Did You Know the New York Post’s Anthony Weiner Headlines Include Wordplay?

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner is back in the news as he ramps up his plans for a potential mayoral run. If you have forgotten, Anthony Weiner resigned two years ago after a scandal in which he mistakenly tweeted lewd photographs he had intended to send to a woman who wasn’t his wife. The entire ordeal was heavily covered in the press, and no one had a fresher take than the New York Post. Unbeknownst to most of the city, the Post hid clever wordplay in each of its covers. Don’t believe us? Take a look at the examples below–they are a veritable secret garden of linguistic cleverness.

PLEASE NOTE: In all of these headlines, the term “Weiner” could be referring to former Congressman Anthony Weiner OR a penis. The word “weiner” here has multiple meanings. If you get confused, please refer back to this note.

June 6, 2011: “Weiner Exposed”
The scandal that eventually led to Weiner’s resignation started when the congressman tweeted a suggestive picture where the outline of his penis could be seen through his underwear. A lot of people saw it, thus his “weiner” was exposed. Also exposed was his behavior on the social networking platform. In other news, X-Men: First Class was pretty good.

June 7, 2013: “Naked Truth”
“Naked truth” alludes to the facts about Weiner’s scandal coming to light. He had originally misled reporters on the origins of the photo, but at a press conference he finally told the truth. Being in the nude, or “naked,” is also the time when one is most likely to have their penis out in the open for all to see–just like the photo he posted on Twitter.

June 8, 2011: “Fall on Your Sword, Weiner”
This is a tough one, so pay attention. “Sword,” like “weiner,” is a euphemism. Like “weiner,” it can also mean “penis.” To fall on one’s sword means to take the blame. Here, the Post asked Anthony Weiner to take the blame while alluding to the fact that he tried to send a consenting adult woman a picture of the outline of his erect penis.

June 10, 2011: “Weiner: I’ll Stick It Out”
At this stage of the scandal, Weiner refused to resign. The Post‘s headline referred to the fact that he stuck his penis out and took a picture of it. Although there are no (known) images of his penis literally sticking out of his underwear, the intention here was to paint the picture of a man presenting his genitals on a grander stage than, say, concealing them in a pair of slacks.

June 14, 2011: “Obama Beats Weiner”
“Beating your weiner” is a slang term for masturbation. The headline essentially reads as “President Obama Masturbates.” The cleverness comes in when you realize that the president had addressed the Anthony Weiner scandal to the press and said things that could be perceived as unsupportive of the congressman. Thus, he “beat” him (verbally).

June 17, 2011: “Weiner’s Rise and Fall”
The big story of the day was Anthony Weiner’s resignation, which is the “fall” the Post‘s headline refers to. The “rise” is implied as his political career prior to the scandal. Penises also rise when erect, again reminding the reader that Anthony Weiner was involved in a sexting scandal.

April 11, 2013: “Weiner’s Second Coming”
This brings us to today’s story. Anthony Weiner, the recent subject of an extensive New York Times Magazine story, is probably planning to run for mayor. After his initial fall from grace, which was so delicately documented in the covers above, he has returned–a “second coming.” “Coming” is the present progressive form of the intransitive verb “to come” that could also mean “ejaculating,” which is a reference to 2011’s scandal.

“Erect me Mr. Mayor” is probably a typo.

[@nickgreene]