Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [113]
sizable.
Skagerrak. Note -rr-. Channel of the North Sea lying between Norway and Denmark.
skedaddle.
skein. Flock of geese in flight or bundle of thread or yarn; pronounced skane.
skeptic, skepticism.
ski, skied, skiing.
skiddoo. To depart hastily.
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. American architectural firm.
skilless. Note -ll-. This clumsy word, meaning to be without skills, is better avoided.
skillful.
skirmish.
skulduggery. Not skull-.
sleight of hand. Not slight.
sloe. A bluish-black wild plum. Hence, sloe-eyed, sloe gin.
slough. Pronounced to rhyme with cow, it means a swamp or bog; pronounced to rhyme with rough, it means to shed skin.
smart alec (or aleck).
smidgen (or smidgin or smidgeon).
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
smoky.
Smollett, Tobias. (1721–1771) British novelist.
Smuts, Jan Christian. (1870–1950) Prime minister of South Africa (1919–1924, 1939–1948).
Smyrna. Former name of Izmir, Turkish city on Aegean Sea.
SNCF. Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer, French national railway company.
sneaked, snuck. The day may come well when snuck supersedes sneaked—it probably already has done so in speech—but it is worth bearing in mind that many authorities continue to regard it as nonstandard. Use sneaked instead.
snippet.
Soane’s Museum, Sir John, London. Note apos.
so as to. The first two words can generally be deleted without loss, as they might have been here: “The rest of the crowd stuffed hot dogs into their faces so as to avoid being drawn into the discussion.”
sobriquet. A nickname; pronounced so-bri-kay'.
Society of Friends. Formal name of the Quakers.
Sofia. Capital of Bulgaria; in Bulgarian, Sofiya.
SoHo. Manhattan district; short for South of Houston Street.
soi-disant. (Fr.) Self-styled.
soigné (Fr. masc.)/soignée (Fr. fem.). Well groomed.
sojourn.
soliloquy, soliloquies.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City.
solos.
soluble, solvable. The first is something that can be dissolved; the second is something that can be solved.
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander. (1918–) Russian novelist.
somersault.
sometime, some time. Most often it is one word: “They will arrive sometime tomorrow.” But when some is used as an adjective equivalent to a short or a long or an indefinite, it should be two words: “The announcement was made some time ago.”
Three considerations may help you to make the distinction:
1. Some time as two words is usually preceded by a preposition (“for some time,” “at some time”) or followed by a helping word (“some time ago”).
2. Some time can always be replaced with an equivalent expression (“a short time ago,” “a long time ago,” etc.); sometime cannot.
3. When spoken, greater stress is placed on time when some time is two words.
Sommet Center, Nashville; pronounced so-may.
Somoza, Anastasio. (1925–1980) President of Nicaragua (1967–1972, 1974–1979).
Sondheim, Stephen. (1930–) American composer and lyricist.
son et lumière. (Fr.) Nighttime sound and light show.
Sophocles. (495–406 BC) Greek playwright.
sophomore, sophomoric.
Sorbonne, Paris; formally Académie Universitaire de Paris.
Sorenstam, Annika. (1970–) Swedish professional golfer.
sortie. A quick attack, especially by the besieged on their besiegers; also, one mission by a single military aircraft.
Sotheby’s. Auctioneers; formerly Sotheby Parke Bernet & Co., now Sotheby’s Holdings Inc.
Sotomayor, Javier. (1967–) Cuban high jumper.
souchong. Chinese tea.
soufflé. Light, puffy dish made with egg whites.
souk. Market in Arab countries.
soupçon. A very small amount.
sou’wester. Rain hat with a broad brim at the back or a southwest wind.
Sovereign Bancorp Inc. Pennsylvania-based bank.
Soviet Union, the, formally ceased to exist in 1991. It comprised fifteen Union Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Byelorussia, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Soyinka, Wole. (1934–) Nigerian writer; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature 1986. Full