconded. Hence

Nuts screws washers and bolts

For more, do consult my roundup of the headlines tag.

3 thoughts on “Another headline

  1. Pingback: A new headline | Stephen Jones: a blog

  2. Pingback: Headline punning | Stephen Jones: a blog

  3. Pingback: More fantasy headlines | Stephen Jones: a blog

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