Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-09-14
NEWSPAPER SLANG.
Tho Technical Phrases Used In the tiIJ
Newspaper Oflces.


Newspaper onlcos.
The extraordinary growth in the prc2
of this country has naturally brought in
with 1t multitude of new words to ex-
press its varying phases. Below vii,
be found number, many of which have
never been placed in type before for the
general reader. The advertising man
is in many Offices the mainstay Of the
proprietor, and if successful, frequently
is in reality the master. His businessis Is
the selecting of advertisements. Blessed
is that journal which has Il good agent,
and miserable is the proprietor who is
cursed with poor one. "A man on it
is the phrase a city editor or managing
editor uses when his attention is called tC
something about TO happen, or which
has happened, and his answer indicates
that reporter has been detailed to at.
tend to it, There is 10 wrong in using
tbs about a woman. Associated
press" is the combinat on of daily pa.
pers in the cities, by which the news
from other cities is collected and dis.
tr.butcd in common. Tho amusement
man" attends to the thcaters and other
shows, writing the notices and keeping
track Of actors and managers. He il
sometimes the theatrical critic" but
the latter generally holds himself alooi
from the former when the paper is large
enough TO employ both. The most in
tercsting question to the editor in the
morning is to know whether his con-
temporaries have any news that he did
not succeed in obtaining He looks
pleased II they have not, but still more 80
II he has a "bcat." This is to publish
something that Is of Importance us
news, and which his noighberhood
missed. A scoop" is larger and more
important than a ''beat," but is of the
same nature. A A"business notice is an
advertisement in favored locality,
generally set in n different style from
other advertisements, and sometimes
put in so as TO look yery>much like
reading matter. SPECIAL notices" are
Ike business notices, in some nowspa.
pcrs one being regarded as better than
The other BLUE pencil" Is the pencil
used by the reviscr Of copy in cutting
down or altering the manuscript that
has come in. 1t is thus used bee use It's
mark is very conspicuous, but blue
pencil may be Of other colors, or even
be "A pen. To the wiCldcr of this instru-
mcnt of torture the cpithct of "blur
pencil iicnd.' is applied. Bourgeois
is the largest type used on daily papers
generally, Eight lines Of bourgeois
go TO an inch. "l3rcvicr" is tlic size
next smaller II is the editorial type
ON most large dailies, and the word is
consequently with them u synonym foi
cd torial lifHNer. Nine lines Of BREWER
90 TO an inch. big head" is a com
plant TO which n reporter suddenly adj
yanced to n higher position Is very likely
10 be subject. 1t destroys all peace and
harmony where il prevails. Reporters
and other subordinates are somo-
times attacked By tins disease.
"Blankct sheet is n term now rarely
used, but was formerly applied to large
newspapers in folio form. boil her
down means 10 condcnsc n statement
very much, To "bite it on" on the
contrary, is to stop where you are, only
finishing the sentence, When the copy.
reader, the city editor or the managing
editor cuts down or alters the copy OF
one of his subordinatcs, and the subor.
dinalc thinks it has been badly done, he
SAYS il has been "butchorod. To ''cuI
her down" is the same as to "boil hei
down" Tbs "city cd tor is very diff
fercnt from the person of the same
name in England. The ..city editor
Of the London Times is our Financial
edior,n The ''city editorN here is the
one who takes care Of all local matters
meetings, riots, courts. accidents, and,
in fact, every kind OF vicinity news is
within his bailiwick, and his position, IN
some respects. is the most imp )rtant on
the paper In small cities he il known
as the "local editor" but this term is
going out Of use. A correspondent
is one who regularly writes from
other places, and is distinguished from
contribute" or the man who sends
letter by this circumstance.
The clippings" man is the one
who reads the exchanges, and takes
from them what he cstcrms as
valuable for his own journal. "Clip.
pings" is also applied to tho scraps d
paper thus cut out, Contract" is the
blank upon which an agreement of the
advertising agent with his patron Is
written. Verbal orders are very rarely
received in large offices. Copy" is the
manuscript or reprint when ready fol
publication. The ''copy-reader" exam,
ines every page Of writing that goes
into the local department, to sec
whether it is ungrammatical or tautolog
ical, or has any other fault which ne.
cessitates change. II there is any de.
feet, he corrects it. He also condenSes
it, if needed, and frequently supple,
new heads. h must be carefully exam
ined to see whether II is libelous.
"eaptonN is the line which goes undcl
an engraving, and tells what it is.
''cut' is an engraving, and also means
that copy has been much shortened
Covering" is applied by a reporter tt
doing certain thing. II house bull
by Buddens!ek falls down the reporter
who is sent to see about it covers it. ,
So also the man who goes 70 a meeting
"covers it. ."-American Book1ndker.