Further to the ongoing story of the Dark Lord of Yellow Journalism (Rupert Murdoch, in case you’re in some sort of paperless, broadcast-free Internet void), we have something positive that has emerged, a new phrase to seize upon and use on every conceivable occasion: “reverse ferret!”
The Christian Science Monitor reports that Kelvin Mackenzie, while editor of The Sun (a News Corp rag most famous for photos of bare-breasted women on Page 3 of every issue), goaded his reporters to “put a ferret up the trousers” of personages of high station—meaning, take actions that caused the sort of consternation you might experience were a small, long, wiggly weasel turned loose in your knickers. You know what I mean.
Once the target started sputtering and doing that ferrety dance, then there was well and truly something to report.
However, Mackenzie was apparently sensitive to the reactions of the tab’s audience. Whenever the ferret-induced story caused a ruction amongst the readers (or threatened to land the paper in court), he would order reporters to “reverse ferret”.
As the Monitor reports, this was “a signal to his furry troops to exit the victim’s pants-leg, post-haste.”
Okay, you just can’t make this stuff up. But you certainly can exploit the hell out of it. So I fully intend to find ways to insert the phrase “reverse ferret” into every conversation I can.
Join the revolution, folks. Weasels of the world unite! Charge the chinos!
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