by Bill Bryson
openness. Note -nn-.
opéra bouffe, opera buffa. The first is a farcical French opera; the second a farcical Italian one.
Opéra-Comique, Paris theater.
ophthalmologist, oculist, optometrist, optician. Ophthalmologist is often misspelled and even more frequently mispronounced. Note that it begins oph- and not opth- and that the first syllable is pronounced off, not op. Thus, it is similar in pronunciation and spelling to diphtheria, diphthong, and naphtha, all of which are also frequently misspelled and misspoken.
Ophthalmologist and oculist both describe doctors who specialize in diseases of the eye. An optometrist is one who is trained to test eyes but is not a medical doctor. An optician is one who makes or sells corrective lenses.
Oporto, Portugal; in Portuguese, Pôrto.
opossum (or possum). The plural can be either opossum or opossums (or possum/possums).
Oppenheimer, J(ulius) Robert. (1904–1967) American physicist.
oppressor.
optimistic, pessimistic. Strictly speaking, both words should be used to describe a general outlook rather than a specific view, particularly with regard to the inconsequential. “He was optimistic that he would find the missing book” would be better with “was hopeful” or “was confident.”
optimum does not mean greatest or fastest or biggest, as is sometimes thought. It describes the point at which conflicting considerations are reconciled. The optimum flying speed of an aircraft is the speed at which all the many variables that must be taken into account in flying—safety, comfort, fuel consumption, and so on—are most nearly in harmony.
opus magnum, magnum opus. (Lat.) The first is a great work; the second is an author’s principal work.
or. When or links two or more singular items in a sentence, the verb must always be singular. “It was not clear whether the president or vice president were within hearing range at the time” should be “was within hearing range.”
oral, verbal. Oral can apply only to spoken words; verbal can describe both spoken and written words.
orange pekoe tea.
ordinal numbers. First, second, third, etc. See also CARDINAL NUMBERS.
ordinance, ordnance. The first is a command or decree; the second refers to military stores and materials.
ordonnance. The proper arrangement of parts in a literary, musical, artistic, or architectural work.
Ordzhonikidze, Russia; formerly Dzaudzhikau.
Oresteia. Trilogy by Aeschylus (c. 458 BC).
Orestes. In Greek mythology, the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon.
Öresund. Strait between Sweden and Denmark.
Oriel College, Oxford University.
originally is often needlessly inserted into sentences where it conveys no additional information, as here: “The plans were originally drawn up as long ago as 1972”(Observer).
Origin of Species, On the, the seminal book by Charles Darwin, whose full title is On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life (1859).
Orinoco. South American River, rising in Venezuela.
Orkney Islands, Scotland. Properly they can be called Orkney or the Orkney Islands, but not the Orkneys. A native or resident is an Orcadian.
Orly Airport, Paris.
orology. The study of mountains.
Ortega y Gasset, José. (1883–1955) Spanish philosopher.
orthoepy. The study of pronunciation. Curiously, there are two accepted pronunciations: or'-tho-ep-ee and or-tho'-ip-ee.
orthography. Correct or accepted spelling; the study of spelling.
orthopedics. The area of medicine concerned with bones and muscles.
Orwell, George. Pen name of the British writer Eric Blair (1903–1950).
oscillate.
oscilloscope.
OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Osiris. Egyptian god of the underworld.
Osservatore Romano, L’. Vatican newspaper.
Ostend. Belgian port; in Flemish, Oostende.
osteo-. Prefix meaning bone(s).
osteomyelitis. Infection in the bone or bone marrow.
Österreich. The name in German for Austria.
Oswiecim. The Polish name for Auschwitz, German concentration camp in Poland during World War II.
otolaryngology. The branch of medicine dealing with ear, nose, and throat disorders.
Ottawa, Ontario. Capital of Canada.
Otway, Thomas. (1652–1685) British playwright.
Ouachita (or Washita). River and mountains in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Ouagadougou. Capital of Burkina Faso.
oubliette. Dungeon with access only through a trapdoor in the ceiling.
Oudenarde, Battle of. (1708.)
Ouija board. (Cap. O.)
“Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die” is often heard, but is wrong. The lines from Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade” are “Their’s not to reason why,/Their’s but to do and die.” Note that the closing words “do and die” give the lines an entirely different sense from “do or die.” Finally, it should be noted that Tennyson’s punctuation of theirs is irregular (see POSSESSIVES).
outspokenness. Note -nn-.
ouzo. Greek drink.
over. The notion that over is incorrect for “more than” (as in “over 300 people were present at the rally”) is a widely held superstition. The stricture has been traced to Ambrose Bierce’s Write It Right (1909), a usage book teeming with quirky recommendations, many of which you will find repeated nowhere. There is no harm in preferring “more than,” but also no basis for insisting on it.
Overbeck, Johann Friedrich. (1769–1869) German painter.
Overijssel. Province of the Netherlands.
Overlord. Code name given to the Normandy invasion by Allied forces on D-Day in 1944.
overly. Making over into overly is a little like turning soon into soonly. Adding -ly does nothing for over that it could not already do.
overripe, overrule, overrun, etc. Note -rr-.
overweening. Arrogant or presumptuous expectations are overweening ones. There is no word overweaning.
Ovid, properly Publius Ovidius Naso. (43 BC–AD 17) Roman poet.
ovum, pl. ova.
Oxford Movement. A movement in the Church of England, begun at Oxford in 1833, seeking a return to certain Roman Catholic doctrines and practices.
Oxford University colleges. All Souls, Balliol, Brasenose, Christ Church, Corpus Christi, Exeter, Green, Hertford, Jesus, Keble, Lady Margaret Hall, Linacre, Lincoln, Magdalen, Merton, New College, Nuffield, Oriel, Pembroke, (The) Queen’s, St. Anne’s, St. Antony’s, St. Catherine’s, St. Cross, St. Edmund Hall, St. Hilda’s, St. Hugh’s, St. John’s, St. Peter’s, Somerville, Trinity, University, Wadham, Wolfson, Worcester.
Oxon. Oxonia (Lat.), Oxford or Oxfordshire; Oxoniensis (Lat.), of Oxford.
oxymoron. The intentional mingling of contradictory ideas or expressions for rhetorical effect, as in “getting nowhere fast.”
Ozawa, Seiji. (1935–) Japanese conductor.
“Ozymandias” for the sonnet by Shelley (1818). Not Oxy-.
Pp
pablum (or pabulum). Food; in figurative sense it is used to convey the idea of being weak or nutritiously insipid. When capitalized it is a trademark for a brand of baby food.
pachyderm. Thick-skinned animal such as an elephant or rhinoceros.
paddywhack. A tantrum.
Paderewski, Ignace Jan. (1860–1941) Polish concert pianist, composer, and prime minister (1919–1920).
Padova. The Italian name for Padua.
paean, paeon, peon. A paean (alternative spelling pean) is a hymn or song of praise. A paeon is a metrical foot in classical poetry. A peon is a servant or peasant.
paella. Spanish dish of rice and chicken or seafood.
Paganini, Niccolò. (1782–1840) Italian violin virtuoso and composer.
Paget’s
disease. Bone disorder.
Pago Pago. Capital of American Samoa; pronounced pango pango.
Pahlavi, Mohammed Reza. (1919–1980) Shah of Iran (1941–1979).
Paige, Satchel. (1906–1982) Legendary baseball pitcher, born Leroy Robert Paige. Name often shortened to “Satch.”
pail, pale. The first is a small bucket; the second means lacking color. The expression is beyond the pale. Historically the Pale signified the areas of Ireland controlled by the English; lands beyond were therefore beyond English control.
paillasse. A thin and very basic mattress.
Paine, Thomas. (1737–1809) British-born American political philosopher and pamphleteer.
Paiute. Native American people.
palate, palette, pallet. Palate has to do with the mouth and taste. Palette is the board used by artists. Pallet is a mattress, a machine part, or the wooden platform on which freight is stood.
palaver. Fuss.
Palazzo Vecchio, Florence.
Paleocene. Geological epoch.
paleology. Study of antiquities.
paleontology. Study of fossils.
Palikir. Capital of Micronesia.
palindrome. A word or passage that reads the same forward and backward, as in “A man, a plan, a canal: Panama.”
palisade.
Palladian architecture. The style of architecture of Andrea Palladio (1508–1580).
pall-mall, pell-mell. The first was a game popular in the eighteenth century. A favored site for playing it later became the London street Pall Mall. For the act of moving crazily or in haste, the word is pell-mell. All versions of the word, including Pall Mall, are pronounced pell mell.
Palme, Olof. (1927–1986) Swedish politician.
Palmers Green, London (no apos.).
PalmPilot (one word) for the handheld organizer.
palomino. Type of horse; pl. palominos.
palsy.
Pamuk, Orhan. (1952–) Turkish novelist, awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006.
panacea is a universal remedy, a cure for all woes, and is not properly applied to a single shortcoming.
pandemonium.
panegyric. A formal speech of praise.
Pangloss. An excessively optimistic character in Voltaire’s Candide; hence any optimistic person.
panjandrum. Self-important person, pompous official.
Pankhurst, Emmeline. (1858–1928) English activist for women’s rights. Her daughters, Dame Christabel Pankhurst (1880–1958), Sylvia Pankhurst (1882–1960), and Adela Pankhurst (1885–1961), were similarly dedicated to women’s causes.
Pão de Açucar. Portuguese for Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro.
Paolozzi, Eduardo. (1924–) Scottish sculptor.
Papal Nuncio. A prelate acting as an ambassador of the pope.
paparazzi is plural; a single roving photographer who stalks celebrities is a paparazzo.
papier mâché.
Pap test. A test for cervical cancer and other disorders devised by Dr. George Papanicolaou (1883–1962), a Greek-American doctor.
papyrus. Writing material; pl. papyruses or papyri.
Paracelsus. (1493–1541) Swiss physician and alchemist; real name Theophrastus Philippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hoheneim.
paradisaical. Not -iacal. Having the nature of paradise.
paraffin.
paragon. Model of excellence.
parakeet.
parallel, paralleled, paralleling.
paralysis, paralyze.
Paraná. South American river.
paranoia, paranoiac.
paraphernalia.
paraphrase.
paraquat. Lethal herbicide.
parasite.
parasol.
parbleu! (Fr.) Exclamation of surprise.
Parcheesi. (Cap.)
pardonnez-moi. (Fr.) “Pardon me.”
par excellence. (Fr.) The best of its type.
pariah. Person of low standing; a social outcast.
Paribas. Short for Compagnie Financière de Paris et des Pays-Bas; French bank.
pari passu. (Lat.) With the same speed, at an equal rate.
parka. Type of coat.
Parkinson’s disease is the traditional name, but increasingly the non-possessive Parkinson disease is displacing it, particularly in medical texts.
Parkinson’s Law. “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” Stated by C. Northcote Parkinson (1909–1993), British writer.
parlay, parley. The first is to use one gain to make another (“He parlayed his winnings into a small fortune”). The second is a conference.
Parmesan cheese. (Cap. P.) In Italian, parmigiano (no cap.).
Parmigianino, II. (1504–1540) Italian painter; real name Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola.
Parnassus, Mt. Former name of Líakoura, a Greek mountain.
paroxysm.
parquet flooring.
Parr, Catherine. (1512–1548) Sixth wife of Henry VIII.
parricide. The murder of a parent or close relative.
Parry, Sir William Edward. (1790–1855) British admiral and explorer.
Parsifal. Opera by Wagner (1879).
Parsiism. Indian religion, related to Zoroastrianism.
Parsons Green, London (no apos.).
Parthian shot. A remark or blow made while retreating.
parti pris. (Fr.) A prejudice.
Parti Québécois. Canadian political party.
partly, partially. Although they are often interchangeable, their meanings are slightly different. Partially means incompletely and partly means in part. “The house was made partially of brick and partially of stone” would be better as “partly of brick and partly of stone.”
parturition. Birth.
parvenu (masc.)/parvenue (fem.). An upstart; a person who has risen above his original social class; pl. parvenus (masc.)/parvenues (fem.).
Pasadena, California, home of the Rose Bowl, or Tournament of Roses.
paso doble. (Sp.) A type of dance.
Pasolini, Pier Paolo. (1922–1975) Italian writer, actor, and film director.
passable, passible. The first means capable of being passed (“The road was passable”) or barely satisfactory (“The food was passable”); the second means capable of feeling or suffering.
Passchendaele. Not -dale. Belgian village, scene of bloody battle in World War I.
passe-partout. A passkey; adhesive tape used in picture framing.
passersby.
past. Often a space waster, as in this example: “Davis said the dry conditions had been a recurrent problem for the past thirty years.” In this sentence, and in countless others like it, “the past” could be deleted without any loss of sense. Equally tautological and to be avoided are such expressions as past records, past history, past experience, past achievements, and past precedents. See also LAST, LATEST.
Pasteur, Louis. (1822–1895) French chemist.
pastiche. A work inspired by a variety of sources.
pastille.
pastrami.
pâté de foie gras.
Patek Philippe. Swiss watch manufacturer.
paterfamilias. (One word.) Male head of house.
Paterson, New Jersey.
pâtisserie.
Pattenmakers’ Company. London livery company; not Pattern-. (A patten is a type of shoe or clog.)
Pauli, Wolfgang. (1900–1958) Austrian-born physicist, awarded Nobel Prize for Physics (1945).
Pavarotti, Luciano. (1935–2007) Italian tenor.
pavilion. Not -ll-.
pax vobiscum. (Lat.) “Peace be with you.”
Pays-Bas. French name for the Netherlands.
Pb is the chemical symbol for lead; short for plumbum.
PCBs. Polychlorinated biphenyls, organic substance used in hydraulics and electrical systems; banned in most Western countries.
peaceable, peaceful. Peaceful means tranquil and serene. Peaceable is a disposition toward the state of peacef
ulness.
peak, peek. The first is a point or summit; the second means to steal a look.
Pearse, Padraic. (1879–1916) Irish writer and nationalist.
Peary, Robert Edwin. (1856–1920) American admiral and explorer, first to reach the North Pole (1909).
pease pudding.
peccadillo. A minor fault; pl. peccadilloes.
pedal, peddle. The first applies to devices or actions involving foot power—the pedal on a piano, to pedal a bicycle. The second is a verb only, meaning to sell goods in an informal or itinerant manner. The person who sells such goods is a peddler.
pedant, pedagogue. The two are synonyms. They describe someone who makes an ostentatious show of his learning or is dogmatically fussy about rules. Some dictionaries still give pedagogue as a synonym for teacher or educator, but its pejorative sense has effectively driven out the neutral one.
pederasty. Sexual relations between an adult male and boy.
Peeblesshire. Former Scottish county. Note -ss-.
peek, peak. The first means to steal a look; the second is a point or summit.
peekaboo. (No hyphens.)
Peekskill, New York.
Peel, Sir Robert. (1788–1850) British prime minister (1834–1835, 1841–1846).
Pei, I. M. (for Ieoh Ming). (1917–) Chinese-born American architect.
Peirce, Charles Sanders. (1839–1914) American philosopher; pronounced purse.
Pekingese dog.
pekoe. A tea.
Pelagianism. (Cap.) A heresy.
pelargonium. Flowering plant popularly known as the geranium.
Pelé. Nickname of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (1940–), celebrated Brazilian soccer player.
pell-mell. In a state of confusion. See also PALL MALL.
Peloponnesus. Southern peninsula of Greece; in Greek it is Pelopónnisos.
pelota. Another name for the game of jai alai.
pemmican. Dried meat.
penance.
PEN. Short for Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists; an international association.
pendant (noun), pendent (adj.).
Penetanguishene, Ontario.
penicillin.
Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company. British shipping company commonly known as P&O.
Penney, J.C. U.S. department store group, is now JCPenney (one word).
penniless.
penn’orth. (British, mostly historical.) A penny’s worth.
Pensacola, Florida.
