A common theme: I usually think Slate.com has great headlines.

I've noticed one area in which they fall short, though: their recaps of the day's news, "Today's Headlines." We get the gems:

Beating Around the Bush
Isabelted
Smoking Grasso
Recall Totaled?
Pulling Your Cheney

The site would be better without these groan-inducers. But what to replace them with?

When all else fails, play it straight. Even if you're a Web site with edgy headlines. It's good to push the envelope, and Slate does it better than most. But few things make a publication look bush-league like punny heads that miss the mark.