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Sean Farren, Northern Ireland's minister for higher and further education, has lost the battle over his department's unwieldy title.

Since being set up more than a year ago, his Department of Higher and Further Education, Employment and Training has been dubbed "Defeat".

A suggested improvement was said to be Department of Learning and Employment or, you guessed it, Dole. Even in Northern Ireland it is a short step from defeat to dole.

The acronym angst was resolved at a meeting of the province's power-sharing executive last week. The new moniker will be Department for Learning and Employment. Which, at something of a stretch, the wags are attempting to turn into Defile.