Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [56]
haka. Maori war dance widely associated with New Zealand rugby appearances.
Hakluyt, Richard. (c. 1553–1616) English geographer; pronounced hak'-loot.
halberd. A combined spear and battle-ax, carried by a halberdier.
Halberstam, David. (1934–2007) American author and journalist.
Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii.
halibut.
halitosis.
hallelujah.
Hallé Orchestra, Manchester, England.
Halley, Edmond. (1655–1742) Not Edmund. English astronomer; he did not discover the comet named after him, but rather predicted its return.
Halloween, in preference to Hallowe’en.
halo, pl. halos.
Hamelin. City in Germany (in German, Hameln), source of the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Hamlisch, Marvin. (1944–) American composer.
Hammarskjöld, Dag. (1905–1961) Swedish statesman, secretary-general of the United Nations (1953–1961), awarded Nobel Peace Prize posthumously (1961).
Hammerstein, Oscar, II. (1895–1960) American dramatist and lyric writer, known for his collaborations with Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers.
Hammett, (Samuel) Dashiell. (1894–1961) American writer of detective fiction.
Hammonasset River, Connecticut.
Hammurabi. (fl. eighteenth c. BC) Babylonian king, codifier of laws.
Hamtramck. Suburb of Detroit; pronounced ham-tram-ick.
Handel, George Frideric. (1685–1759) German composer, born Georg Friedrich Händel.
handicraft, handiwork. Not handy-.
Haneda Airport, Tokyo.
hangar, not -er, for the place where aircraft are stored.
hanged, hung. People are hanged; objects are hung.
Hangzhou. Chinese city, capital of Zhejiang Province, formerly Hangchow.
Hannover. German spelling for Hanover.
Hansard, not Hansard’s, is the unofficial name of the record of proceedings in Britain’s parliament, equivalent to America’s Congressional Record. Formally, it is The Official Report of Parliamentary Debates, but that title is almost never used even on first reference.
Hansen’s disease. Alternate name for leprosy.
hansom cab.
Hantuchova, Daniela. (1983–) Czech tennis player.
Hanukkah is the most widely used spelling.
haole. Hawaiian term for a Caucasian person.
Hapsburg. Austrian imperial family; in German, Habsburg.
hara-kiri is the correct spelling for the ritual form of suicide involving disembowelment. In Japan, it is normally known as seppuku.
Harald V. (1937–) King of Norway (1991–).
harangue, tirade. Each is sometimes used when the other is intended. A tirade is always abusive and can be directed at one person or at several. A harangue, however, need not be vituperative, but may merely be prolonged and tedious. It does, however, require at least two listeners. One person cannot, properly speaking, harangue another.
Harare. Capital of Zimbabwe, formerly called Salisbury.
harass, harassment. Note one r, two s’s.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. (No commas.) Former name of U.S. publisher now known as Harcourt Inc.
Hardie, Keir. (1856–1915) British socialist politician, one of the founders of the Labour Party.
hardiness.
Harding, Warren G(amaliel). (1865–1923) Twenty-ninth U.S. president (1921–1923).
harebrained, harelipped. Not hair-.
Hare Krishna. Religious movement.
Hargreaves, James. (c. 1720–1778) English inventor of the spinning jenny.
hark, but hearken.
Harland and Wolff. Northern Irish shipbuilding company.
HarperCollins Publishers. Formerly Harper & Row.
Harper’s Bazaar. Fashion magazine.
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (no apos.).
Harper’s Magazine.
harridan. Bad-tempered old woman.
Harriman, Averell. (1891–1986) Politician and diplomat; full name William Averell Harriman.
Harrods. (No apos.) London department store.
Harte, Bret. (1836–1902) American writer and editor; born Francis Brett Harte.
hartebeest, not beast, for the African antelope.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta.
harum-scarum.
Harvard Business School is formally the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, though in most contexts the formal title is unnecessary.
Harvard University, but Harvard College Observatory.
Harz Mountains, Germany. Not Hartz.
Hasid, pl. Hasidim;