Graham Readfern write in the Guardian:
Abbott’s first cabinet, announced yesterday, has a front bench team comprised of ministers for defence, immigration and border protection, the arts, agriculture, health and sport and small business, among others. Yet there will be no minister for science. Abbott suggested to reporters this would come under the portfolio of Ian Macfarlane, who was yesterday named minister for industry. In opposition, Greg Hunt’s position was the shadow minister for climate action, environment and heritage. Abbott has taken his eraser to Hunt’s title, rubbing out the words “climate action” and “heritage”.
Science didn’t exactly stick out like a Higgs Boson in the previous government’s ministry either. Senator Kim Carr was officially the minister for innovation, industry, science and research in a department with a name so long it could be barely uttered in a single breath (OK – I exaggerate, it was the department of industry, innovation, climate change, science, research and tertiary education).
You wish. Euphemisms are used to refer to something that exists clearly enough to need an indirect form of expression if it is found to be unsavoury. I feel that in this case they are talking about something invisible, inscrutable and nonexistent, referring to something else that is equally or more assuredly invisible, inscrutable and nonexistent as a prop for the first thing’s nonexistence and invisibility. It’s so invisible it sticks out.
Is it possible “Higgs Boson” is an unsavory euphemism?
And in what sense does “a Higgs Bozon” stick out? Never mind. They are talking to themselves in a voodoo language.
Do I sense that he is a little upset that the wrong party won the election. That’s what happens when the ignorant masses decide that they’ve had enough of the BS about climate change.
Using a double negative? “didn’t exactly stick out like a Higgs Boson”? But that would mean it was VERY prominent under the old regime.
I guess he thinks he is clever. But he probably lost half his audience. For a scientist, that is fine. For a writer that is stupid.