Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [50]
gamy. Not -ey.
Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand. (1869–1948) Indian leader; called Mahatma, “great soul.”
ganef/gonof. (Yid.) A thief or disreputable person.
gangrene. Not -green.
Gannett Company. Newspaper group.
Gannett Peak, Wyoming.
gantlet, gauntlet. For the sense of running between two lines of aggressors (whether literally or metaphorically) the normal spelling is gantlet, though gauntlet is usually also accepted. For the idea of a glove thrown down in challenge, the invariable spelling is gauntlet.
Ganymede. Fourth moon of Jupiter; in Greek mythology, the young Trojan who was made cupbearer to the gods.
García Lorca, Federico. (1899–1936) Spanish poet and playwright.
García Márquez, Gabriel. (1928–) Colombian novelist; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.
Garda Siochána. Formal name of the police force in the Republic of Ireland, usually shortened to Garda; a member of the force is called a garda (not cap.), pl. gardai.
Gardner, Erle Stanley. (1889–1970) American writer of crime and courtroom fiction. Note unusual spelling of first name.
Garibaldi, Giuseppe. (1807–1882) Italian leader; played a central role in national unification.
garish. Gaudy.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen. German skiing resort.
Garonne. French river.
garote (or garrote). To strangle with an object.
gas, gases, gaseous, gasify, gasification, but gassed and gassing.
gasoline.
Gasthaus, Gasthof. The first is German for an inn or guesthouse; the second is German for a hotel. The plurals are Gasthäuser and Gasthöfe.
gastronome. A connoisseur of food.
GATT. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; UN agency that attempts to regulate world trade.
Gaudier-Brzeska, Henri. (1891–1915) French sculptor.
gauge, gage. The first is to do with scales and measurements; the second is a pledge or a type of plum (as in greengage).
Gaugin, (Eugène Henri) Paul. (1848–1903) French painter.
Gauloise. Brand of French cigarettes.
gauntlet. A form of punishment or severe criticism, as in “run the gauntlet” to challenge, as in “throw down the gauntlet.” See also GANTLET.
Gauthier-Villars. French publisher.
gauzy.
Gawain, Sir. One of the knights of Arthurian legend.
Gay-Lussac, Joseph Louis. (1778–1850) French chemist and physicist.
gazetteer.
gazpacho. Cold Spanish soup.
Gdánsk, Poland; formerly Danzig.
GDP, GNP. GNP, gross national product, is the total worth of everything produced by a nation during a given period, including earnings from abroad. GDP, gross domestic product, is everything produced by a nation during a given period, except earnings from abroad.
GDR. German Democratic Republic; the former East Germany.
geezer. An old man.
Geffrye Museum, London.
gefilte fish. (Yid.) Chopped-fish dish.
Gehrig, Lou. (1903–1941) Baseball player, full name Henry Louis Gehrig.
Gehry, Frank. (1929–) Canadian-American architect; born Ephraim Owen Goldberg.
Geiger counter. (Cap.) Measures radioactivity; devised by the German physicist Hans Geiger (1882–1945).
Geisenheimer wine.
gelatin is the usual spelling, but gelatine is also accepted.
Gell-Mann, Murray. (1929–) American physicist, awarded Nobel Prize for Physics in 1969.
gemütlich. (Ger.) Agreeable, comfortable, good-natured.
Gemütlichkeit. (Ger.) Congeniality, friendliness.
gendarmes are not policemen; they are soldiers employed in police duties, principally in the countryside. Police officers in French cities and towns are just that—police officers.
genealogy.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. (Abbr. GATT.) UN body set up to promote world trade.
generalissimo, pl. generalissimos. But note in Spanish it is generalisimo (one s).
Geneva, Switzerland; it is Genève in French, Genf in German, and Ginevra in Italian; Lake Geneva is Lac Léman in French and Genfersee in German.
Geneva Convention. (1864; rev. 1950, 1978) International agreement on the conduct of war and treatment of wounded and captured soldiers.
Geneviève, Sainte. (c. 422–c. 512) Patron saint of Paris.
Genghis