Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [123]
Ungaretti, Giuseppe. (1888–1970) Italian poet.
unget-at-able. Note unget is one word.
unguent. Soothing cream or lotion.
UNHCR. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
unicameral legislature. A legislature having just one chamber.
UNICEF. United Nations Children’s Fund (formerly, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund).
UNIDO. United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
unilateral, bilateral, multilateral are slightly numbing words and are often unneeded anyway, as in “Bilateral trade talks are to take place next week between Britain and Japan.” Trade talks between Britain and Japan could hardly be other than two-sided. More often than not the context makes clear how much laterality is involved.
uninterested, disinterested. The first means not caring; the second means neutral.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (Abbr. USSR.) In Russian, Soyuz Sovyetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik; ceased to exist in 1991. See also SOVIET UNION.
unique means the only one of its kind. A thing cannot be “more unique” or “one of the most unique,” etc.
unison. All together.
Unisys. U.S. computer company.
United Airlines. (Abbr. UAL.) Not Air Lines.
United Arab Emirates. Formerly the Trucial States; composed of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujaira, Ras al Khaima, Sharja, and Umm al Qaiwain.
United Arab Republic. (Abbr. UAR.) Title used by Egypt and Syria together (1958–61) and by Egypt alone (1961–1971).
UnitedHealth Group. Health services company. Note UnitedHealth is one word.
United Kingdom. Formally, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; comprises England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
University College London. (No comma.)
unknown is often used imprecisely, as here: “A hitherto unknown company called Ashdown Oil has emerged as a bidder for the Wytch Farm oil interests.” A company must be known to someone, if only its directors. It would be better to call it a little-known company.
unlabeled.
unless and until. One or the other, please.
unlicensed.
unmanageable.
unmistakable.
unmovable.
unnamable.
unnatural. Note -nn-.
unnecessary. Note -nn-.
unnerved. Note -nn-.
unnumbered. Note-nn-.
unparalleled.
unpractical/impractical. The words are synonyms.
unraveled.
unridable.
UNRRA. United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.
unselfconscious.
unshakable.
until, till, ’til, ’till. The first two are legitimate and interchangeable. The second two are wrong and, indeed, illiterate.
untimely death is often somewhat fatuous; few deaths are timely.
ununbiium, ununhexium, ununnilium, ununquadium, unununium. Chemical elements all discovered or first produced between 1994 and 2000.
unwieldy.
up-and-coming. (Hyphens.)
Upanishads. Ancient Hindu metaphysical treatises.
UPI. United Press International.
Upper Volta. Former name of Burkina Faso.
Uppsala, Sweden.
upsilon. Not -ll-. Twentieth letter of the Greek alphabet.
upsy-daisy.
Urdang, Laurence. (1927–) American lexicographer.
uremia. Toxic blood condition associated with kidney failure.
urethra. Urinary duct; pl. urethrae or urethras.
Uriah Heep. Character in Dickens’s David Copperfield.
Uribe, Álvaro. (1952–) President of Colombia (2002–).
URL. Abbreviation of uniform resource locator, technospeak for a Web address on the Internet.
Urquhart. Scottish family name; pronounced erk'-ert.
Ursa Major, Ursa Minor. Constellations meaning respectively Big Bear and Little Bear.
ursine. Like or of a bear.
Ursuline. Order of nuns.
Uruguay. South American republic; capital Montevideo.
USAF. United States Air Force.
usage, use. The words are largely interchangeable. In general, usage appears in contexts involving languages (“modern English usage”) and use in most other cases.
US Airways. Formerly USAir.
USB. Short for Universal Serial Bus.
US Bancorp. American banking group.
US Cellular Field. Home of the Chicago White Sox baseball