The Asterisk

Thomas Fuller, author, told me last night that his favorite linguistic signal is the asterisk.

It's Middle English, from the Greek asteriskos, a diminutive of star, Mr. Fuller told me.

I too like the asterisk, I said.

We spoke for at least fifteen about the asterisk, its use in all kinds of writing, from sports writing to statistic keeping to almanac utterances. We agreed the asterisk denotes rather than connotes.

Mr. Fuller, commenting on the preponderance of stories in the international media about the predatory sexual practices of so many men in the entertainment industy, and the breaking news that several internationally famous male fashion photographers had allegedly fondled their photographic subjects, the kind of idea only he could have about the situation: from this point forward every fashion advertisement, whether it be in the print or broadcast media, must have an asterisk, placed legible type in a discrete but readable position in the ad:

*Model(s) not molested, fondled, or otherwise sexually harassed during the making of this advertisement.