05-07-2013, 11:26 AM
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This morning, I went to my favorite source for international news - The Drudgereport - http://www.drudgereport.com - I found a story there that had this headline: Israel tries to tamp down Syrian anger after killing dozens of its elite soldiers
This thread may seem silly to you - like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill and I would have to agree with that. I'm just curious as to why this reporter (Arthur Bright) would use such an obscure word ("tamp") when he could have easily written that headline with a more common word. I'd like to ask if any of you have some idea why he would choose to do that?
I'm posting this thread not because I want to discuss this story. But because I am puzzled by his choice of the word "tamp". I had never heard of that word before and I like to learn new words by looking them up in the dictionary. So I looked it up here - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tamp?s=t
tamp - verb (used with object)
1. to force in or down by repeated, rather light, strokes: He tamped the tobacco in his pipe.
2. (in blasting) to fill (a drilled hole) with earth or the like after the charge has been inserted.
World English Dictionary
1. to force or pack down firmly by repeated blows
2. to pack sand, earth, etc into (a drill hole) over an explosive
I'm curious how many of you have ever heard of this word. It bothers me that the writer of this story would choose to use such an obscure word instead of, writing his headline using more common words. Would any of you have a guess why he would use such an obscure word? I think it forces people who want to know its meaning to take the time and trouble to look it up when the reporter could have easily used some more common word instead. I'm sorry if this seems to be a waste of your time. But I'd really like to understand why he would choose to use such a strange word and I'd like to know if you all would prefer reporters use more common language instead of such obscure words.
This morning, I went to my favorite source for international news - The Drudgereport - http://www.drudgereport.com - I found a story there that had this headline: Israel tries to tamp down Syrian anger after killing dozens of its elite soldiers
This thread may seem silly to you - like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill and I would have to agree with that. I'm just curious as to why this reporter (Arthur Bright) would use such an obscure word ("tamp") when he could have easily written that headline with a more common word. I'd like to ask if any of you have some idea why he would choose to do that?
I'm posting this thread not because I want to discuss this story. But because I am puzzled by his choice of the word "tamp". I had never heard of that word before and I like to learn new words by looking them up in the dictionary. So I looked it up here - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tamp?s=t
tamp - verb (used with object)
1. to force in or down by repeated, rather light, strokes: He tamped the tobacco in his pipe.
2. (in blasting) to fill (a drilled hole) with earth or the like after the charge has been inserted.
World English Dictionary
1. to force or pack down firmly by repeated blows
2. to pack sand, earth, etc into (a drill hole) over an explosive
I'm curious how many of you have ever heard of this word. It bothers me that the writer of this story would choose to use such an obscure word instead of, writing his headline using more common words. Would any of you have a guess why he would use such an obscure word? I think it forces people who want to know its meaning to take the time and trouble to look it up when the reporter could have easily used some more common word instead. I'm sorry if this seems to be a waste of your time. But I'd really like to understand why he would choose to use such a strange word and I'd like to know if you all would prefer reporters use more common language instead of such obscure words.
(This post was last modified: 05-07-2013, 12:01 PM by AliShibaz.)