PURPLE PROSE ALERT #4

Code Purple: We interrupt the holiday to bring you another alert. Some writers use extra
words, high-flown language or roundabout expressions for comic effect, i.e., “the car
window shattered” vs. “the car window distributed itself over the front seat.” This morning,
however, William Safire writes that his “mental tintinnabulation
was exacerbated by the roar of unwelcome laudatory correspondence.” Come again? Presumably,
he’s writing tongue in cheek. But his equally unfunny lede — “A psychopolitical challenge voters
will face in the coming year is how to deal with cognitive dissonance” — makes it hard to tell.

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