http://www.word-detective.com/103001.html
I love love love this guy. Etymology made fun! From the page: “”Stymie” certainly is a strange little word, and you’re correct about it often being used in newspaper headlines, where space is at a premium and short, “punchy” words sell papers. The Oxford Companion to the English Language, under “Headlinese,” lists such other reliable standards as axe, clash, cut, hit, oust, slam, slate, ban, bid, boost, call, curb, link, probe, riddle, scare, swoop, and vow.”