The case of the missing particle

[Mark Mandel]

"They are treating the zoo as a crime scene and have not ruled the
possibility that the tiger latched on to a limb slung over her exhibit wall
to pull itself out."
(http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN28371903)

Possibilities are seldom if ever "ruled". The culprit here may be some
careless copyreader, who saw the final "out" -- which goes with "pull itself
___" -- and didn't read the clause in between. Further evidence: the
waffling over whether this tiger should be referred to with feminine or
neuter pronouns.

m a m

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