Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [122]
turbid, turgid. The first means muddy or impenetrable; the second means inflated, grandiloquent, bombastic.
Turkmenistan. Former republic of the Soviet Union, now an independent state; capital Ashgabat (or Ashkhabad).
turpitude does not signify rectitude or integrity, as is sometimes thought, but rather baseness or depravity. “He is a man of great moral turpitude” is not a compliment.
turquoise.
Tuskegee, Alabama, home of Tuskegee University (formerly Tuskegee Institute).
Tussaud’s, Madame. London waxworks museum.
Tutankhamun (or Tutankhamen). (c. 1359–c. 1340 BC) Egyptian pharaoh.
tutti-frutti.
TWA. Trans World Airlines (no hyphens), former airline.
Twain, Mark. Pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910), American author.
Tylers’ and Bricklayers’ Company. London livery company. Not Tilers’.
Tymoshenko, Yulia. (1960–) Prime minister of Ukraine (2005).
Tynedale (or Tindale), William. (c. 1484–1536) English biblical scholar.
tyrannosaur. Any dinosaur of the genus Tyrannosaurus. The largest tyrannosaur was Tyrannosaurus rex.
tyrannous.
tyro. A novice; pl. tyros.
Tyrol. Region of Austria and Italy; not the Tyrol. In German Tirol; in Italian, Tirolo.
Tyrrhenian Sea. Stretch of the Mediterranean between Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily.
Tyus, Wyomia. (1945–) American sprinter.
Uu
U. A Burmese honorific, roughly equivalent to Mr.
UAE. United Arab Emirates.
UAL. United Airlines.
UAR. United Arab Republic, title used by Egypt and Syria together from 1958 to 1961, and by Egypt alone from 1961 to 1971.
Übermensch. (Ger.) Superman.
ubiquitous, ubiquity.
U-boat. Short for Unterseeboot, German term for submarine.
UBS PaineWebber Inc. Investment company.
Uccellina National Park, Tuscany, Italy.
Uccello, Paolo. (1397–1475) Italian painter; born Paolo di Dono.
UCLA. University of California at Los Angeles.
UDI. Unilateral declaration of independence.
Udmurtiya. Russian republic.
Ueberroth, Peter. (1937–) American businessman, former commissioner of Major League Baseball.
UEFA. Union of European Football Associations.
Ueno Park. Station and district, Tokyo.
Uffizi Gallery, Florence; in Italian, Galleria degli Uffizi.
UHF. Ultra-high frequency.
UHT. Ultra-heat tested (not ultra-high temperature), process for long-life milk products.
uisge beatha. Gaelic for whiskey.
ukase. An edict.
Ukraine. Former republic of Soviet Union, now an independent state; capital Kiev.
ukulele. Not uke-. Stringed instrument.
Ulaanbaatar (or Ulan Bator). Capital of Mongolia.
Ullmann, Liv. (1939–) Norwegian actress.
Ullswater. One of the Lake District lakes, Cumbria, England.
ulna. The larger bone in the forearm; pl. ulnas/ulnae.
Ulster. Province of Ireland, not coextensive with Northern Ireland; three counties are in the Republic of Ireland.
ultimatums.
ululate. To howl or hoot.
Uluru is the formal, and generally preferred, name for Ayers Rock in Australia; pronounced oo-luh-roo. It is part of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The resort alongside it is Yulara.
Ulysses/Odysseus. Two names for the same person: the leader of the Greeks in the Trojan war. The first is Latin, the second Greek.
Umayyad Dynasty. Muslim empire (661–750).
umbilicus. The umbilical cord.
unadulterated.
un-American, un-French, etc.
unanimous, unanimity.
una voce. (Lat.) With one voice, unanimously.
unbiased.
unbribable.
unchristian, but non-Christian.
UNCTAD. United Nations Conference on (not for) Trade and Development, agency set up in 1964 with the purpose of smoothing trade differences between nations and promoting economic development.
unctuous. Oily.
underdog. (One word.)
Underground. (Cap.) London subway system.
Under Milk Wood. (Three words.) Dylan Thomas play (1954).
under way. (Two words.)
un-English, un-British, etc.
UNESCO. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
unexceptionable, unexceptional. Something that is unexceptional is ordinary, not outstanding (“an unexceptional wine