Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [70]
Kitakyushu, Japan.
kith and kin. Your kin are your relatives. Your kith are your relatives and acquaintances.
kittiwake. Type of gull.
Kitty Litter is a trademark.
Kitzbühel. Austrian resort.
Klein, Calvin (Richard). (1942–) American fashion designer.
klieg light.
Klinefelter syndrome. Not -felter’s. Genetic disease that causes language difficulties.
KLM. Abbreviation of Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, national airline of the Netherlands. It merged with Air France in 2004 to form Air France–KLM.
Klöckner-Werke. German steel manufacturer.
Kmart for the stores group. The formal name is Kmart Corporation.
knackwurst (or knockwurst). Sausage.
knead. To manipulate, as with bread dough.
Knesset. Israeli parliament.
knick knack.
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath for the British honorary title. Note the second the.
knockwurst. Alternative spelling of knackwurst.
Knossos is generally the preferred spelling in American English for the ancient capital of Crete; alternative spellings are Cnossos and Cnossus.
knot. A speed of one nautical mile an hour. A ship does eight knots or it does eight nautical miles an hour, but not eight knots an hour. A nautical mile equals 1.15 land miles, and in most contexts the reader will appreciate having that difference elucidated.
koala bears is wrong. Koalas are marsupials and have no relation to bears. Just call them koalas.
København. Danish spelling of Copenhagen.
Kohinoor/Koh-i-noor. Famous Indian diamond, now part of the British crown jewels.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. (No commas.) American investment firm.
Köhler, Horst. (1943–) President of Germany (2004–).
kohlrabi. Edible plant, pl. kohlrabies.
Kohn Pedersen Fox. (No commas.) U.S. architectural firm.
Kokoschka, Oskar. (1886–1980) Austrian-born British artist and writer.
Kolkata is the new official name for the Indian city traditionally known as Calcutta; until the new name is fully established, both should be used on first reference.
Köln. German spelling of Cologne.
Komunyakaa, Yusef. (1947–) American poet.
Konditorei. (Ger.) Bakery.
kookaburra. Australian kingfisher.
Koolhaas, Rem. (1944–) Dutch architect; full name Remment Koolhaas.
kopek (or kopeck). Small Russian coin.
Kopit, Arthur. (1937–) American playwright.
Koppel, Ted. (1940–) American television journalist.
Koran (or Quran). Muslim holy book.
Korea was partitioned in 1948 into South Korea (officially Republic of Korea), capital Seoul; and North Korea (officially People’s Democratic Republic of Korea), capital Pyongyang.
Korean names are similar to Chinese in that the family name comes first; thus, after the first reference, Park Chung Hee becomes Mr. Park. Koreans tend not to hyphenate their given names, and neither as a rule do they write the second given name without caps, as in the old Chinese system.
Korematsu v. United States. 1944 Supreme Court case that upheld the internment of Japanese-American citizens on grounds of national security.
Korsakoff’s syndrome. Dementia associated with chronic alcoholism or vitamin deficiency.
koruna. Basic unit of currency in Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Kosciusko, Thaddeus. (1746–1817) In Polish, Tadeusz Kościuszko. Polish general who fought on the American side in the Revolutionary War. But note that it is the Kosciuszko Bridge in New York.
Kosinski, Jerzy. (1933–1991) Polish-born American novelist.
Kosovar. Of or from Kosovo (e.g., Kosovar Albanians).
Kosygin, Alexei (Nikolayevich). (1904–1980) Prime minister of Soviet Union (1964–1980).
Kournikova, Anna. (1981–) Russian tennis player.
Krafft-Ebing, Baron, Richard von. (1840–1902) German psychiatrist.
Kraków, Poland; in English, Cracow.
Krapp’s Last Tape. One-act play by Samuel Beckett (1958).
Kreuger, Ivar. (1880–1932) Not Ivan. Swedish financier who perpetrated $500 million fraud on investors.
Kriss Kringle. Alternative name for Santa Claus.
Kristallnacht. (Ger.) “Crystal night” so called because of all the glass broken during looting and destruction of Jewish businesses and synagogues in Germany and Austria on November