Who’s gropin’ whom?

image from Cake Wrecks (of course).

This headline from the ABA Journal made me snicker:

Associate Claims in Suit He Was Forced Out of Canadian Firm for Complaint About Groping Partner

The ambiguous use of the word groping — is it an adjective or a verb? — gives rise (at least in my head) to two distinct scenarios:

• The associate complained about a partner who groped. (Groping is an adjective.)
• The associate complained about groping a partner. (Groping is a verb.)

All signs point to the first meaning. But who knows? Maybe the associate wasn’t happy with the partner’s reaction to being groped. Or maybe the associate was tired of groping the partner. Enough already!

To think, the headline could have been made perfectly clear with the simple addition of an a.

Associate Claims in Suit He Was Forced Out of Canadian Firm for Complaint About a Groping Partner

or:

Associate Claims in Suit He Was Forced Out of Canadian Firm for Complaint About Groping a Partner