Originally Posted by publius

According to story that will come out in New York magazine tomorrow, Katie Couric threw a hissy, slapping fit about the word "sputum". She doesn't like it apparently, and threw the tantrum when an editor inserted the word in a story about tuberculosis. They said she began slapping him furiously on his arm.

Sounds like a Monty Python skit. Anyway, if you happen to stumble across her, just say "sputum!" and see what happens