Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [79]
Marshall Islands. Island nation in the Pacific Ocean; capital Majuro.
Marshall Plan, officially the European Recovery Program, was an assistance program to help European nations rebuild after World War II. It was named for George C. Marshall (1880-1959), secretary of state.
Marshalsea Prison, London.
Martin Luther King Day is observed in the United States on the third Monday of January.
Marunouchi. Financial district of Tokyo.
Marylebone. Roads, district, and church in London.
Mary, Queen of Scots. (1542–1587) Scottish queen, executed for treason. Some sources write her name without the comma.
Masaccio. (1401–1428) Italian painter; real name Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Mone Cassai.
Maserati. Italian sports car.
Mason-Dixon line. Boundary line between Maryland and Pennsylvania surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in 1763–1767, traditionally regarded as the dividing line between the North and the South in the United States.
Massapequa, Massapequa Park, East Massapequa, etc., New York.
masseur (masc.), masseuse (fem.).
MasterCard.
masterful, masterly. Most authorities continue to insist that we observe a distinction between these two—namely that masterly should apply to that which is adroit and expert and masterful to that which is imperious and domineering. Useful as the distinction might be, it has to be noted that no leading dictionary insists on it and most don’t even indicate that such a distinction exists.
Matabeleland. Region of Zimbabwe.
Matagordo Bay, Texas.
Matamoros, Mexico, but Matamoras, Pennsylvania.
materialize is usually no more than a somewhat pompous synonym for occur, develop, or happen.
Mathewson, Christy. (1880–1925) American baseball pitcher.
Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Matthau, Walter. (1920–2000) American actor.
matzo. Type of unleavened bread; pl. matzos (or matzoth or matzot).
Maudsley Hospital, London. Not Maude-.
Maundy Thursday. Not Maunday. The day before Good Friday.
Maupassant, (Henri René Albert) Guy de. (1850–1893) French author.
Mauretania, Mauritania. The first is the spelling for the ancient African country and two famous Cunard ships. The second is the spelling of the modern-day African country formally known as the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
mausoleum.
mauvaise honte. (Fr.) Dishonest or needless shame.
Mayne, Thom. (1944–) American architect.
mayonnaise.
Mazatlán, Mexico.
mazel tov. (Heb.) “Good luck.”
mazurka. Polish dance.
Mazzini, Giuseppe. (1805–1872) Italian republican and revolutionary.
Mbabane. Capital of Swaziland.
Mbeki, Thabo (Mvuyelwa). (1942–) South African president (1999–).
McAfee Coliseum, Oakland.
McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas.
McCarthy, Cormac. (1933–) American novelist.
McCarthy, Eugene (Joseph). (1916–2005) American Democratic politician.
McCarthy, Joseph (Raymond). (1900–1957) U.S. senator notorious for a prolonged campaign against Communists during congressional hearings, known as the Army-McCarthy hearings, in the 1950s.
McClellan, George B(rinton). (1826–1865) American general and politician.
McCormick, Cyrus. (1809–1884) American manufacturer and inventor.
McCormick Place. Convention center in Chicago.
McCowen, Alec. (1925–) British actor.
McCrea, Joel. (1905–1990) American film actor.
McCullers, Carson. (1917–1967) American novelist and playwright.
McDonald’s (note apos.) for the fast-food chain. The company is the McDonald’s Corporation.
McDonnell Douglas Corporation. Now part of Boeing.
McDowall, Roddy. (1928–1998) British-born American actor.
McEnroe, John. (1959–) American tennis player.
McEwan, Geraldine. (1932–) British actress.
McEwan, Ian. (1948–) British novelist.
McGillis, Kelly. (1957–) American actress.
McGill University, Montreal.
McGoohan, Patrick. (1928–) American actor.
McGovern, George. (1922–) American Democratic politician.
McGraw-Hill Companies, The. U.S. media and financial services company.
McGregor, Ewan. (1971–) Scottish actor.
McGuffey Eclectic Reader (not McGuffey’s) is the formal name for the schoolbook popularly known as McGuffey’s Reader; named for the