Unfortunate Metaphor
Reporting on a Hillary speech in Reason, David Weigel writes “she continues elucidating her non-position on the war, almost feeding off the angry rump of activists”. A political journalist should never ever use “rump” (“angry” or otherwise) as the direct object of “feeding off”. Too many readers will find their thoughts led down paths they do not wish to travel. At best, they will be reminded of restaurants like this one, where customers eat sushi served on naked women (though not on their rumps, to judge by the picture — possibly NSFW). At worst, they may be given an unwanted image of a cannibal Hillary leaping into the audience to feed on an activist’s plump rump like a lion in a herd of zebras. Perhaps I’m verbally oversensitive, but I’m sure I’m not the only one. (þ John Podhoretz in The Corner)