What would you do with “cod digits”? Can you identify a “monochrome mammal”? And what on earth is an “unfortunate ungulate”? They are all attempts by journalists – either elegant or absurd, depending on your outlook – to avoid repeating a noun already featured in an article. In the cases above, they are genuine journalistic attempts to describe fish fingers, a panda and a sheep stuck in a car.
Spotting examples of eye-catching “second mentions” became a hobby for couple Juliet and Matthew Maguire. They began collecting examples after Juliet encountered them during her journalism training. Their interest grew into a social media account, which became a lively exchange of the distinctive descriptors.
