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List of regular mini-sections in Private Eye

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The letters page usually features a submission comparing two famous individuals who look alike; frequently the two have an ironic connection too which is pointed out by the reader who submits the piece. The captions relating to the two individuals are invariably swapped around, implying that even the
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Subtitled "with meaningful and viable scenarios at this moment in time". Recording the nonsense rampant in "on the spot" interviews beginning in the 1970s, as television news coverage went live outside the studio, leading to unrehearsed speeches which naturally tended toward currently fashionable
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A collection of gaffes from radio and TV perpetrated by sports commentators and sportsmen, featuring inconsistencies, mixed metaphors, or otherwise ludicrous statements, such as "he's missed the goal by literally a million miles" or "if they played like this every week they wouldn't be so
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Quoting amusing misprints from newspapers or unintentionally funny examples of journalism, this section appears throughout the magazine. These often feature misprinted TV guides, such as a programme called "It Came from Outer Space" being illustrated by a picture of
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Highlighting the often unnecessary use by rolling news programmes of outside broadcasts, where reporters speak to camera simply as an alternative to broadcasting a studio-based commentary, even if they have no new insight to offer from the scene.
148:, who was particularly associated with that kind of language. Following his departure, extracts are almost always taken from BBC job adverts or press releases announcing senior BBC appointments. The column features an illustration of a 510: 430:
A sub-section of the letters page devoted to pedantic corrections of or additions to previous articles or readers' letters. Under its previous title, 'Pedants Corner', this included several letters on the use of the
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magazine cannot tell which individual is which. The sender often finishes with the phrase "might they perhaps be related?" and/or "I think we should be told." This feature was copied by the
342:"x is the new y", e.g. "Black is the new brown" or "Basel is the new St Tropez". Even after a recent trend for certain journalists to preface their remarks with "At the risk of appearing in 716: 258:
remarking that, "the shooting left a horrible atmosphere here for a while. It made you aware of all the terrible things that go on. But I don't think it has affected house prices."
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in "Pedants'", which has variously appeared as "Pedants", "Pedant's" or "Ped'ants Corner". It was renamed "Pedantry Corner" in 2008 following a reader’s suggestion.
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wine columnist, wrote to the magazine complaining that "every time I describe a wine as anything other than red or white, dry or wet, I wind up in
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Highlighting the behaviour of those who have allegedly been sycophantic to those in authority, particularly in media and politics, such as
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Bizarre, ignorant or otherwise humorous answers to questions given by contestants on British television and radio quiz shows, compiled by
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Comparing numerical figures relating to a current event with others that make the event seem comical, bizarre, irrelevant or despicable.
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and (b) that the magazine often hinted (correctly, as it turned out) that Maxwell was a crook, were taken as proof of defamatory intent.
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Pictures sent in by readers showing contradictory, ironic, amusing, scatological, or otherwise amusing images. For example, a temporary "
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quotations from the media. At various times different columnists have been frequent entrants, with varied reactions. In the 1970s,
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Pamela Vandyke Price: Wine expert whose acerbic writing scorned supermarket brands in favour of independent and traditional makers
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and other theatrical celebrities. The term "luvvie" pre-dates the magazine as a derogatory noun for pretentious, overblown,
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people of an artistic or dramatic bent. The column was briefly renamed Trevvies for several issues in the mid-1990s after
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by claiming to provide 'solutions' where a simpler phrasing would seem more appropriate, such as describing
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A column giving examples of especially convoluted and impenetrable jargon from the BBC. Named after former
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The following is a list of regularly appearing mini-sections appearing in the British satirical magazine
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A spot highlighting contradictions or hypocrisy in pairs of statements from individuals or newspapers.
540: 192: 824: 34: 800: 195:). Any other subject can be covered, as long as it is appropriately suffixed by -balls, such as 133:. These are mostly based on clippings from newspapers sent in by readers, often for a cash fee. 775: 640: 602: 592: 409: 703: 453: 254:
An occasional series devoted to unusual callousness in public, such as a former neighbour of
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clichés (for example, instead of "there is a siege", "we have an ongoing siege situation").
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described use of the term as offensive “as calling a black man a ‘nigger’”.
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speaking in the House of Commons. Frequent inclusion in this section gave
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Reader-submitted feature listing humorously pretentious quotations from
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a reputation for common typographical errors, earning it the nickname
681: 497: 422:) declaring Rupert Murdoch "the world's greatest living journalist." 145: 121: 120:"Pseud" redirects here. For the shortened abbreviation "pseud.", see 339: 23: 470: 379:. The domains www.grauniad.com and www.grauniad.co.uk redirect to 295:
for printing a made-up letter 'lookaliking' him with one of the
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and specialised in quotes from British sports commentator
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Sir Trevor Nunn brings Gone with the Wind to the West End
311:"Luvvies" redirects here. For the spoof awards show, see 183:, but expanded to quotes from others, notably including 403: 48:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 191:), "Dianaballs" (unduly sentimental references to 175:inconsistent". This feature was originally called 469:Instances of companies adopting an unimaginative 811: 284:magazine in its "Separated at Birth?" section. 57:"List of regular mini-sections in Private Eye" 541: 781:List of winners of the Sir Hugh Casson Award 477:as "Christmas Ornament Storage Solutions". 548: 534: 108:Learn how and when to remove this message 225:and other countries are also featured. 812: 359: 338:Examples of journalists employing the 529: 394: 46:adding citations to reliable sources 17: 386: 356:, was quoted himself in one issue. 261: 163: 13: 425: 383:s website at www.theguardian.com. 333: 14: 841: 438: 404:Order Of The Brown Nose (O.B.N.) 136: 22: 555: 204: 33:needs additional citations for 504: 487: 249: 1: 480: 269: 240: 160:) as a "croak-voiced Dalek". 464: 7: 143:Director-General of the BBC 10: 846: 310: 306: 228: 167: 119: 794: 760: 725: 717:The New Coalition Academy 649: 621: 565: 193:Diana, Princess of Wales 830:Criticism of journalism 698:Prime Minister Parodies 412:, former editor of the 776:Coach and Horses, Soho 291:successfully sued the 733:Regular mini-sections 704:St Albion Parish News 443:Listing pretentious, 449:Pamela Vandyke Price 189:September 11 attacks 42:improve this article 751:Tired and emotional 445:pseudo-intellectual 360:Newspaper misprints 772:(1982, TV version) 738:Recurring in-jokes 663:Battle for Britain 573:Christopher Booker 519:, 18 February 2014 395:Ongoing situations 807: 806: 769:Anyone for Denis? 415:News of the World 287:On one occasion, 152:, a reference to 118: 117: 110: 92: 837: 641:Audio recordings 550: 543: 536: 527: 526: 520: 508: 502: 501:, April 13, 2008 491: 387:Number Crunching 352:, editor of the 262:Just Fancy That! 213:. Occasionally, 164:Commentatorballs 158:Marmaduke Hussey 113: 106: 102: 99: 93: 91: 50: 26: 18: 845: 844: 840: 839: 838: 836: 835: 834: 810: 809: 808: 803: 790: 786:Paul Foot Award 756: 744:Not Private Eye 721: 711:Teacher's Diary 645: 617: 583:Richard Ingrams 561: 554: 524: 523: 516:The Independent 509: 505: 492: 488: 483: 475:cardboard boxes 467: 441: 428: 426:Pedantry Corner 406: 397: 389: 362: 336: 334:The Neophiliacs 316: 309: 301:Richard Ingrams 272: 264: 252: 243: 235:Polling Station 231: 211:Marcus Berkmann 207: 172: 166: 139: 125: 114: 103: 97: 94: 51: 49: 39: 27: 12: 11: 5: 843: 833: 832: 827: 825:British humour 822: 805: 804: 795: 792: 791: 789: 788: 783: 778: 773: 764: 762: 758: 757: 755: 754: 747: 740: 735: 729: 727: 723: 722: 720: 719: 714: 707: 700: 695: 690: 685: 678: 671: 666: 659: 657:Barry McKenzie 653: 651: 647: 646: 644: 643: 638: 633: 630:Private Eye TV 625: 623: 619: 618: 616: 615: 610: 605: 600: 595: 590: 588:Willie Rushton 585: 580: 575: 569: 567: 563: 562: 553: 552: 545: 538: 530: 522: 521: 503: 485: 484: 482: 479: 466: 463: 440: 437: 427: 424: 420:Rupert Murdoch 405: 402: 396: 393: 388: 385: 361: 358: 335: 332: 308: 305: 289:Robert Maxwell 271: 268: 263: 260: 251: 248: 242: 239: 230: 227: 223:Dumb Australia 206: 203: 168:Main article: 165: 162: 138: 135: 116: 115: 30: 28: 21: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 842: 831: 828: 826: 823: 821: 818: 817: 815: 802: 798: 793: 787: 784: 782: 779: 777: 774: 771: 770: 766: 765: 763: 759: 752: 748: 746: 745: 741: 739: 736: 734: 731: 730: 728: 724: 718: 715: 713: 712: 708: 706: 705: 701: 699: 696: 694: 691: 689: 686: 684: 683: 679: 677: 676: 672: 670: 667: 665: 664: 660: 658: 655: 654: 652: 648: 642: 639: 637: 634: 632: 631: 627: 626: 624: 620: 614: 613:Francis Wheen 611: 609: 606: 604: 601: 599: 598:Barry Fantoni 596: 594: 591: 589: 586: 584: 581: 579: 576: 574: 571: 570: 568: 564: 560: 559: 551: 546: 544: 539: 537: 532: 531: 528: 518: 517: 512: 507: 500: 499: 495: 490: 486: 478: 476: 472: 462: 460: 459:Pseuds Corner 456: 455: 450: 446: 439:Pseuds Corner 436: 434: 423: 421: 417: 416: 411: 401: 392: 384: 382: 381:The Guardian' 378: 374: 373: 368: 367:David Cameron 357: 355: 351: 347: 346: 341: 331: 329: 325: 321: 314: 304: 302: 298: 294: 290: 285: 283: 282: 278: 267: 259: 257: 247: 238: 236: 226: 224: 220: 216: 212: 202: 200: 199: 194: 190: 186: 185:Murray Walker 182: 181:David Coleman 178: 171: 161: 159: 155: 154:Dennis Potter 151: 147: 144: 137:Birtspeak 2.0 134: 132: 131: 123: 112: 109: 101: 90: 87: 83: 80: 76: 73: 69: 66: 62: 59: â€“  58: 54: 53:Find sources: 47: 43: 37: 36: 31:This article 29: 25: 20: 19: 16: 767: 742: 732: 709: 702: 693:Glenda Slagg 688:E. 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"List of regular mini-sections in Private Eye"
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pseudonym
Private Eye
Director-General of the BBC
John Birt
Dalek
Dennis Potter
Marmaduke Hussey
Colemanballs
David Coleman
Murray Walker
September 11 attacks
Diana, Princess of Wales
Tsunamiballs
Marcus Berkmann
Polling Station
Jill Dando
American
Spy
Robert Maxwell

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