Regardless, the “pedantic” argument against the headline is only a thing if you’re not allowing for the evolution of language, it’s actually just being a snooty language snob given that language does evolve and the usage of the headline aligns with common standards these days:
Decimate strayed from its “tenth” meaning and nowadays refers to the act of destroying or hurting something in great numbers.
Y’all know decimate was the headline and this was the actual statement, right?
Well I do now thank you!
Regardless, the “pedantic” argument against the headline is only a thing if you’re not allowing for the evolution of language, it’s actually just being a snooty language snob given that language does evolve and the usage of the headline aligns with common standards these days:
See also definition 3b of the same source.