Wikipedia:Principle of Some Astonishment

Principle of Some Astonishment

Can we get you on Mastermind, Sybil? "Next contestant, Sybil Fawlty from Torquay; specialist subject: the bleedin' obvious! "

—  Basil Fawlty [1]

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.

— William Strunk Jr., The Elements of Style (1918)

In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no idea what vigour it will give your style.

— Sydney Smith [2]

Most first drafts can be cut by 50% without losing any information .... Look for clutter in your writing and prune it ruthlessly. Be grateful for everything you can throw away .... Writing improves in direct ratio to the number of things we can keep out of it that shouldn't be there.

— William Zinsser, On Writing Well

Most first drafts can be halved without losing information .... Mercilessly prune clutter from your writing; be grateful for all you can throw away .... Writing improves as more unnecessary things are kept out.

— If Zinsser followed his own advice

Perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars (tr. Lewis Galantière)

I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter.

— Blaise Pascal, Lettres provinciales no. 16 (1657)

Some writers tend to overuse quotations.

— Somebody or other

I don't mind yet another epigraph.

— Vladimir Shinkarev, Papuas from Honduras

duh. DUH. DUH!

— EEng hard-ass copyediting

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Sometimes editors clutter their prose with pedestrian details that the reader likely already knows or would naturally assume. Rather than informing readers, this wastes their time and dulls their attention. The following are examples of articles belaboring the routine and obvious, at times painfully:

You mean the game pieces can be stored for later use? I'm astonished!

In the article Pick-up sticks:

Each piece in the game also has a point value, with more challenging pieces being worth more. At the end of play, points are tallied up and the pieces can be thrown again or stored in a container for another use.

Comment: Of course we can either play again or put the game away "in a container". (If the rules called for players to burn the game pieces or use them to commit ritual suicide, THAT would be worth mentioning.)

In the article Notre-Dame de Paris fire:

Some lead joints in stained glass windows melted in the heat of the fire.

Comment: DUH.

In the (ahem) Featured Article Halifax explosion:

An area of over 160 hectares (400 acres) was completely destroyed by the explosion ... Stoves and lamps overturned by the force of the blast sparked fires throughout Halifax, particularly in the North End, where entire city blocks were caught up in the inferno, trapping residents inside their houses.

Comment: Double DUH. (The prosecutor is requesting sentence enhancement for use of the word inferno.)

In the article Live-line working:

Electricity is hazardous

Comment: Shocking.

In the article Joe Biden:

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is an American politician and the president-elect of the United States.

Comment:                                                                                                         

In the article San Francisco Zoo tiger attacks:

They created a distraction which caused the tiger to turn towards the officers, who shot and killed it. After the shooting, officials removed Tatiana's head, paws, tail and gastric contents for examination.

Comment: Removing the tiger's head before shooting it, assuming you could somehow manage that, would presumably have rendered the shooting superfluous.

In the article US Airways Flight 1549:

The weather recorded at 2:51 p.m. was 10 miles visibility with broken clouds at 3,700 feet, wind 8 knots from 290°, temperature -6° C.

Comment: Of course it was recorded, otherwise how would we know it?

Sullenberger asked if they could attempt an emergency landing in New Jersey, mentioning Teterboro Airport ... air traffic controllers quickly contacted Teterboro and gained permission for a landing on Runway 1.

Comment: The word quickly is superfluous, because our readers' innate cunning will inform them that controllers generally act with dispatch in such situations. (Had they instead been lackadaisical, THAT would be worth mentioning.)

However, Sullenberger told controllers that "We can't do it," and "We're gonna be in the Hudson," signaling his intention to bring the plane down on the Hudson River because he was too low to glide to any airport.

Comment: The part from "signalling his intention ..." on is probably unnecessary, because our readers aren't mentally defective. They will conclude without being told that when Sullenberger said "We can't do it ... We're gonna be in the Hudson", he's hinting that (a) he's going to land on the Hudson and (b) he's taking this unconventional step because more orthodox landing sites are out of reach. (Had he instead done it because he wanted a bath, THAT would be worth mentioning.)

Immediately after the A320 had been ditched, Sullenberger opened the cockpit door and gave the "evacuate" order.

Comment: The immediately bit seems unnecessary. (Had the captain made a cup of tea before ordering "Evacuate!", THAT would be worth mentioning.)

The first fire chief on scene transmitted a "10-60" to confirm a major emergency.

Comment: If the fire chief, seeing people crowded onto the wings of a sinking airliner, had radioed, "False alarm – no big deal", THAT would be worth mentioning.

In List of American Airlines accidents and incidents:

October 28, 2016: American Airlines Flight 383, a Boeing 767-300ER flying from Chicago to Miami, was accelerating for takeoff when the right engine failed and erupted in flames