shoots self

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Jouni Filip Maho - 09 Jan 2004 15:20 GMT

Headline from CNN today:

"Girls safe as kidnap suspect shoots self"

Is "shoots self" acceptable English, a mistake or headline-English?

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jouni maho

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Sebastian Hew - 09 Jan 2004 15:22 GMT

> "Girls safe as kidnap suspect shoots self"
>
> Is "shoots self" acceptable English, a mistake or headline-English?

Headline-English, like 'girls safe'. Ordinarily, 'himself' would be
required.

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Mark Brader - 09 Jan 2004 15:23 GMT

CNN:

>> "Girls safe as kidnap suspect shoots self"

Jouni Maho:

> Is "shoots self" acceptable English, a mistake or headline-English?

Headline English. In standard English it'd be "shoots himself" or "shoots
herself", as applicable, and "as" would probably be "after".

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Mark Brader "Look, sir, we can't just do nothing."
Toronto "Why not? It's usually best."
msb@vex.net -- Lawrence of Arabia

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Michael J Hardy - 10 Jan 2004 01:01 GMT

> Headline from CNN today:
>
> "Girls safe as kidnap suspect shoots self"
>
> Is "shoots self" acceptable English, a mistake or headline-English?

Seems like journalese to me; used only in newspaper
headlines because those must be very terse. -- Mike Hardy

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Skitt - 10 Jan 2004 01:18 GMT

>> Headline from CNN today:
>>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Seems like journalese to me; used only in newspaper
> headlines because those must be very terse. -- Mike Hardy

MWCD10:
Main Entry: 1self
Pronunciation: 'self, Southern also 'sef
Function: pronoun
Etymology: Middle English (intensive pronoun), from Old English; akin to Old
High German selb, intensive pronoun, and probably to Latin suus one's own --
more at SUICIDE
Date: before 12th century

: MYSELF, HIMSELF, HERSELF <check payable to self>

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Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2004

shoots self