"This sucks"

[Joel S. Berson]

Too taboo apparently for the Boston Globe sports section
today.  Lawrence Academy has had its football program sanctioned and
its consecutive league championships of the past two seasons taken
away by the Independent School League.  Neither the league nor the
academy has so far specified the violations.  One former player is
quoted by the Globe as saying "This absolutely [stinks]", and the
worst part is no one can give us a straight answer."

I assume, but cannot know, that the deleted word is "sucks".  (I
personally wouldn't expect "fucks" there.  Nor am I up on what other
verb might be used today, but then I'm not an 18-year-old, 5th-year
prep school senior about to play football for the University of
Nevada next fall.  And if I were, and found for some odd reason I had
to stay for a sixth year, I might find I was over 19 by Sept. 1 and
thus ineligible to play in the ISL this fall.)

On the other hand, the movie pages in the Globe's magazine section
seem to have a different standard.  Its "Movie Stars" column has a
capsule review/listing:

"1/2 You Highness  Dreadful. ... Natalie Portman does her career no
favors as a kick-ass lady knight."

Joel

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