Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [61]
Houyhnhnms. In Gulliver’s Travels, a race of horses with the finer qualities of humans; pronounced win-ums.
Hovenweep National Monument, Utah.
hovercraft. (No cap.) The name is no longer a trademark.
Howards End. (No apos.) Novel by E. M. Forster (1910).
Howells, William Dean. (1837–1920) American critic, editor, and writer.
howitzer. A cannon.
Hoxha, Enver. (1908–1985) Head of state of Albania (1944–1985); pronounced hod'-juh.
Hrvastska. Croatian name for Croatia.
HTML. Short for Hypertext Markup Language; language used for communicating on World Wide Web.
HTTP. Short for Hypertext Transfer Protocol; governing standard for World Wide Web information transfers.
Hua Guofeng. (1920–) Chinese Communist leader, premier (1976–1980); formerly Hua Kuo-feng.
Huanghe. Pinyin name for the Hwang-Ho or Yellow River, China. In most contexts a reference to one or both of the older names would be helpful.
hudibrastic, in a mock-heroic manner, from the epic satirical poem Hudibras (1663–1678) by Samuel Butler.
Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Hudson River, but Hudson’s Bay Company.
hue and cry, not hew, for an uproar.
Huguenots. Sixteenth-to-seventeenth-century French Protestants.
Hu Jintao. (1942–) President of China (2003–).
hullabaloo.
human immunodeficiency virus. HIV, virus associated with AIDS.
humerus. Bone between the elbow and shoulder; pl. humeri.
Humperdinck, Engelbert. (1854–1921) German composer; also the stage name of a popular British singer, born Arnold Dorsey (1935–).
Humphry Clinker, The Expedition of. Not Humphrey. Novel by Tobias Smollett (1771).
humus, hummus. The first is broken-down plant material in soil; the second is a dish made from mashed chickpeas.
Humvee. Name derived from the initials HMMWV (short for high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle); general-purpose military vehicle.
Hundred Years’ War. Series of wars (1337–1453) in which France wrested back all its territory from England except Calais.
hurdy-gurdy. Musical instrument activated by a crank.
hurly-burly.
Hurston, Zora Neale. (1891–1960) American writer, associated with the movement known as the Harlem Renaissance.
Hussein, Saddam. (1937–2006) President of Iraq (1979–2003). His name in full was Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikrit.
Huston, Anjelica. (1951–) American actress, daughter of film director John Huston (1906–1987) and granddaughter of actor Walter Huston (1884–1950).
Huxley, Aldous. (1894–1963) English novelist and brother of Sir Julian Huxley (1887–1975), biologist and writer; their grandfather was T. H. Huxley (1825–1895), scientist and champion of Charles Darwin.
Huygens, Christiaan. (1629–1695) Dutch mathematician and scientist. Note -aa- in first name.
Huysmans, Joris-Karl. (1848–1907) French novelist.
Hwang Ho. Chinese river now more commonly known as Huanghe.
hyacinth. Flower.
Hyannis Port, but West Hyannisport, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Hyderabad. Capital of Andhra Pradesh, India. There is also a city in Pakistan of the same name, which is sometimes spelled Haidarabad.
Hydra. In Greek mythology, a many-headed monster.
hydrangea.
hydrography. The study and mapping of oceans, rivers, and lakes.
hyena.
Hygeia. Greek goddess of health.
hygiene, hygienic.
hymen. Not -man. Vaginal membrane, named after Hymen, Greek god of marriage.
Hynes Convention Center, Boston, Massachusetts; formally it is the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center.
hyperbole. Exaggeration.
hypertension. High blood pressure.
hypochondria.
hypocrite, hypocrisy.
hypotenuse. On a right-angled triangle, the side opposite the right angle.
hypothermia. Lack of body warmth.
hypothesis, pl. hypotheses.
hysterectomy.
hysterics is plural.
Hywel. Welsh forename; pronounced howl.
Ii
Iacocca, Lee. (1924–) American businessman.
IAEA. International Atomic Energy Agency, UN nuclear watchdog.
IATA. International Air Transport Association.
Iberia Airlines. Not Iberian.
ibex. A mountain goat; pl. ibexes.
ibid., the abbreviation of ibidem (Lat.), “in the same place,” is used in reference notes