Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [77]
MacLaine, Shirley. (1934–) American actress; born Shirley MacLean Beaty.
MacLean, Alistair. (1922–1987) British writer of adventure novels.
Maclean’s. Canadian weekly newsmagazine.
MacLehose & Sons. Scottish printers.
MacLeish, Archibald. (1892–1982) American poet.
Macleod, Lake, Western Australia.
MacMurray, Fred. (1907–1991) American actor.
MacNeice, (Frederick) Louis. (1907–1963) Irish-born British poet.
MacNelly, Jeff. (1947–2000) American cartoonist.
Macon, Georgia, but Mâcon for the French city and wine.
Macy’s department stores. Formally R. H. Macy & Co.; now a subsidiary of Federated Department Stores.
Madagascar. Island republic off Southeast Africa, formerly Malagasy Republic; capital Antananarivo.
mademoiselle. (Fr.) Not -dam-. An unmarried female; pl. mesdemoiselles.
Madhya Pradash. Indian state.
Madison, Dolley. (1768–1849) Not Dolly. U.S. first lady, wife of James Madison. But note that some commercial products spell the name Dolly Madison.
Madras, India; now called Chennai; on first reference, it is probably best to use both names.
Madrileño. Citizen of Madrid.
maelstrom.
Maeterlinck, Count Maurice. (1862–1949) Belgian poet and dramatist; awarded Nobel Prize in Literature (1911).
Mafeking, Mafikeng. The first is the historical spelling for the site of a famous siege during the Boer War; the second is the current spelling of the South African town.
Mafioso. A member of the Mafia; pl. Mafiosi.
Magdalen College, Oxford, but Magdalene College, Cambridge. Both are pronounced maudlin. The New Testament figure is Mary Magdalene.
Magellan, Ferdinand. (1480–1521) Portuguese explorer; led first expedition that circumnavigated the globe, though he himself was killed en route; in Portuguese, Fernão de Magalhães.
Maggiore, Lake, Italy.
Maghreb. Collective name for Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Maginot Line. Line of defensive fortifications across northeastern France, breached by Germany in 1940.
Magna Carta (or Charta). Charter of rights signed by King John at Runnymede, England, in 1215.
magnum opus, opus magnum. (Lat.) The first is an author’s principal work; the second is a great work.
Magritte, René. (1898–1967) Belgian surrealist painter.
Mahabhrata. Indian epic.
maharaja, maharanee. Indian prince and princess.
Mahatir bin Mohamad, Dr. (1925–) Prime minister of Malaysia (1981–2003).
Mahfouz, Naguib. (1912–2006) Egyptian novelist; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988.
mahjong. Chinese game played with tiles.
mahogany.
Maillol, Aristide. (1861–1944) French sculptor.
maître d’hôtel. (Fr.) Hotel manager or headwaiter; pl. mâitres d’hôtel.
Majlis. Parliament of Iran.
major, as in a “major initiative,” “major embarrassment,” “major undertaking,” and so on, remains a severely overworked word, and thus brings a kind of tofu quality to much writing, giving it bulk but little additional flavor. Nearly always it is worth the effort of trying to think of a more precise or expressive term.
majority should be reserved for describing the larger of two clearly divisible things, as in “A majority of the members voted for the resolution.” But even then a more specific description is usually better: “52 percent,” “almost two-thirds,” “more than 70 percent,” etc. When there is no sense of a clear contrast with a minority (as in “The majority of his spare time was spent reading”), majority is always better avoided.
Makassar Strait. Between Borneo and Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Makhachkala. Formerly Petrovskoye, capital of Dagestan, Russia.
Maki, Fumihiko. (1928–) Japanese architect.
Malabo. Formerly Santa Isabel, capital of Equatorial Guinea.
Malagasy Republic. Former name of Madagascar; Malagasy (sing. and pl.) remains the term for a person or persons from the island, and for the language spoken there.
malarkey.
Malawi. Formerly Nyasaland. African republic; capital Lilongwe.
mal de mer. (Fr.) Seasickness.
Maldives. Island republic in the Indian Ocean; capital Malé.
maleficence, malfeasance. The first means a propensity to cause hurt or harm. The second is a legal term describing wrongdoing.