Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [86]
Navajo/Navaho. The first is generally preferred, the second accepted.
naval, navel. The first pertains to a navy and its possessions or operations; the second to belly buttons and like-shaped objects. The oranges are navel.
navigable.
Nazism. Not -ii-.
n.b. (or NB). Abbreviation of nota bene (Lat.), “note carefully.” Note that n.b. is spelled with periods and NB without.
NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Ndeti, Cosmas. (1971–) Kenyan distance runner.
Ndjamena (or N’Djamena). Capital of Chad.
’Ndrangheta. Organized crime group in Calabria, Italy.
Neandertal increasingly is the preferred spelling for the extinct species of human, though the formal scientific rendering Homo neanderthalensis still generally keeps the -thal spelling. Neanderthal man as a term for the species is both sexist and old-fashioned.
near disaster. “His quick thinking saved an RAF jet pilot from a near disaster.” Not quite. The pilot was saved from a disaster. A near disaster is what he had.
neat’s-foot oil. A substance used to treat leather.
Nebuchadnezzar. (c. 625–551 BC) King of Babylon (605–561 BC).
nebuchadnezzar, an exceptionally large bottle of champagne, twenty times the size of a normal bottle.
nebula. The plural can be either nebulae or nebulas.
necessarily, necessity.
needless to say is a harmless enough expression, but it often draws attention to the fact that you really didn’t need to say it.
nefarious.
negligee.
negligible.
Negretti & Zambra. Maker of musical instruments.
Nehemiah. Jewish leader in fifth century BC after whom an Old Testament book is named.
Nehru, Jawaharlal. (1889–1964) Indian prime minister (1947–1964).
Neiman Marcus, the department store group, no longer hyphenates its name.
neither. In neither…nor constructions, the verb should always agree with the noun nearest it. Thus, “Neither De Niro nor his agent was available for comment.” When the noun nearest the verb is plural, the verb should also be plural: “Neither the president nor his advisers were available for comment.” When neither is used on its own without the nor, the verb should always be singular: “Neither of the men was ready” “Neither of us is hungry.” In short, more often than not a singular verb is called for—but that singularity is by no means invariable. Try to remember that neither emphasizes the separateness of items. It doesn’t add them together, at least not grammatically.
nemesis. A nemesis (from Nemesis, the Greek goddess of vengeance) is not merely a rival or traditional enemy, but one who exacts retributive justice or is utterly unvanquishable.
neodymium. A chemical element.
neologism. A newly coined word.
nephritis. Inflammation of the kidneys.
Nephthys. Egyptian goddess, companion of the dead.
ne plus ultra. (Lat.) Perfection, the acme.
Neptune. Roman god of the sea, identified with the Greek god Poseidon, and the eighth planet from the sun.
nerve-racking. Not -wracking. See RACK, WRACK.
n’est-ce pas? (Fr.) “Is that not so?” pronounced ness-pah.
Netanyahu, Benjamin. (1949–) Israeli politician, prime minister (1996–1999).
Netherlands, the. The capital is Amsterdam, but the seat of government is The Hague. (As with all place names, the is not capitalized with the country name, but is with the city name.)
netsuke. Japanese carved ornament.
Nettles, Graig. (1944–) American baseball player.
Netzahualcóyotl. Part of the Mexico City conurbation.
Neuchâtel. Swiss town and wine.
Neufchâtel. French town and cheese.
Neugebauer, Randy. (1949–) U.S. representative from Texas.
Neuilly-sur-Seine. Suburb of Paris.
neurasthenia. Chronic lethargy.
Neuwirth, Bebe. (1958–) American actress.
nevertheless. (One word.)
Newberry Library, Chicago.
Newbery Airport, Buenos Aires; officially Aeroparque Jorge Newbery.
Newbery Medal. Formally the John Newbery Medal; award for outstanding children’s literature.
New England. Although it has no official standing, it comprises six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
New Hebrides. Former