Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [27]
coequal is a pointless word; co- adds nothing to equal that equal doesn’t already say alone.
Coetzee, J. M. (for John Maxwell) (1940–) South African–born Australian author, awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003.
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Coeur de Lion, Richard. (1157–1199) Richard the Lionheart, Richard I of England.
cogito, ergo sum. (Lat.) “I think, therefore I am.” Descartes’s aphorism.
cognoscente. A person who is well informed or of elevated taste; pl. cognoscenti.
Cohan, George M. (for Michael) (1878–1942) American songwriter and performer, playwright, and producer.
Cohen-Tannoudji, Claude. (1933–) French physicist, born in Algeria; awarded Nobel Prize for Physics (1997).
Cointreau. Liqueur.
Coleman, Ornette. (1930–) American jazz saxophonist.
coleus.
Colgate-Palmolive. (Hyphen.) Personal products company.
colic, but colicky.
coliseum, Colosseum. The first applies to any large amphitheater; the second is a particular amphitheater in Rome.
collapsible. Not -able.
collectible is the normal U.S. spelling, but collectable is an accepted alternative.
collectives. Deciding whether to treat nouns of multitude—words like majority, flock, variety, group, crowd, and so on—as singulars or plurals is entirely a matter of the sense you intend to convey. Although some authorities have tried to fix rules, such undertakings are almost always futile. On the whole, Americans lean to the singular and Britons to the plural, often in ways that would strike the other as absurd (compare the American “The couple was married in March” with the British “England are to play Hungary in their next match”). A common fault is to flounder about between singular and plural. Even Samuel Johnson stumbled when he wrote that he knew of no nation “that has preserved their words and phrases from mutability.” Clearly the italicized words should be either singular both times or plural both times. See also NUMBER and TOTAL.
collisions can occur only when two or more moving objects come together. If a car runs into a stationary object, it is not a collision.
Colman, Ronald. (1891–1958) English actor.
Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. Town east of Paris where Charles de Gaulle is buried.
Colombia. South American country; capital Bogotá.
Colombo. Capital of Sri Lanka.
Colón, Cristóbal. Spanish spelling of Christopher Columbus. In his native Italy, his name was Cristoforo Colombo.
colonnade.
colossal.
Colosseum, Rome.
Colossus of Rhodes.
colostomy.
Colquhoun. Scottish name; pronounced ko-hoon'.
Columba, St. (521–597) Irish saint associated with the Scottish island of Iona.
Columbus Day. Second Monday in October.
combatant, combated, combating.
combustible. Capable of being burned.
Comédie-Française. National theater of France; formally, the Théâtre Français.
Comedy of Errors, The, not A, for the play by William Shakespeare.
Comerica Park. Detroit baseball stadium, home of the Tigers.
comestible. Foodstuff.
comic, comical. Something that is comic is intended to be funny (“a comic performance”). Something that is comical is funny whether or not that was the intention (“a comical misunderstanding”).
Comiskey Park. Former Chicago baseball stadium, home of the White Sox; the team’s stadium is now called U.S. Cellular Field.
commedia dell’arte. Type of farcical Italian comedy.
commence. An unnecessary genteelism. What’s wrong with “begin”?
commingle. To mix together. Note -mm-.
commiserate.
committal.
Commodus, Lucius Aelius Aurelius. (AD 161–192) Roman emperor (AD 180–192).
Comoros. Island state off Madagascar; capital Moroni.
compact disc. Not disk.
comparatively. “Comparatively little progress was made in the talks yesterday” (Guardian). Compared with what? Comparatively should be reserved for occasions when a comparison is being expressed or at least clearly implied. If all you mean is fairly or only a little, choose another word. See also RELATIVELY.
compare to, compare with. These two can be usefully distinguished. Compare to should be used to liken things,