Muddled Metaphors

Here's a link to an econ blog called Calculated Risk. They've developed a Muddled Metaphor Index to measure how screwed up the economy has become based on the confusing mix of metaphors used in the press. And as Paul Krugman points out, we are now finding ourselves afflicted by a freezing crunchy squeeze - sounds pretty bad.

(Also, for my fellow "dissertationers" who are in the process of editing: here's Orwell's great essay on the state of the English language:

"A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? And he will probably ask himself two more: 1. Could I put it more shortly? 2. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?"

At about 10,000 words, that should keep you busy for a while).