Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [103]
questionnaire. Note -nn-.
Quetzalcoatl. Aztec god.
queue, queuing.
Quezon City. Former capital of the Philippines (1948–1976).
quid pro quo. (Lat.) Tit for tat, a fair trade-off.
quiescent.
qu’importe? (Fr.) “What does it matter?”
quincentennial. Five-hundredth anniversary.
Quinnipiac University, Connecticut.
Quinquagesima. The fiftieth day before Easter, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.
quinquennial can mean either to last for five years or to occur once every five years. Because of the inherent ambiguity, the word is almost always better replaced with a more specific phrase.
quinsy. Historic name for tonsillitis.
quintessence, quintessential.
quisling. One who collaborates with a foreign enemy; after Vidkun Quisling (1887–1945), pro-Nazi Norwegian prime minister appointed by Germany.
Quito. Capital of Ecuador.
qui vive, on the. In a state of watchfulness.
Qum (or Qom). Holy city in Iran.
quod est demonstrandum. (Abbr. QED.) (Lat.) “Which was to be demonstrated.”
quod vide. (Abbr. q.v.) (Lat.) “Which see” used for cross-references.
Quonochontaug, Rhode Island.
Quonset hut. Prefabricated metal shelter.
quorum, pl. quorums.
Quran. Alternative spelling of Koran.
q.v. Quod vide (Lat.), “which see.” Used for cross-references.
qwerty keyboard. Standard English keyboard, so called because the first six letters of the first row of letters spell qwerty.
Rr
rabbet. Type of groove used in carpentry.
rabbi, rabbinical.
Rabelais, François. (c. 1494–c. 1553) French satirist.
Rabin, Yitzhak. (1922–1995) Israeli prime minister (1974–1977, 1992–1995).
raccoon.
Rachmaninoff (or Rachmaninov), Sergei. (1873–1943) Russian composer and pianist.
rack, wrack. Wrack is an archaic variant of wreck and now almost never appears except in the expression wrack and ruin. Rack means to put under strain. The expressions are nerve-racking and to rack one’s brain.
racket (pref.)/racquet (alt.).
racy.
radiator. Not -er.
radius. The plural can be either radii or radiuses.
raffia. Fiber used for mats.
Rafsanjani, Ali Akbar (Hashemi). (1934–) President of Iran (1989–1997).
ragamuffin.
ragout. In French, ragoût.
raise Cain, to.
raison d’être. (Fr.) “Reason for being.”
Rajasthan, India. Not -stan.
raki. Alcoholic drink of Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Ralegh, Sir Walter. (1552–1618) English courtier, explorer, and author. Raleigh was once the conventional spelling, but Ralegh is now generally preferred in serious and academic writings. However, for the city in North Carolina, the bicycles, and the cigarettes, use Raleigh.
Ramadan. Ninth month of the Muslim year, and the fast that takes place in that month.
Ramses (sometimes Rameses). Name of twelve pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
rand. South African currency; the plural is also rand.
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is the formal name of the home of the Texas Rangers baseball team.
ranges of figures. Sentences such as the following are common: “Profits in the division were expected to rise by between $35 and $45 million.” Although most people will see at once that the writer meant to indicate a range of $10 million, literally she was saying that profits could be as little as $35 or as much as $45 million. If you mean “between $35 million and $45 million,” it is always better to say so.
Ransom, John Crowe. (1888–1974) American poet and critic.
Ransome, Arthur. (1884–1967) British author of children’s stories.
Raphael. (1483–1520) Italian painter; real name Raffaello Santi (or Sanzio).
“Rappaccini’s Daughter.” Story by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1844).
Rappahannock River, Virginia.
rappel, rappelled, rappelling.
rapprochement. (Fr.) Reconciliation.
rapt, wrapped. One is rapt in thought, not wrapped. Rapt means engrossed, absorbed, enraptured.
rara avis. (Lat.) “A rare bird” an unusual or wonderful person or thing; pl. rarae aves.
rarefy, rarefaction, but rarity.
Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, The History of.