‘The New York Times,’ of Course

Mr. Ed. Besides existential equine tautologies, what else is self-evident? Perhaps the Newspaper of Record can provide a clue.

The phrase of course has appeared in  The New York Times 420,663 times since 1981, and 12,388 times this year alone. Below are 15 of the most recent iterations, all appearing between August 7 and 10, 2012.

“Of course, projecting rookies is a difficult task.” (The Fifth Down, football blog)

“Europe, of course, has also been through much this past year.” (“Letter from Europe” article about Russia)

“The seller doesn’t literally peddle his own life, of course, but his life-insurance policy.” (Magazine article about selling one’s life insurance)

“Of course, some fees can’t change.” (Business article about reducing closing costs)

“Women’s sports in the United States, of course, face plenty of challenges as well.” (Article about Japanese women’s soccer team)

“The problem, of course, is that criminal behavior, like the rest of human life, is rarely predictable enough to ensure that outcome.” (Review of French crime film)

“Fun is, of course, what made Daly famous, and infamous.” (Article about golfer John Daly)

“Some [Brooklyn authors], of course, are having babies and writing books for them.” (Review of some children’s books about New York)

“[Kevin] Durant confirmed his ability to score years ago, of course.” (Sports article)

“The Tea Party is once again giving Democrats a new lease on life. Not everywhere, of course.” (Gail Collins column)

“Of course, on top of a drenched shirt, pants, and jacket, the heat is going to make a woeful mess of your everyday white cotton handkerchief.” (Fashion article about bandannas)

“Of course, had Alex been a girl who sometimes dressed or played in boyish ways, no e-mail to parents would have been necessary.” (Magazine article about boys who dress in traditionally female clothing)

“Of course, if the defendants decided to convey over-the-top remorse (by falling to their knees, crying, etc.), then public opinion and even their legal fortunes would almost certainly turn.” (Op-Ed piece about Russian punk-rockers’ protest)

“Whether many wealthy residents will actually leave and companies will change their plans, of course, remains to be seen.” (Article about proposed higher taxes in France)

“The euphoria won’t last, of course.” (Op-Ed Column about Britain’s success in the Olympics)