On Saturday, the Daily Mirror ran the headline "Boy, 14, Fire Bomb Quiz" above a report that "A boy of 14 has been arrested on suspicion of being a petrol bomber pictured at last month's tuition fee riots."
And "Chamber offers bosses chance to quiz MP" appeared in the Coventry Evening Telegraph on 18 January.
Why is it journalists are sometimes tempted to substitute 'quiz' for the verb 'to question'?
Maybe there's something satisfying about seeing an unusual combination of letters written down; or something delicious in the way they roll the tongue, with that final little 'zzz' buzzing through the teeth.
And it's not just the red-top or local press subs who have a weakness for 'quiz': the Independent on Sunday reported on 16 January that the Independent Commission on Banking wanted to further "quiz" Bank of England Governor Mervyn King over regulatory structures.
We are painting pictures with words and the image that 'quiz' conjures up in my mind is of a gameshow - albeit one with tension and jeopardy. But nothing to do with a process that is part of a police investigation, for instance.
So if it was up to me there'd be no more "Extra Time Given to Quiz Shooting Suspects." Sorry if that messes up your headline, but I think it sounds daft.
