As an anal-retentive, nit-picky person, I find all kinds of things to complain about. Today’s no exception.
Either the Washington Post is making a bid to create a modern newspaper filled with vernacular, or their editors need a bit of a refresher course. For the last few months, whenever they publish a story about a disaster, a terrorist attack, or anything else resulting in multiple deaths, they report it thusly:
Bombing in Baghdad Restaurant Kills Over 40
I’m not an English major, I don’t hold any college degrees, and I’m certainly not the world expert on grammar. But I do know that this is incorrect. Every time I read a headline in the Post, I envision bombs flying over the heads of 40 people.
Would someone tell the Post that the correct headline should be Bombing Kills MORE THAN 40?
I think what they were trying to say is that all those killed happened to be over-
1)40 years old.
2)40 inches tall.
Hmm. This gives me pause for thought when I see signs saying “You must be over this height to ride.”