Social Media funny

The Second Mentions account shares the best examples of writers jumping through hoops to avoid repeating themselves – 22 funny favourites

Poke Reporter. Updated January 7th, 2026

There’s a phenomenon that you may have spotted in posts or articles on and offline, going back to the launch of social media and beyond, and it’s the spectre of the second mention.

With a horror of repeating words, phrases, or even names, writers will bend themselves double trying to come up with another way of saying ‘the thing’ again.

The Second Mentions account has been curating the best examples of that practice, and sharing them with a growing audience of appreciative fans.

The Times style guide gave some examples, while counselling against falling into the trap.

There must surely be extra points for avoiding the most obvious second mention.

Of course Malala Yousafzai is the former Teen Vogue cover star. What else would people associate with her?

Cary Elwes as Robin Hood, turning to look at the camera and giving a little laugh

Anyway, here are some of our favourites.

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