Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [78]
Mali. Formerly French Sudan. African republic; capital Bamako.
Maliki, Nouri. (1950–) Prime minister of Iraq (2006–); sometimes also known as Jawad Maliki.
Mallarmé, Stéphane. (1842–1898) French poet.
malleable.
Mallorca. Spanish spelling of Majorca.
malmsey. A sweet wine; pl. malmseys.
malodorous.
Malory, Sir Thomas. (d. 1471) Fifteenth-century English author and compiler of Arthurian legends (notably Le Morte d’Arthur). But George Mallory (two l’s) for the Everest explorer (1886–1924).
Malvinas, Islas. Argentinian name for the Falkland Islands.
Mamaroneck, New York.
Mammon. (Cap.) Wealth regarded as an object of worship.
manacle. Not -icle. Shackle.
manageable, manageability.
Manassas. Virginia town near the site of two battles in the Civil War, usually called the battle of Bull Run in the North and the battle of Manassas in the South.
manatee. Sea cow.
mandamus. Writ commanding that a particular thing be done or a public duty performed.
mandatory, mandatary. The first means compulsory; the second is a much rarer word, which applied to holding a mandate.
Mandlikova, Hana. (1962–) Czech tennis player.
Manet, Édouard. (1832–1883) French artist.
maneuver.
mangoes/mangos. Either is correct.
Manhattan, not -en, for the island borough at the heart of New York City; the cocktail is manhattan (lowercase).
manifesto, pl. manifestos.
Manila. Capital of the Philippines. The paper and envelopes, etc., are usually spelled lowercase:
manila.
Manitoulin Island, Lake Huron, Canada.
mannequin, manikin. The words are broadly interchangeable, but the first is usually reserved for the types of dummies found in store windows and the second for anatomical models used for teaching. An alternative spelling of manikin is mannikin.
manner born, to the. Not manor. The line is from Hamlet.
mano a mano. (Sp.) “Hand to hand.”
mantel, mantle. The first is the usual spelling for the frame around a fireplace; the second for all other senses. Note also the spellings of the associated words mantelshelf and mantelpiece.
Mao Zedong (formerly Mao Tse-tung). (1893–1976) Founder and chairman of the People’s Republic of China (1949–1959), and chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (1935–1976).
Mapplethorpe, Robert. (1947–1989) American photographer.
Maputo. Formerly Lourenço Marques; capital of Mozambique.
Maquis. French resistance during World War II.
Maracaibo. City and lake in Venezuela.
maraschino cherry.
March, Fredric. (1897–1975) Not Frederick. American actor; born Frederick McIntyre Bickel.
marchioness. Wife or widow of a marquis, or a woman holding the title of marquess.
Marciano, Rocky. (1923–1969) American boxer, world heavyweight champion (1952–1956); born Rocco Marchegiano.
Marconi, Guglielmo. (1874–1937) Italian inventor of wireless telegraphy; awarded Nobel Prize for Physics (1909).
margarine. Not -ger-.
margarita. A cocktail.
Margaux, Château. French wine.
marginal is unobjectionable when used to describe something falling near a lower limit (“a marginal profit”). But it is a lame choice when all you mean is small or slight.
Margrethe II. (1940–) Queen of Denmark (1972–).
Marianas Trench. Site of greatest depth (36,220 feet; 11,040 meters) of the Pacific Ocean. The nearby island chain is called the Mariana (not-s) Islands or the Marianas.
Marianske Lazne. Czech spa more widely known by its German name of Marienbad.
Marie Antoinette. (1755–1793) Austrian-born queen of France (1774–1793) and wife of King Louis XVI.
marionette.
markka. Former unit of Finnish currency.
Marlboro cigarettes.
Marmara, Sea of.
marmoset. Monkey.
Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia.
marquee. Large tent used for entertaining; in the United States it signifies a projection over an entrance, especially at the front of a theater.
Marquesas Islands. Archipelago in South Pacific.
Marrakesh, Morocco.
Marriage-à-la-Mode. (Hyphens.) Play by John Dryden (1672).
Marriott. Hotels group.
Marsalis, Wynton. (1961–) U.S. musician.
Marseille (or Marseilles), France. The French national anthem is “La Marseillaise..
marshal. Not