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English In Use - 'Shoe Couldn't Make It Up'

A selection of headlines from stories in the news. They use English in a way that you might think is intended to confuse but it's all perfectly clear to the native speaker.

In judgemental mood the Sun uses the headline "Shoe Couldn't Make It Up", for a story about a woman in the UK who has been on benefits for 20 years because of an allergy to footwear.   Seemingly in this time she has received £100,000 in benefits, or what the Sun calls "Benefeets".  

They have replaces the usual "You" found in "you couldn't make it up", which is used to show incredulity at something, with "shoe", and the "...f i t " in benefits with "f e e t".  

Having read the story she seems to have a whole series of problems and probably can't live a normal life because of them.  To me that is what the benefit system is for, and she is one of the reasons I have paid into it most of my life.  I do wish the British press would stop vilifying people on benefits and go after some tax dodgers instead. 

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