Confusing headlines

[alice]

Is this a garden path, or a perfectly regular English expression that I just haven't heard about yet?

From the Irish Times:

Car hits pedestrians in Foxrock after mounting footpath

So the car tried to have sex with a footpath?

No, it’s a perfectly normal expression. A vehicle is said to ‘mount’ a footpath or the curb if its wheels go up over the edge of the road.

(More generally, I’d say that the sexual use of ‘mount’ is actually fairly rare. Most of the time it’s just an ordinary verb.)

One thing that comes to mind is mounting a filesystem.

Where I come from you can also mount ladders, horses, and aerials (on something else), with no sexual connotations at all. Unless you have a dirty mind or some particularly weird kinks.

[bradrn]

No, it’s a perfectly normal expression. A vehicle is said to ‘mount’ a footpath or the curb if its wheels go up over the edge of the road.

(More generally, I’d say that the sexual use of ‘mount’ is actually fairly rare. Most of the time it’s just an ordinary verb.)

One thing that comes to mind is mounting a filesystem.

Where I come from you can also mount ladders, horses, and aerials (on something else), with no sexual connotations at all. Unless you have a dirty mind or some particularly weird kinks.

You forgot pictures (on walls). And other things too, I’m sure.

[Man in Space]

One thing that comes to mind is mounting a filesystem.

Where I come from you can also mount ladders, horses, and aerials (on something else), with no sexual connotations at all. Unless you have a dirty mind or some particularly weird kinks.

You forgot pictures (on walls). And other things too, I’m sure.

Mounting a challenge, mounting an expedition, mounting an assault, mounting and balancing tires, mounting the TV above the fireplace…

[Travis B.]

mounting the TV above the fireplace…

Talk about weird kinks...

[alice]

One thing that comes to mind is mounting a filesystem.

Where I come from you can also mount ladders, horses, and aerials (on something else), with no sexual connotations at all. Unless you have a dirty mind or some particularly weird kinks.

You forgot pictures (on walls). And other things too, I’m sure.

Well, I wasn't trying to be comprehensive, or I'd have mentioned stairs and staircases as well.

[Raphael]

Content Warning: Sexualized Violence

This isn't really on topic here, because it's not so much confusing or a garden path, and more a "What on Earth were they thinking when they wrote that?"-thing.

From the Irish Times:

Teacher’s conviction for raping a family member affects his fitness to teach, panel hears

No shit?!?

[bradrn]

Driving test touts offer instructors £250 monthly kickbacks

[Ares Land]

Driving test touts offer instructors £250 monthly kickbacks

That's a good one! It took me a while to figure out.

[bradrn]

Driving test touts offer instructors £250 monthly kickbacks

That's a good one! It took me a while to figure out.

Yep, me too — I had to look ‘tout’ up in the dictionary to learn that it could be a noun. (I’ve only ever seen it used as a verb before.0

[Man in Space]

Are you pulling our legs or not?

I believe there are outside forces acting on our legs.

In just two months I will have ample chance to confirm…

Did you ever figure this out?

[bradrn]

I believe there are outside forces acting on our legs.

In just two months I will have ample chance to confirm…

Did you ever figure this out?

Nope, haven’t visited the University of Edinburgh. (Yet…)

[Travis B.]

One thing from the prior discussion I just noticed is that some of the aforementioned uses of mount just do not work for me. To me mount implies mounting something on something. In my idiolect one climbs rather than mounts things like ladders and stairs. I do recognize that these usages of mount are current in other English varieties though. (There are some exceptions for me though, as for me one mounts a horse.)

[bradrn]

One thing from the prior discussion I just noticed is that some of the aforementioned uses of mount just do not work for me. To me mount implies mounting something on something. In my idiolect one climbs rather than mounts things like ladders and stairs. I do recognize that these usages of mount are current in other English varieties though. (There are some exceptions for me though, as for me one mounts a horse.)

I essentially agree with this assessment.

[Richard W]

To me, mounting a ladder is the first step in climbing a ladder.

[Travis B.]

To me, mounting a ladder is the first step in climbing a ladder.

For that I would say climbing onto a ladder.

[Man in Space]

I would just say “get on the ladder”. I’d know what was meant if “mount” were used but it’s not the term I would typically use myself.

[Man in Space]

From WOIO Cleveland 19 News^1,2:

City of Akron reveal new city logo

I was taken aback for a second because I wanted to parse “reveal” as a noun. The pluralis majestatis verb agreement for a city is not customary here—I’d have expected “reveals”, and “reveal” sounds just wrong to me.

1. When did they drop the “Action” from their name?
2. And why am I just now noticing it?

[bradrn]

From WOIO Cleveland 19 News^1,2:

City of Akron reveal new city logo

I was taken aback for a second because I wanted to parse “reveal” as a noun. The pluralis majestatis verb agreement for a city is not customary here—I’d have expected “reveals”, and “reveal” sounds just wrong to me.

Huh, is it really that rare in US English? To me it’s perfectly normal.

(Also, I wouldn’t call it a pluralis majestatis — it’s simply that a city council is made up of multiple people. In UK English it’s standard for governments to take plural agreement; in Australian English either is possible.)

[Lērisama]

(Also, I wouldn’t call it a pluralis majestatis — it’s simply that a city council is made up of multiple people. In UK English it’s standard for governments to take plural agreement; in Australian English either is possible.)

I think in the UK it's that the government as a whole takes plural agreement (because important decisions are supposed to be taken by cabinet as a whole, and even if the PM takes them alone now, the rest of the government has to at least pretend to agree), while individual ministries take singular agreement (because the top minister is supposed to be in charge, even if they delegate some work to junior ministers)

[bradrn]

(Also, I wouldn’t call it a pluralis majestatis — it’s simply that a city council is made up of multiple people. In UK English it’s standard for governments to take plural agreement; in Australian English either is possible.)

I think in the UK it's that the government as a whole takes plural agreement (because important decisions are supposed to be taken by cabinet as a whole, and even if the PM takes them alone now, the rest of the government has to at least pretend to agree), while individual ministries take singular agreement (because the top minister is supposed to be in charge, even if they delegate some work to junior ministers)

Huh, interesting.