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Crash blossoms (for an explanation of the name see here) are newspaper headlines that are so unfortunately phrased as to give the wrong impression or even to be unintelligible.
A classic version from AP that has been going round the internet recently reads:
McDonald’s fries the holy grail for potato farmers
To be fair, AP has now changed its headline to:
Potato farmer holy grail: McDonald's french [sic] fries
Hat-tip to the Language Log and Michael Quinton, who both acknowledge other sources.
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Peter Harvey: A Guide to English Language Usage for non-native speakers
An entertaining and illuminating read … shows a high awareness of learners’ needs – it is clearly written by someone with solid classroom experience … The grammar sections are a strong area of the book … The information provided [on pronunciation] is accurate and relevant … the cultural information as a whole is well-presented, colourful and accurate … [it offers] clear and useful directions for learners … MODERN ENGLISH TEACHER **/** Every English fact at your fingertips … a more than handy reference tool for all involved in imparting linguistic knowledge on a regular basis. In the author’s alphabetically arranged detailed content one can only admire the spirit of Dr Johnson. ELGAZETTE
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An easy-to-read and user-friendly book … grammar receives careful attention … may benefit both intermediate and advanced students of English … Teachers of English may also find it useful. TESOL SPAIN **/** While [this book] is clearly aimed at the Spanish-speaking learner of English it is also valuable for the teacher of English working in a Spanish-speaking environment … [it highlights] many of the false friends which exist … Translations show the learner what words do, and, equally importantly, do not mean … with a wealth of real-life examples which are sometimes humorous, the book is very readable … There is certainly a gap in the market for such a book … of all the many English language books I have on my bookshelf, this is the only one that has a long waiting list of Spanish-speaking friends wanting to borrow it. MODERN ENGLISH TEACHER.
