Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [124]
use, usage. Usage normally appears only in the context of formal practices, particularly in regard to linguistics (“modern English usage”), and use does duty for all other senses, but most dictionaries recognize the words as interchangeable in nearly all contexts. See also UTILIZE, USE.
USSR. See UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS.
usufruct. The right to use another’s property so long as no damage is done, as with walking on a path across farmland.
usury. The practice of lending money at a grossly inflated rate of interest; the adjectival form is usurious.
Uther Pendragon. Legendary father of King Arthur.
utilize, use. Utilize is the preferred term for making use of something that wasn’t intended for the purpose (“He utilized a coat hanger to repair the car”) or for extracting maximum value (“The farmers utilized every square inch of the hillside”). In other senses use is generally better.
Utrillo, Maurice. (1883–1955) French artist.
Utsunomiya, Honshu, Japan.
Uttar Pradesh. Indian state; capital Lucknow.
utterance.
Utzon, Jørn. (1918–) Danish architect, best known for designing Sydney Opera House.
uvula. The piece of flesh hanging at the back of the mouth above the throat.
uxoricide. The murder of a wife by her husband, and the man who commits such a crime.
Uzbekistan. Former Soviet republic, now an independent country; capital Tashkent.
Vv
vacillate.
vade-mecum. A handbook carried on the person for constant use.
vagary, pl. vagaries.
vagrant, vagrancy.
Vaishnava. Hindu devotee of Vishnu.
Vajpayee, Atal Bihari. (1924–) Prime minister of India (1996, 1998–2004).
valance, valence. The first is a short drapery; the second is a term from chemistry to describe molecular bonding.
Val-d’Isère. Ski resort in French Alps.
valediction. A farewell speech; adj. valedictory.
Valenciennes lace.
Valera, Éamon de. (1882–1975) U.S.-born prime minister of Ireland (1919–1921, 1932–1948, 1957–1959) and president (1959–1973).
valetudinarian. A person, particularly an invalid, obsessed with his or her health.
Valhalla. In Norse mythology, a great hall of slain warriors.
valiant.
Valium. (Cap.) Brand of tranquilizer.
Valkyrie. In Norse mythology, one of the twelve handmaidens of Odin.
Valladolid. Province and city in Castile, Spain.
Valle d’Aosta. Region of Italy.
Valletta. Capital of Malta.
vamoose. To flee or leave hurriedly.
Van Alen, William. (1883–1954) American architect who designed Chrysler Building, New York. Note unusual spelling of Alen.
Vanbrugh, Sir John. (1664–1726) English architect and playwright.
Van Buren, Martin. (1782–1862) U.S. president (1837–1841).
Van de Graaff, Robert J(emison). (1901–1967) American physicist and inventor of the Van de Graaff generator.
van der Post, Sir Laurens. (1906–1996) South African writer and explorer.
Vandross, Luther. (1951–2005) American entertainer.
Vandyke (or Van Dyck), Sir Anthony. (1599–1641) Born Anton Van Dijck, but that spelling is almost never encountered outside his native Belgium. In America his name is usually rendered as Sir Anthony Vandyke, though Van Dyck (the spelling favored in Britain) is also sometimes found. In both countries, objects associated with him are spelled Vandyke—e.g., “a Vandyke beard,” “a Vandyke collar.”
Vänern. Largest lake in Sweden.
van Eyck, Jan. (c. 1380–1440) Flemish painter.
van Gogh, Vincent. (1853–1890) Dutch painter.
Vanuatu. Island republic in the South Pacific, formerly the New Hebrides; capital Port-Vila (or Port Vila, without hyphen).
vaquero. Spanish for “cowboy.”
Vargas, Getúlio Dornelles. (1883–1954) President of Brazil (1930–1945, 1951–1954).
varicella. Medical name for chickenpox.
varicose veins.
variegated.
various different is inescapably repetitive.
VDU. Visual display unit, a computer screen.
Veblen, Thorstein. (1857–1929) American economist.
Vecchio, Palazzo, Florence, Italy. The famous bridge across the Arno is the Ponte Vecchio.
VE Day (or V-E Day). May 8, 1945, the date of the Allied victory in Europe in World War II.
veins, but venous.
Velázquez (or Velásquez),