The Little Book of Second Mentions

To avoid repetition, journalists often try to be creative when referencing something for the second time in a news article - for example, Boris Johnson at the first mention could become 'the blond buffoon' at the second mention, while Donald Trump could become 'the bloviating billionaire'. Once you see one, you start seeing them everywhere - and it becomes addictive. This grammatical tool, christened 'elegant variation', is used by journalists trying to avoid making their articles boring through repetition, but its use is not an exact science and the results can sometimes be hilarious. Every day, the Second Mentions team is sent examples of these, spotted by journalists who are keen to point out shining examples used by their fellow writers, and non-journalists who enjoy the simple pleasure of happening upon these 'second mentions' while reading news articles. Presented here are some of those examples.