Trite phrasing should be avoided in the head whenever possible. “Score” and “probe” and “rap” are handy words for the copy reader because of their brevity and are liable to overuse. The head that contains worn-out expressions or that fails to get anywhere is, in the office vernacular, wooden. Woodenness is an unpardonable sin. Try to give the head a swing and an element of originality. (See [Figure 5].)
[Figure 5.]—New York Sun head. The Sun style demands that in this head the last line of the third deck shall end flush at the right.
TAFT UP IN THE MONUMENT
PRESIDENT GOES SIGHTSEEING
IN THE CAPITAL.
Rides Up the Tall Tower Along With Some
Tourists[—]Then Visits the Senate’s
New Office Building and Says He’s
Having Fun Like an Excursionist.
Avoid negative statements in the head. Tell what happened rather than what didn’t happen, unless a negation is the feature of the story.