Perhaps Associated Press writer A. Josef Hebert only dabbles in American English as a second language, as he resorts to the dreaded so-called adjective:
In a secret operation, the United States last month removed from Iraq nearly two tons of uranium and hundreds of highly radioactive items that could have been used in a so-called dirty bomb, the Energy Department disclosed Tuesday.
I’m unsure what that particular adjective adds to the sentence. Unless Hebert’s paid five cents a word, in which case it adds a dime to Hebert’s pocket.
(Link courtesy Perry on Politics.)
