Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [93]
parka. Type of coat.
Parkinson’s disease is the traditional name, but increasingly the non-possessive Parkinson disease is displacing it, particularly in medical texts.
Parkinson’s Law. “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” Stated by C. Northcote Parkinson (1909–1993), British writer.
parlay, parley. The first is to use one gain to make another (“He parlayed his winnings into a small fortune”). The second is a conference.
Parmesan cheese. (Cap. P.) In Italian, parmigiano (no cap.).
Parmigianino, II. (1504–1540) Italian painter; real name Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola.
Parnassus, Mt. Former name of Líakoura, a Greek mountain.
paroxysm.
parquet flooring.
Parr, Catherine. (1512–1548) Sixth wife of Henry VIII.
parricide. The murder of a parent or close relative.
Parry, Sir William Edward. (1790–1855) British admiral and explorer.
Parsifal. Opera by Wagner (1879).
Parsiism. Indian religion, related to Zoroastrianism.
Parsons Green, London (no apos.).
Parthian shot. A remark or blow made while retreating.
parti pris. (Fr.) A prejudice.
Parti Québécois. Canadian political party.
partly, partially. Although they are often interchangeable, their meanings are slightly different. Partially means incompletely and partly means in part. “The house was made partially of brick and partially of stone” would be better as “partly of brick and partly of stone.”
parturition. Birth.
parvenu (masc.)/parvenue (fem.). An upstart; a person who has risen above his original social class; pl. parvenus (masc.)/parvenues (fem.).
Pasadena, California, home of the Rose Bowl, or Tournament of Roses.
paso doble. (Sp.) A type of dance.
Pasolini, Pier Paolo. (1922–1975) Italian writer, actor, and film director.
passable, passible. The first means capable of being passed (“The road was passable”) or barely satisfactory (“The food was passable”); the second means capable of feeling or suffering.
Passchendaele. Not -dale. Belgian village, scene of bloody battle in World War I.
passe-partout. A passkey; adhesive tape used in picture framing.
passersby.
past. Often a space waster, as in this example: “Davis said the dry conditions had been a recurrent problem for the past thirty years.” In this sentence, and in countless others like it, “the past” could be deleted without any loss of sense. Equally tautological and to be avoided are such expressions as past records, past history, past experience, past achievements, and past precedents. See also LAST, LATEST.
Pasteur, Louis. (1822–1895) French chemist.
pastiche. A work inspired by a variety of sources.
pastille.
pastrami.
pâté de foie gras.
Patek Philippe. Swiss watch manufacturer.
paterfamilias. (One word.) Male head of house.
Paterson, New Jersey.
pâtisserie.
Pattenmakers’ Company. London livery company; not Pattern-. (A patten is a type of shoe or clog.)
Pauli, Wolfgang. (1900–1958) Austrian-born physicist, awarded Nobel Prize for Physics (1945).
Pavarotti, Luciano. (1935–2007) Italian tenor.
pavilion. Not -ll-.
pax vobiscum. (Lat.) “Peace be with you.”
Pays-Bas. French name for the Netherlands.
Pb is the chemical symbol for lead; short for plumbum.
PCBs. Polychlorinated biphenyls, organic substance used in hydraulics and electrical systems; banned in most Western countries.
peaceable, peaceful. Peaceful means tranquil and serene. Peaceable is a disposition toward the state of peacefulness.
peak, peek. The first is a point or summit; the second means to steal a look.
Pearse, Padraic. (1879–1916) Irish writer and nationalist.
Peary, Robert Edwin. (1856–1920) American admiral and explorer, first to reach the North Pole (1909).
pease pudding.
peccadillo. A minor fault; pl. peccadilloes.
pedal, peddle. The first applies to devices or actions involving foot power—the pedal on a piano, to pedal a bicycle. The second is a verb only, meaning to sell goods in an informal or itinerant manner. The person who sells such goods is a peddler.
pedant, pedagogue. The two are synonyms. They describe someone who makes an ostentatious