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Twitter Hails Iconic New York Times Headline About Eels As A True Work Of Literary Genius
When a writer makes puns and that pun's tons of fun, that's amore.
A New York Times headline has gone viral for its stunning composition and amazing play on words, in the style of Harry Warren and Jack Brooks' hit song "That's Amore" which became a signature song for Dean Martin in the early 1950s.
Here's the song:
And here is the headline:
good morning ONLY to NYT headline writers https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/science/moray-eels-eat-land.html\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/uvitKdfVnL— Eli Yokley (@Eli Yokley) 1624365928
The story is about how moray eels can find prey on land, and how they have shown their ability to eat squid in lab tests.
Not only does the headline scan, but it fully rhymes and the play on "amore" is absolutely astounding.
This is now how I shall sign this song.https://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— Hi D (@Hi D) 1624398953
Brillianthttps://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— Thomas Lang\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Thomas Lang\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1624393370
*chef's kiss*https://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— Cortney Hall (@Cortney Hall) 1624385156
I hope that whoever wrote this headline gets a standing ovation (and maybe some calamari) the next time they walk into the office.https://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— Nathan Vickers (@Nathan Vickers) 1624373592
automatic pulitzerhttps://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— Kayla Epstein \ud83d\udcf0 (@Kayla Epstein \ud83d\udcf0) 1624372775
The study at the center of the story itself is also very interesting.
Conducted by Dr. Rita S. Mehta, an evolutionary biologist with the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her colleagues, centered around testing moray eels' willingness to scale a ramp for pieces of measured squid supplied by the lab.
One eel in particular, named Benjen, eventually refused until he was given giant pieces of squid--and Benjen is another standout of the piece.
Do not let the ingenious headline and cutlines distract you from the true hero of the NYT moray eel story, my new best friend Benjen: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/22/science/moray-eels-eat-land.html\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/Ru8hWlB5xt— Eric Single (@Eric Single) 1624367994
https://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— John Alexander (@John Alexander) 1624369014
Headline of the Century.https://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— Chris Kurbjuhn (@Chris Kurbjuhn) 1624368945
Genius.https://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— Augustus McCrea (@Augustus McCrea) 1624367192
Mehta also was struck by Benjen remembering the ramp and not using it on purpose. The study lasted well over 6 years and was constantly interrupted by school breaks and holidays, but Benjen's memory of the ramp and the squid endured.
At the conclusion of the study, Benjen still lives in the lab, awaiting large pieces of squid.
Everyone prepping their 2021 ACES National Headline Contest entry is feeling absolutely savaged this morninghttps://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— Sarah Halzack (@Sarah Halzack) 1624367149
My God that's arthttps://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— \ud835\ude3d\ud835\ude67\ud835\ude6e\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude63 \ud835\ude4b\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude68\ud835\ude68\ud835\ude5e\ud835\ude5b\ud835\ude5e\ud835\ude6a\ud835\ude62\ud835\ude5a (@\ud835\ude3d\ud835\ude67\ud835\ude6e\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude63 \ud835\ude4b\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude68\ud835\ude68\ud835\ude5e\ud835\ude5b\ud835\ude5e\ud835\ude6a\ud835\ude62\ud835\ude5a) 1624367130
I can only dream of a headline this good. >sigh<https://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026— Rose Hoban (@Rose Hoban) 1624367028
https://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1407318822193971203\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/bUIVngAJCJ— In-House (@In-House) 1624366364
Because most of the time the headlines deserve a Razzie?— Karen H \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f (@Karen H \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f) 1624377259
The headline, and Benjen the eel, have slithered their way into our hearts.