I know this is like shooting fish in a barrel, but here's today's annoying bureaucratic noun-noun compound (from the city of Palo Alto), which I noticed on El Camino Real while walking back to my office from lunch. It was affixed to several newsracks on the street:
NEWSRACK ORDINANCE COMPLIANCE VIOLATION WARNING AND FIXTURE IMPOUNDMENT NOTICE; CORRECTIVE ACTION REQUIRED
A second sheet, underneath, appeared to supply details.
But what does the top sheet say that couldn't be said by "This newsrack violates city ordinances and will be removed unless the violation is fixed"? (I'd prefer "... unless you fix things", but I'm willing to admit there might be legal issues with that one.) Surely this would be sufficiently stern and formal.
zwicky at-sign csli period stanford period edu
Posted by Arnold Zwicky at July 7, 2005 03:48 PM