In Monday's New York Times, business columnist Stuart Elliott asked 20 skeptical questions about advertising, marketing, and media.
My favorite:
Did the copywriters who created an ad for the Chrysler Town and Country minivan sold by the Chrysler Group realize that when they described the “DVD entertainment system at no extra charge” and extended maintenance plan as “wonderfully gratuitous,” that the word “gratuitous” can mean not called for or unwarranted as well as giving unearned or free?
Mr. Elliott's own copy could benefit from another edit pass, but his point manages to glimmer through the murky syntax. "Gratuitous" as a four-syllable synonym for "free" is a gratuitous substitution.
I nominate Chrysler's agency for a Bucket of Does Award.
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