Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [106]
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Rio Grande. Not Rio Grande River.
Rio Tinto-Zinc. British mining company. Note position of hyphen.
“Rip Van Winkle.” Story by Washington Irving (1819).
risotto. Italian rice dish.
rissole. Deep-fried mincemeat or fish in the form of a ball or patty.
Rive Gauche. (Fr.) The Left Bank, most commonly used of the Seine in Paris.
Riyadh. Capital of Saudi Arabia; in Arabic, Ar Riyad.
RNA. Ribonucleic acid.
Roanoke, Virginia.
Robbins, Jerome. (1918–1998) American choreographer; born Jerome Rabinowitz.
Robespierre, Maximilien François Marie Isidore de. (1758–1794) French revolutionary.
Robins, A. H. U.S. pharmaceuticals company.
Rochefoucauld, François, Duc de La. (1613–1680) French writer known for his maxims.
Rockefeller, John D(avison). (1839–1937) American business tycoon. Note middle name was Davison, not Davidson.
rock ’n’ roll.
Rockville Centre, New York. Not Center.
rococo.
Rodgers, Jimmie. (1897–1933) U.S. country music singer.
Rodgers, Richard. (1902–1979) American composer, collaborated often with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II.
Rodin, Auguste. (1840–1917) French sculptor.
Roebling, John Augustus. (1806–1869) American engineer, designer of Brooklyn Bridge.
Roedean School, Brighton, England.
Roederer, Louis, champagne.
Roeg, Nicolas. (1928–) British film director. Note unusual spelling of first name.
Rogers Centre. Not -er. Toronto sporting arena; formerly SkyDome.
Rogers, Ginger. (1911–1995) Actress and dancer; real name Virginia Katherine McMath.
Rogers, Richard. (Baron Rogers of Riverside) (1933–) British architect.
Rohrabacher, Dana. (1947–) Republican U.S. representative from California.
Roissy. Informal name of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris.
Rolls-Royce. (Hyphen.)
roly-poly.
ROM. Read-only memory, a type of computer memory.
roman-à-clef. (Fr.) A novel about real people but using fictitious names; pl. romans-à-clef.
roman-fleuve. (Fr.) A long novel, or series of novels, chronicling several generations of a family; pl. romans-fleuves.
Romania. Not Ru-.
Roman numerals. See Appendix.
Romanov. Dynasty that ruled Russia from 1613–1917.
Romansch/Romansh. Language spoken in parts of Switzerland.
Romberg, Sigmund. (1887–1951) Hungarian-born American composer of operettas.
Rommel, Erwin. (1891–1944) German field marshal, commander of the Afrika Korps in World War II.
Roppongi. Nightclub district of Tokyo.
Roquefort. A French cheese, from the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.
Rorschach test. Psychological test involving ink blots devised by Swiss pyschiatrist and neurologist Hermann Rorschach (1884–1922).
Roseau. Capital of Dominica.
Rosebery, Lord. (1847–1929) Not -berry. British prime minister (1894–1895). His full name was Archibald Philip Primrose, Earl of Rosebery.
Rosenberg, Julius (1918–1953) and Ethel (1915–1953). Americans executed as Russian spies.
Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Rosenkavalier, Der. Opera by Richard Strauss (1911).
Rosetta stone.
Rosh Hashanah (or Hashana, Hoshana, Hoshanah). Jewish New Year, usually late September or early October.
Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana. (1952–) Republican U.S. representative from Florida.
Rosmersholm. Play by Henrik Ibsen (1886).
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel. (1828–1882) English poet and painter, one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood; brother of Christina Rossetti (1830–1894), poet.
Rossini, Gioacchino Antonio. (1792–1868) Italian composer.
Rostand, Edmond. (1868–1918) Not -mund. French playwright and poet.
Rostenkowski, Dan. (1928–) American politician.
Rostropovich, Mstislav. (1927–2007) Russian cellist.
rosy. Not rosey.
Rothko, Mark. (1903–1970) Russian-born American painter.
Rothschilds, a family of European financiers. Among the more distinguished members are Nathaniel Mayer Victor, Baron Rothschild (1910–1990), English scientist and public servant; Edmund Leopold de Rothschild (1916–2007), British banker; and Baron Élie Robert de Rothschild (1917–).
rottweiler for the breed