Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [11]
bale, bail. A bale is a bundle, as of cotton or hay. Bail is a prisoner’s bond, the pieces that rest atop the stumps in cricket, and the act of scooping water. You bail out a boat, but bale out of an aircraft. A malicious person wears a baleful expression.
Balearic Islands. Cluster of Spanish islands in the Mediterranean; in Spanish, Islas Baleares.
Balladur, Édouard. (1929–) Prime minister of France (1993-1995).
Ballesteros, Severiano. (1957–) Spanish golfer; nickname “Sevvy.”
Balliol College, Oxford University.
Baluchistan. Region in Pakistan bordered by Iran and Afghanistan.
Band-Aid (hyphen) is a trademark.
bandanna. Note -anna, not -ana.
bandicoot. Type of marsupial.
banister. Handrail on a staircase.
banjos.
Banjul. Capital of Gambia; formerly called Bathurst.
BankAmerica Corporation is now Bank of America.
Bankers Trust. (No apos.)
Bankhead, Tallulah. (1903-1968) American actress.
Ban Ki-moon. (1944–) South Korean diplomat; secretary-general of United Nations (2007–); on second reference, Mr. Ban.
Bannister, Sir Roger (Gilbert). (1929–) First person to run a mile in less than four minutes (3 minutes, 59.4 seconds; 1954).
banns. Notice in church of intended marriage.
banshee. Evil spirit; in Gaelic, bean sídhe.
Bantustan. South African black homeland.
banzai, bonsai. The first is a Japanese war cry; the second is a type of Japanese gardening centered on miniature trees.
baptistery.
Barabbas. In the New Testament, the condemned thief released instead of Jesus by Pilate.
Barbadian. Of or from Barbados. The slang term Bajan is also sometimes used.
barbaric, barbarous. Barbaric, properly used, emphasizes crudity and a lack of civilizing influence. A sharpened stick might be considered a barbaric implement of war. Barbarous stresses cruelty and harshness and usually contains at least a hint of moral condemnation, as in “barbarous ignorance” or “barbarous treatment.”
Barbarossa. Not -rosa. Nickname of Frederick I (c. 1123-1190), Holy Roman Emperor; German code name for the invasion of the USSR in 1941.
barbecue is the only acceptable spelling in serious writing.
Barbizon School. Group of French landscape painters, among them Millet, Daubigny, and Rousseau.
Barclays Bank, UK (no apos.).
Barents Sea.
bar mitzvah. Religious coming-of-age ceremony for Jewish boys; the ceremony for girls is a bat mitzvah. The plural is mitzvoth or mitzvahs.
Barnard, Christiaan. (1922-2001) South African heart surgeon. Note -aa- in first name.
Barnes & Noble. (Ampersand.)
Barneys New York. (No apos.) Clothing retailer.
Barnstable. Town and county, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but Barnstaple, England.
Barnum, P(hineas) T(aylor). (1810-1891) American showman.
baron, baroness, baronet. A baron has the lowest rank in the British nobility. A baronage can be either hereditary or nonhereditary. Holders of the latter are called life peers. A baroness is a woman who is the wife or widow of a baron, or a peer in her own right. In British contexts, Lord or Lady can be substituted for Baron or Baroness, e.g., Baron Baden-Powell is called Lord Baden-Powell. A baronet is not a peer; this is a hereditary title ranking below a peer but above a knight. See also BRITISH ARISTOCRACY.
barracuda.
Barrie, J. M. (formally Sir James Matthew Barrie) (1860-1937) Scottish writer, creator of Peter Pan.
Barroso, José Manuel. (1956–) Portuguese politician, president of the European Commission (2004-2009).
Bartholdi, Frédéric Auguste. (1834-1904) French sculptor; designed Statue of Liberty.
Bartholomew Day, August 24, but the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572) and St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London (familiarly known as Bart’s).
Bartók, Béla. (1881-1945) Hungarian pianist and composer.
Bartolommeo, Fra. (1475-1517) Florentine painter.
Basel, Basle, Bâle. Third-largest city in Switzerland. Basel is the usual spelling in the United States and Germany; Basle is the usual spelling in Switzerland and Britain; Bâle is the usual spelling among French speakers.
Baasescu, Traian. (1951–) President of Romania (2004