English is not my first language, can this headline be read that the crime minister (which looks like a typo of prime minister ๐) hired / told someone to steal a bag? The first paragraph phrases it in a way that seems clearer to me "had her bag stolen" ("her" being the imortant part).
this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2024
28 points (100.0% liked)
Weird News - Things that make you go 'hmmm'
886 readers
243 users here now
Rules:
-
News must be from a reliable source. No tabloids or sensationalism, please.
-
Try to keep it safe for work. Contact a moderator before posting if you have any doubts.
-
Titles of articles must remain unchanged; however extraneous information like "Watch:" or "Look:" can be removed. Titles with trailing, non-relevant information can also be edited so long as the headline's intent remains intact.
-
Be nice. If you've got nothing positive to say, don't say it.
Violators will be banned at mod's discretion.
Communities We Like:
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
That's not how I first understood it, but I like your version better. Maybe she had it stolen as a demonstration of crime.
I agree, the headline is unclear. It should be "gets her bag stolen" or as you suggested, "had her bag stolen".
Better yet, the main object of this sentence, her bag, should be at the front of the headline. "Bag stolen from Britain's Crime Minister" is funnier (in my opinion), more concise, and eliminates the "where", which can be put in a byline/sub-headline, or just left in the article as a gem for the reader to find.
that or the minister has a bag, that was stolen from someone at a conference earlier.
That's English for you, it's often incredibly hard to express yourself without introducing ambiguity.
That's the reason "legalese" is a thing thing. When you really need to avoid ambiguous wording the language changes quite a bit.
Grammatically, introducing "her" doesn't reduce the ambiguity.
The sentence still could refer to her ordering someone to steal her handbag. E.g. "the crime minister had her partner killed" will almost always refer to a murder for hire.
"The crime minister's bag was stolen" is less ambiguous. But it's English, everything is going to be a bit vague.