Mea Culpa: high on our own resupply

Questions of style and language in last week’s Independent, adjudicated by John Rentoul

Under attack: the bridge connecting the Russian mainland and the Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait (AP)

In an article about possible Ukrainian drone attacks on the Kerch Bridge, we described the bridge as a “resupply route”. How does that differ from a supply route, Mick O’Hare wanted to know. I suppose any route, once it has provided troops with the first lot of supplies, is a resupply route. We should have done without the “re”.

Former patriot: We had an “ex-pat” in an article by a British person now living in Hawaii, writing about the wildfires there. Thanks to John Schluter for prompting us to change it. “Expat” is short for “expatriate”, meaning someone who lives outside (“ex”) their home country. The joke is that it means someone who used to be patriotic but isn’t any more, so they’ve moved, but the “ex” in this case does not mean “former”.

Convolution reigns: George Orwell would have had something to say about this sentence last Saturday: “To say that confusion now reigns regarding where Britain stands in relation to pursuit of its climate agenda is an understatement.” This is a simple idea conveyed in convoluted language. In particular, “regarding” and “in relation to” are deadening verbiage. Cut, cut, cut.