In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result.

In the first place, with malapropian ineptness he confused scrupulous with its opposite, unscrupulous.

The cattle are usually corralled overnight which enables farmers to collect farmyard or boma manure.

A covey of grey soldiers clanked down the platform at the double with their equipment and embarked, but in absolute silence, which seemed to them very singular.