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

Related Words:

beat sweetener

bummer beat

charticle

Danny Boy

horse-race journalism

muffin-choker

notebook dump

reefer

thumbable

thumbo

tick-tock

Category:

Media and Journalism