Whack-a-Mole! (photo via The Miami Herald)
Automatic linking software has run amok again. From an article on local nutrition laws in the Times:
“In some cases, lawmakers are responding to complaints from business owners who are weary of playing whack-a-mole with varying regulations from one city to the next.”
The “mole” link doesn’t take you to the dictionary definition of “whack-a-mole,” which might actually be helpful to someone looking for an explanation of the cultural reference. It doesn’t even take you to a page about the lawn-destroying mammals, whose name comes from the Early Modern English word mouldywarp, which loosely translates to “one who throws soil” or “dirt tosser.” (The Wikipedia entry is mildly fascinating; who knew that a group of moles is called a labour, or that a toxin in the animals’ saliva paralyzes earthworms?) Instead, the Times directs you to its Health Guide page for “in-depth reference and news articles about Birthmarks – pigmented.” Anyone looking for an answer to the question “Does Tweezing a Hairy Mole Cause Cancer” is in luck, but as for the rest of us . . . ? Not particularly helpful.
. . . So Well Read. . . 