What do Boris Johnson, Marmite and snakes have in common? They are all first mentions that have wacky and wonderful second mentions. See if you can match them up!
The beloved yeasty spread
The hissing reptiles
The clown prince of politics
From @SecondMentions, christened the best thing on social media by The Times, comes a colourful collection of creative linguistic curiosities.
To avoid repetition, journalists often try to be inventive when referencing something for the second time in an article for example, Santa Claus might appear as the bearded present-bearer, while Jack Grealish might be dubbed the fop-haired footie pin-up. Once you see one, you start seeing them everywhere
and it becomes addictive.
For more than ten years, Juliet and Matthew Maguire have been collecting their favourites on social media. @SecondMentions has become a hub for journalists, linguaphiles and anyone looking for some light-hearted relief while wading through the news.
Bringing together the best and brightest second mentions for animals, actors, food, sports and more, The Little Book of Second Mentions is the perfect read for anyone with a passion for the power of the English language.
