Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [92]
pachyderm. Thick-skinned animal such as an elephant or rhinoceros.
paddywhack. A tantrum.
Paderewski, Ignace Jan. (1860–1941) Polish concert pianist, composer, and prime minister (1919–1920).
Padova. The Italian name for Padua.
paean, paeon, peon. A paean (alternative spelling pean) is a hymn or song of praise. A paeon is a metrical foot in classical poetry. A peon is a servant or peasant.
paella. Spanish dish of rice and chicken or seafood.
Paganini, Niccolò. (1782–1840) Italian violin virtuoso and composer.
Paget’s disease. Bone disorder.
Pago Pago. Capital of American Samoa; pronounced pango pango.
Pahlavi, Mohammed Reza. (1919–1980) Shah of Iran (1941–1979).
Paige, Satchel. (1906–1982) Legendary baseball pitcher, born Leroy Robert Paige. Name often shortened to “Satch.”
pail, pale. The first is a small bucket; the second means lacking color. The expression is beyond the pale. Historically the Pale signified the areas of Ireland controlled by the English; lands beyond were therefore beyond English control.
paillasse. A thin and very basic mattress.
Paine, Thomas. (1737–1809) British-born American political philosopher and pamphleteer.
Paiute. Native American people.
palate, palette, pallet. Palate has to do with the mouth and taste. Palette is the board used by artists. Pallet is a mattress, a machine part, or the wooden platform on which freight is stood.
palaver. Fuss.
Palazzo Vecchio, Florence.
Paleocene. Geological epoch.
paleology. Study of antiquities.
paleontology. Study of fossils.
Palikir. Capital of Micronesia.
palindrome. A word or passage that reads the same forward and backward, as in “A man, a plan, a canal: Panama.”
palisade.
Palladian architecture. The style of architecture of Andrea Palladio (1508–1580).
pall-mall, pell-mell. The first was a game popular in the eighteenth century. A favored site for playing it later became the London street Pall Mall. For the act of moving crazily or in haste, the word is pell-mell. All versions of the word, including Pall Mall, are pronounced pell mell.
Palme, Olof. (1927–1986) Swedish politician.
Palmers Green, London (no apos.).
PalmPilot (one word) for the handheld organizer.
palomino. Type of horse; pl. palominos.
palsy.
Pamuk, Orhan. (1952–) Turkish novelist, awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006.
panacea is a universal remedy, a cure for all woes, and is not properly applied to a single shortcoming.
pandemonium.
panegyric. A formal speech of praise.
Pangloss. An excessively optimistic character in Voltaire’s Candide; hence any optimistic person.
panjandrum. Self-important person, pompous official.
Pankhurst, Emmeline. (1858–1928) English activist for women’s rights. Her daughters, Dame Christabel Pankhurst (1880–1958), Sylvia Pankhurst (1882–1960), and Adela Pankhurst (1885–1961), were similarly dedicated to women’s causes.
Pão de Açucar. Portuguese for Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro.
Paolozzi, Eduardo. (1924–) Scottish sculptor.
Papal Nuncio. A prelate acting as an ambassador of the pope.
paparazzi is plural; a single roving photographer who stalks celebrities is a paparazzo.
papier mâché.
Pap test. A test for cervical cancer and other disorders devised by Dr. George Papanicolaou (1883–1962), a Greek-American doctor.
papyrus. Writing material; pl. papyruses or papyri.
Paracelsus. (1493–1541) Swiss physician and alchemist; real name Theophrastus Philippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hoheneim.
paradisaical. Not -iacal. Having the nature of paradise.
paraffin.
paragon. Model of excellence.
parakeet.
parallel, paralleled, paralleling.
paralysis, paralyze.
Paraná. South American river.
paranoia, paranoiac.
paraphernalia.
paraphrase.
paraquat. Lethal herbicide.
parasite.
parasol.
parbleu! (Fr.) Exclamation of surprise.
Parcheesi. (Cap.)
pardonnez-moi. (Fr.) “Pardon me.”
par excellence. (Fr.) The best of its type.
pariah. Person of low standing; a social outcast.
Paribas. Short for Compagnie Financière de Paris et des Pays-Bas; French bank.
pari passu. (Lat.) With the same speed,