Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [22]
careen, career. Occasionally confused when describing runaway vehicles and the like. Careen should convey the idea of swaying or tilting dangerously. If all you mean is uncontrolled movement, use career.
caret, not carat, for the insertion mark (^) associated with proofreading. See also CARAT, CARET, KARAT.
cargoes.
Caribbean.
Cariboo Mountains, Canada; part of the Rockies.
caricature.
CARICOM. Short for Caribbean Community, regional trade organization.
carillon.
Carioca. (Cap.) Colloquial name for a person or persons from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Carisbrooke Castle, Isle of Wight, England.
Carl XVI Gustaf. (1946–) King of Sweden (1973–).
Carlyle Group. Investment company.
Carlyle Hotel, New York City.
Carlyle, Thomas. (1795–1881) Scottish historian.
Carmichael, Hoagy. (1899–1981) American songwriter; full name Hoagland Howard Carmichael.
Carnap, Rudolf. (1891–1970) German-born American philosopher.
Carnarvon, Lord. (Formally George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, Earl of Carnarvon) (1866–1923) English archaeologist, co-discoverer with Howard Carter of the famous tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt.
Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, but Carnegie Institution, Washington, D.C.
Carnoustie, Scotland, site of famous golf course.
carom.
Carothers, Wallace (Hume). (1896–1937) American scientist and inventor of nylon.
carotid arteries.
carpaccio. Thinly sliced beef, named for Vittore Carpaccio (c. 1460–c. 1526), Italian painter.
carpal tunnel syndrome.
carpe diem. (Lat.) “Seize the day,” make the most of the present.
Carpentaria, Gulf of, Australia.
Carrantuohill. Highest mountain in Ireland (31,414 feet), in Macgillicuddy’s Reeks, County Kerry.
Carrara. Town in Tuscany, Italy, and the fine white marble quarried nearby.
Carrasquel, Chico. (1928–2005) Venezuelan baseball star, played mostly for Chicago White Sox.
Carrefour. French supermarket group.
Carroll, Diahann. (1935–) American singer and actress.
Carroll, Lewis. Pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832–1898).
cartel describes not just any alliance of businesses but one designed to maximize prices; unless a negative connotation is desired, avoid the word.
Carter Barron Amphitheatre, Washington, D.C. Note that Amphitheatre is spelled -re.
Carthusian.
Cartier-Bresson, Henri. (1908–2004) French photographer.
cartilage.
Carton, Sydney. Principal character in Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities.
Caruso, Enrico. (1874–1921) Italian tenor.
Cary, Joyce. (1888–1957) British author; full name Arthur Joyce Lunel Cary.
caryatid. In architecture, a female form used as a supporting pillar.
Casablanca, Morocco.
Casals, Pablo. (1876–1973) Spanish cellist.
Casanova (de Seingalt), Giovanni Jacopo/Giacomo. (1725–1798) Italian adventurer.
cashmere.
Cassamassima, The Princess. Novel by Henry James (1886).
Cassandra. In Greek mythology, she was given the power of prophecy by Apollo but doomed never to be believed. The name is now used as a synonym for any prophet of doom.
Cassatt, Mary. (1845–1926) American impressionist painter.
cassava. Root crop widely grown in Africa and parts of Asia and South America; also known as manioc, yuca, or tapioca.
Cassavetes, John. (1930–1989) American actor and director.
cassette.
Cassiopeia. A constellation in the northern hemisphere named for the mother of Andromeda in Greek mythology.
cassowary. Flightless bird.
castenets. Spanish rhythm instruments.
caster, castor. The first is the spelling for a wheel on a chair; the second is the spelling of the oil or bean.
Castile. Area of northern Spain; in Spanish, Castilla. The name appears in two Spanish regions: Castilla–La Mancha and Castilla-León.
Castlereagh, Robert Stewart, Viscount. (1769–1822) British statesman.
castrato. Castrated soprano; pl. castrati.
casus belli. (Lat.) Act that gives rise to war.
catalyst is not just any agent of change, but one that hastens change without becoming changed itself.
catamaran.
catarrh.
cater-corner. Not catty-corner.
Catharine’s College, St., Cambridge University, England, but St. Catherine’s College, Oxford.
CAT scan. Short