Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [33]
debacle. A rout or ruin; in French, débâcle.
De Bakey, Michael. (1908–) American heart surgeon.
de Beauvoir, Simone. (1908–1986) French author.
De Benedetti, Carlo. (1934–) Italian industrialist.
debonair. In French, it is débonnaire.
Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage. Guide to British aristocracy.
Debs, Eugene V(ictor). (1855–1926) American socialist and labor leader.
DeBusschere, Dave. (1940–2003) American basketball and baseball player.
Debussy, (Achille-) Claude. (1862–1918) French composer.
débutante.
decathlon. The ten events are long jump, high jump, pole vault, discus, shot put, javelin, 110-meter hurdles, and 100-, 400-, and 1,500-meter races.
deceit, deceive.
deci-. Prefix meaning one-tenth.
decimate. Literally the word means to reduce by a tenth (from the ancient practice of punishing the mutinous or cowardly by killing every tenth man). By extension it may be used to describe the inflicting of heavy damage, but it should never be used to denote annihilation, as in this memorably excruciating sentence cited by Fowler: “Dick, hotly pursued by the scalp-hunter, turned in his saddle, fired and literally decimated his opponent.” Equally to be avoided are contexts in which the word’s use is clearly inconsistent with its literal meaning, as in “Frost decimated an estimated 80 percent of the crops.”
décolletage. A plunging neckline on clothing.
Dedalus, Stephen. Character in James Joyce works. See also DAEDALUS.
de facto. (Lat.) Existing in fact but not in law; see also DE JURE.
defective, deficient. When something is not working properly, it is defective; when it is missing a necessary part, it is deficient.
Defferre, Gaston. (1910–1986) French Socialist politician and journalist.
defibrillator.
definite, definitive. Definite means precise and unmistakable. Definitive means final and conclusive. A definite offer is a clear one; a definitive offer is one that permits of no haggling.
Defoe, Daniel. (1659–1731) British author.
defuse, diffuse. Occasionally confused. Defuse means to make less harmful; diffuse means to spread thinly.
de Gaulle, Charles. (1890–1970) President of France (1944–1946, 1959–1969).
de haut en bas. (Fr.) “With contempt.”
De Havilland. Aircraft.
Deirdre of the Sorrows. Play by J. M. Synge.
déjà vu.
de jure. (Lat.) According to law; see also DE FACTO.
Dekker, Thomas. (c. 1570–c. 1640) English playwright.
de Klerk, F. W. (for Frederik Willem) (1936–) President of South Africa (1989–1994); co-winner with Nelson Mandela of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
de Kooning, Willem. (1904–1997) Dutch-born American painter.
Delacroix, Eugène. (1789–1863) French painter.
de La Tour, Georges. (1593–1652) French painter.
De Laurentiis, Dino. (1919–) Italian film producer; his formal first name is Agostino.
delectable. Not -ible.
Deledda, Grazia. (1871–1936) Italian novelist, awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926.
deleterious.
delftware. (No cap.)
Delilah.
DeLillo, Don. (1936–) American novelist.
Delius, Frederick. (1862–1934) British composer.
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. (No commas.) International accountancy company.
DeLorean. Automobile named for John Z. DeLorean (1925–2005).
de los Angeles, Victoria. (1924–2005) Spanish soprano.
Delta Air Lines. Note Air Lines two words.
Del Toro, Benicio. (1967–) Puerto Rican actor.
De Lucchi, Michele. (1951–) Italian architect and designer.
demagogue is the preferred spelling, though some authorities also accept demagog.
de mal en pis, de pis en pis. (Fr.) Both mean “from bad to worse.”
de Maupassant, (Henri René Albert) Guy. (1850–1893) French writer of short stories and novels.
Dementieva, Elena. (1981–) Russian tennis player.
Demerol. (Cap.) Type of medication.
Demeter. Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility; the Roman equivalent is Ceres.
De Mille, Cecil B(lount). (1881–1959) American film producer and director, noted for epics.
demimonde. (In French, demi-monde.) Term loosely applied to prostitutes, kept women, or anyone else living on the wrong side of respectability.
demise does not mean decline;