又中又英 | A slick headline | 褚簡寧

　　As a longtime journalist, I have seen boring and slick headlines in newspapers. The word "slick" has several meanings but used in this way means doing something skillfully without any effort. A slick headline is a very eye-catching headline that instantly attracts the attention of readers. Good headline writers are in a class of their own. If you are in a class of your own, it means you are the best in a particular skill. Tabloid newspapers often have the slickest headline writers. A tabloid is a half-size newspaper that often has sensational headlines with large pictures and short articles.

　　The tabloid New York Post, owned by Rupert Murdoch, is known as a loyal supporter of US President Donald Trump and his policies. But it lambasted (severely criticized) Trump's memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran to end the US-Iran war. The New York Post used the front-page headline "LOVEBOMB" to criticize Trump. The article said Trump devastated Iran with bombs, then hit Iran with a LOVEBOMB. The expression “love bomb” means to show someone a lot of love to persuade that person to do what you want. Trump wanted to end the war with Iran because it was driving up US gasoline prices and inflation.

　　Critics, including many in Trump’s Republican Party, lambasted the MOU for what they said benefitted Iran more than the US. The MOU gives the US and Iran 60 days to negotiate a final peace deal. The US Congress must approve any peace deal under normal circumstances. Trump has said he will ask for Congressional approval but did not ask for Congressional approval, as required, when he started the war.

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　　身為多年的新聞工作者，我見盡報章諸多沉悶又或洗練而吸睛的標題（slick headlines）。 Slick有幾個意思，在這裏是指嫻熟、不費吹灰之力便做到的。A slick headline則是非常吸引讀者注意的新聞標題。好的標題寫手是in a class of their own－－若你是in a class of your own，意即你獨樹一幟，在某一方面的技能上是最優秀的。小報（tabloid）許多時有最熟練（slickest）的新聞標題寫手。A tabloid就是尺寸為一般報章一半的小報，通常有聳動的頭條，配以大幅的圖片與短文。

　　魯柏．梅鐸所擁有的小報（tabloid）《紐約郵報》，公認是美國總統特朗普及其政策的忠實支持者。然而，它卻狠批（lambasted）特朗普與伊朗結束美伊戰爭所簽署的諒解備忘錄。《紐約郵報》在頭版頭條用上「LOVEBOMB」去批評特朗普。文章指，特朗普用炸彈摧毁伊朗，然後又用「愛的轟炸」（LOVEBOMB）去炮擊伊朗。習語「love bomb」是指向某人不斷表露愛意，以游說那人去做你想他或她做的事。特朗普想結束跟伊朗的戰爭，因為它已令美國的燃油價格及物價不斷攀升。

　　批評者，包括有許多來自特朗普的共和黨的，狠批（lambasted）這份諒解備忘錄是有益於伊朗多於美國。諒解備忘錄給予美國和伊朗60天的期限去洽談最終的和平協議。美國國會在一般情況下，必須通過任何和平協議。特朗普已說了，他將會尋求國會批准，然而他當初開戰的時候，卻沒有按要求取得國會授權。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻