5 cases of too few or too many hyphens

1. “Scientists have found that a second, as-yet smaller wave of mussel extinctions followed in the late twentieth century.”

The key point is not a smaller wave that is as yet-that makes no sense. The reference is to a wave that is as yet, or up to now, smaller; it’s an as-yet-smaller wave: “Scientists have found that a second, as-yet-smaller wave of mussel extinctions followed in the late twentieth century.”

2. “They criticized the arbitrary measures taken so far on the air-travel security front.”

The front in question is not a security front pertaining to air travel; it is a front pertaining to air-travel security. For that reason, security should be linked to “air travel” to modify front as one unit: “They criticized the arbitrary measures taken so far on the air-travel-security front.” (The progression is “air travel” to “air-travel security” to “air-travel-security front.”)