Word Spy - thumbsucker

thumbsucker

(THUM.suk.ur; thi as in thin) n. Journalist's term for a lengthy story or opinion piece based on a vast, complex topic; a journalist who writes such articles.

Example Citation:

McEachran did me another favor when he dropped a memo on my desk that said only "P-E-O-P-L-E." I'd been writing too many thumbsuckers from my desk and he wanted me to get out and talk to real folks again.
—Brian O'Neill, "A newsman who knew how to make his point," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 27, 2002

Earliest Citation:

A tick-tock (the metaphor, obviously, of a clock moving toward a fateful hour) is often written with boldface dates indicating significant meetings or preliminary events, and is more reportorial than a "think piece" or "thumbsucker,"
—William Safire, "The New Language of Politics," Collier Books, January 1, 1972

Category:

Media and Journalism

Posted on September 25, 1997
Updated on July 11, 2002