Newspaper Headlines in, uh, English

[James A. Landau]

On another mailing list Professor Carlo Minnaja of the University of Padua
wrote

>Italian educated people can read French easily nearly without studying it,
>while even after 10 years of English school courses they can have some
>problems in understanding concise newspapers' titles.....

I replied t

> As for "concise newspapers' titles", they can and do baffle native speakers
of
> English.  For example "Red Tape Holds Up Bridge".
> Entire books have been published listing such newspaper headlines that are
> so ambiguous that they are funny.  I give you one example which will give
you
> grounds to ponder on how we punish criminals in the USA:
>        "Drunk Gets Two Weeks In Violin Case"

Professor Minnaja responded

>A short bibliography (no more than two or three titles) would be appreciated.
>
>        "Drunk Gets Two Weeks In Violin Case"
>
> Is violine case a jail? I would guess this meaning:
> a person who drank too much was sentenced to serve two weeks in a jail
>
> Is there another hidden meaning?

I have seen books of goofy headlines (and I have myself submitted a few to
the Columbia Journalism Review) but I have no bibliography available.  Can
anyone supply Professor Minnaja with book titles?

                  - Jim Landau