Peck Decked

I see I’ve just linked to stories that rove from readers to writers to agents. No fair leaving critics out; some of them seem to be having a rougher time. Like Dale Peck (the Lizzie Borden of critics), whom Stanley Crouch (writer who resented his shoulderblades being at the receiving end of Peck’s hatchet) smacked. Or whacked. Or perhaps slapped. Crouch now denies he “punched” Peck; he may, however, have slapped him lightly across the face. Sounds like the drama critic of yore who assumed he’d done a bad job of his reviews if the lead actress didn’t come up to him the next day and slap him, not lightly, across the face with her glove.