Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [44]
extraneous. Not exter-.
extrovert. Not extra-.
ExxonMobil Corporation. U.S. oil company.
eyeing.
Ezeiza Airport, Buenos Aires.
E-ZPass. Trademarked toll collection system.
Ff
FAA. Federal Aviation Administration.
fable, parable, allegory, myth. Fables and parables are both stories intended to have instructional value. They differ in that parables are always concerned with religious or ethical themes, while fables are usually concerned with more practical considerations (and frequently have animals as the characters). An allegory is an extended metaphor—that is, a narrative in which the principal characters represent things that are not explicitly stated. Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegory. Myths originally were stories designed to explain some belief or phenomenon, usually the exploits of superhuman beings. Today the word can signify any popular misconception or invented story.
facile is usually defined as easy, smooth, without much effort. But the word should contain at least a suggestion of derision. Facile writing isn’t just easily read or written; it is also lacking in substance or import.
facsimile. An exact copy.
factious, factitious. Factious applies to factions; it is something that promotes internal bickering or disharmony. Factitious applies to that which is artificial or a sham; applause for a despotic ruler may be factitious. Neither should be confused with fractious, a term for something that is unruly or disorderly, as in “a fractious crowd.”
Faerie Queene, The. Epic poem by Edmund Spenser (1589–1596).
Faeroe Islands/The Faroes. Danish islands in the North Atlantic between Scotland and Iceland; in Danish, Faeröerne.
Fahd bin Abdul Aziz. (1923–2005) King of Saudi Arabia (1982–2005).
Fahrenheit. (Cap.) Temperature scale that sets freezing at 32 degrees and boiling at 212; named after the German physicist Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, multiply the Celsius temperature by 1.8 and add 32, or use the table in the Appendix.
faience. A kind of glazed pottery.
Fairleigh Dickinson University.
fairway, not fare-, in golf.
fait accompli. (Fr.) An accomplished fact; pl. faits accomplis.
Falange, Phalange. The first is a political party in Spain; the second a political party in Lebanon.
fallible.
Fallujah. Sunni Muslim stronghold in central Iraq besieged by American troops in 2004.
fandango. Lively Spanish dance; pl. fandangoes/fandangos.
Faneuil Hall, Boston; pronounced fan-yull.
Fannie Mae/Fannie May. The first is the nickname for the Federal National Mortgage Association and the bonds it issues; the second is a long-established candy company. See also FREDDIE MAC.
FAO. Food and Agriculture (not Agricultural) Organization, a UN body.
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front. Salvadoran revolutionary movement.
Faraday, Michael. (1791–1867) British chemist and physicist.
FARC. Short for Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), guerrilla group.
Far from the Madding Crowd. Not Maddening. Novel by Thomas Hardy (1874).
Farne Islands, Northumberland, England.
farrago. A confused mixture; pl. farragoes.
Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Not Strauss. U.S. publisher.
Farrell, James T(homas). (1904–1979) American novelist.
farther, further. Insofar as the two are distinguished, farther usually appears in contexts involving literal distance (“New York is farther from Sydney than from London”) and further in contexts involving figurative distance (“I can take this plan no further”).
fascia.
fascism, fascist.
Fassbinder, Rainer Werner. (1946–1982) German filmmaker.
Fates, the. In Greek mythology, the three daughters of Nyx: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos; they are known as the Moerae in Greek and Parcae in Latin.
Father’s Day. (Sing.)
fatwa. Islamic decree.
Faubourg St.-Honoré, Rue du, Paris. Note du.
fauna, flora. The first means animals; the second, plants.
faute de mieux. (Fr.) “For lack of anything better.”
fauvism. (No cap.) Short-lived school of expressionist