Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [71]
krona, krone, kronor, etc. The currencies of Scandinavia are easily confused. In Sweden, the basic unit of currency is a krona (pl. kronor); in Denmark and Norway it is a krone (pl. kroner); in Iceland it is a króna (pl. krónur).
Krugerrand for the South African gold coin (used as an investment vehicle and not as a currency). Note -rr-.
Krung Thep. Thai name for Bangkok.
Krusenstern, Cape, Alaska.
Krzyzewski, Mike. (1947–) American basketball coach.
Kuala Lumpur. Capital of Malaysia.
Kublai Khan. (1216–1294) Mongol emperor of China (1279–1294); but “Kubla Khan” for the unfinished poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1797).
kudos is a Greek word meaning fame or glory. Though often treated as a plural, it is in fact singular. Thus, it should be “the kudos that was his due.”
Kuiper belt. Band of comets in outer solar system, named for Gerard Kuiper (1905–1973), Dutch-born American astronomer who posited their existence.
Ku Klux Klan. (No hyphens.)
kulak. Russian peasant.
Kumagai Gumi Company Limited. Japanese construction company.
kumquat.
Kuomintang/Guomindang. The first is the former spelling, the second the preferred current spelling for the Chinese Nationalist Party, founded by Sun Yat-sen. The syllable-tang/-dang contains the notion of party, so refer only to the Kuomintang, not Kuomintang Party.
Kurile Islands. Island chain between Russia and Japan.
Kurosawa, Akira. (1910–1998) Japanese film director.
Kuwaiti, pl. Kuwaitis.
Kuybyshev. Russian city; formerly Samara.
Kuznetsov, Anatoly. (1930–1979) Russian novelist.
Kuznetsova, Svetlana. (1985–) Russian tennis player.
kW. Kilowatt.
KwaNdebele. Former South African homeland, now part of Mpumalanga Province.
kwashiorkor. Nutritional disorder in young children.
KwaZulu-Natal. Province of South Africa.
Kyd, Thomas. (1558–1594) English playwright.
Kydland, Finn E. (1943–) Norwegian-American academic, awarded Nobel Prize for Economics (2004).
Kyrgyzstan, or Kyrgyz Republic. Formerly Kirghizia. Central Asia republic, formerly part of Soviet Union; capital Bishkek.
Kyzyl-Kum. Desert in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Ll
labyrinth.
lackadaisical for something done without enthusiasm. Not lacks-.
Lackawanna, New York.
Lackawaxen River, Pennsylvania.
lacquer.
La Crosse, Wisconsin. But lacrosse for the sport.
lacuna. A missing part; pl. lacunas/lacunae.
lacy. Not -ey.
laddie. Not -dy.
Ladies’ Home Journal.
Ladies Professional Golf Association. (No apos.)
Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Novel by D. H. Lawrence (1928).
Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de. (1757–1834) French general who played a leading role in both the American and French revolutions.
Laffitte, Jacques. (1767–1844) French statesman.
Lafite, Château. Celebrated wine from Bordeaux.
Lafitte/Laffite, Jean. (c. 1780–c. 1826) French pirate.
La Follette, Robert M(arion). (1855–1925) American politician; ran for president as a Progressive in 1924.
Lag b’Omer. Jewish holiday.
lagniappe. A small, unexpected gift; pronounced lan-yap.
La Guardia Airport, New York. Some users make the name one word, as in Fiorello H. LaGuardia Community College in Queens, but the two-word form is more general for both the man and any entities named for him, particularly the airport. For the record, Fiorello Henry La Guardia (1882–1947) was a New York congressman from 1917–1921 and 1923–1933 and mayor of New York City from 1934–1945.
laissez-faire. (Hyphen.) Policy of noninterference by government in trade and industry.
Laius. In Greek mythology, the king of Thebes and father of Oedipus.
La Jolla, California.
Lake Wobegon. Fictional town in stories by Garrison Keillor.
lama, Lammas, Ilama. A lama is a Buddhist monk from Tibet or Mongolia (his dwelling place is a lamasery). Lammas is a type of harvest festival. The llama is a wool-bearing animal from South America.
lambaste. Not -bast. To criticize sharply.
Lambeau Field. Home of the Green Bay Packers.
Lamborghini. Italian sports car.
lamb’s wool. Not lambswool.
LAN Airlines. Principal airline of Chile; formerly