Standard measure of 'horrified' downgraded to virtually nil

Journalists bandy the word 'horrified' around left, right and centre these days to jazz up news stories, when they actually mean 'alarmed' or 'concerned' instead. The dictionary definition of horrified is 'struck with horror', i.e. 'an intense painful emotion of fear and repugnance'. So, lazy journalists, horrified is a pretty serious state of being: picture the women screaming at the sight of Godzilla looming above them, just about to dispense stampy crushy death.

With that in mind it's worth noting this fatuous showbiz report, which wins the prize for the least accurate journalistic description of public concern stemming from a minimally newsworthy celebrity event:

Beyonce Knowles revealed her hairy arm pits when she waved to shocked fans. The glamorous star had apparently forgotten to shave as she walked the red carpet at the New York premiere of her new Etta James biopic Cadillac Records.

One horrified onlooker said: "Beyonce always looks her best at these kind of events. She obviously either ran out of razors or just missed a bit in the bathroom."

Alert the International Court of Justice in the Hague and issue a warrant for her arrest immediately! Sheesh...

- Source: Bang! Showbiz, via Stuff.co.nz, 4 December 2008