Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [34]
de mortuis de nil nisi bonum. (Lat.) Say nothing but good of the dead.
Demosthenes. (384–322 BC) Athenian orator and statesman.
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska; Denali is also an alternative name for Mount McKinley, North America’s highest peak (20,320 feet; 6,194 meters), which stands within the park.
Deng Xiaoping. (1904–1997) Chinese elder statesman.
De Niro, Robert. (1943–) American actor.
dénouement. Outcome or solution.
deodorant.
Deo gratias. (Lat.) “Thanks to God.”
Deo volente. (Lat.) “God willing.”
De Palma, Brian. (1941–) American film director.
dependant, dependent. The first refers to a person, the second to a situation.
deplete, reduce. Though their meanings are roughly the same, deplete has the additional connotation of injurious reduction. As the Evanses note, a garrison may be reduced by administrative order, but depleted by sickness.
deplore. Strictly, you may deplore a thing, but not a person. I may deplore your behavior, but I cannot deplore you.
deprecate does not mean to play down or show modesty, as is often intended. It means to disapprove of strongly or to protest against.
de profundis. (Lat.) “From the depths” a heartfelt cry.
De Quincy, Thomas. (1785–1859) English writer.
de rigueur. Often misspelled. Note the second u.
derisive, derisory. Something that is derisive conveys ridicule or contempt. Something that is derisory invites it. A derisory offer is likely to provoke a derisive response.
descendible.
Deschanel, Zooey. (1980–) American actress.
Deschutes River, Oregon.
déshabillé (Fr.) Untidily or incompletely dressed; usually rendered in English as dishabille.
De Sica, Vittorio. (1902–1974) Italian film actor and director.
desiccate.
de Soto, Hernando. (c. 1496–1542) Spanish explorer.
desperate.
despite, in spite of. There is no distinction between the two. A common construction is seen here: “But despite the cold weather the game went ahead.” Because despite and in spite of indicate a change of emphasis, “but” is generally superfluous with either. It is enough to say “Despite the cold weather the game went ahead.”
destroy is an incomparable—almost. If a house is consumed by fire, it is enough to say that it was destroyed, not that it was “completely destroyed” or “totally destroyed.” However, and illogical as it may seem, it is all right to speak of a house that has been partly destroyed. There is simply no other way of putting it without resorting to more circuitous descriptions. That is perhaps absurd and inconsistent, but ever thus was English.
destructible.
detestable.
de trop. (Fr.) Excessive.
Deukmejian, George. (1928–) Republican governor of California (1983–1991).
deus ex machina. In drama, a character or event that arrives late in the action and provides a solution.
Deuteronomy. The last book of the Pentateuch in the Old Testament.
Deutsche mark. (Two words.) Former currency of Germany. The euro is now used.
Deutsches Museum, Munich.
de Valera, Éamon. (1882–1975) U.S.-born prime minister (1919–1921, 1932–1948, and 1957–1959) and president (1959–1973) of Ireland.
devilry, deviltry. Either is acceptable.
Devil’s Island, French Guiana; site of infamous prison; in French, île du Diable.
Devils Playground. (No apos.) Desert in California.
Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming. (No apos.)
DeVoto, Bernard. (1897–1955) American historian and biographer. Note DeVoto is one word.
De Vries, Peter. (1910–1993) American novelist.
dexterous is preferred, but dextrous is acceptable.
Dhaulagiri. Himalayan mountain, seventh highest in the world (26,810 feet; 8,172 meters).
dhow. Arab boat.
DHTML. Short for Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language; computer terminology.
Diaghilev, Sergei (Pavlovich). (1872–1929) Russian ballet impresario, founder of Ballets Russes.
diagnosis, prognosis. To make a diagnosis is to identify and define a problem, usually a disease. A prognosis is a projection of the course and likely outcome of a problem. Diagnosis applies only to conditions, not to people. Thus, “Asbestos victims were not diagnosed in