A recent Gleaner headline about the start of tenure of the new police commissioner had a number of persons confused. The headline 'Lewin raring to go' has had many of the think-they-know types bemoaning the state of journalism and elicited comments of "How could an editor pass that?"

Of a truth, Lewin is 'raring' to go, and not 'rearing' as some suggest. Whereas 'rearing' suggests the action of a horse on hind legs, as if intending to move forward, 'raring' means enthusiastic or eager. So a headline which says 'New principal raring to go' is perfectly valid and gets the editor's nod.

Just before the recent local government elections a newspaper report stated that a politician from one party was calling on the leadership of the other party to 'reign in' its supporters.

That, of course, is totally incorrect. What was needed was 'rein', not 'reign'. A 'rein' is a narrow strap, part of the mechanism to guide and control horses. Therefore 'rein' as a verb applied to supporters, suggests the control of the said supporters. Additionally, the use of the preposition 'in' after 'rein' is superfluous. The sentence "He called on his opposition to rein its supporters' is acceptable. Now, if you want to give the other party power you could ask them to 'reign'.

For questions and comments, email: speechcoach_ja@yahoo.com