Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [96]
Phillips Son & Neale. (No comma.) London Auction house.
Philomel/Philomela. Poetic name for the nightingale.
phlebitis. Inflammation of the veins.
Phnom Penh. Capital of Cambodia.
phony.
Phyfe, Duncan. (1786–1854) Scottish-born American furniture maker; born Duncan Fife.
phyllo (or filo). Pastry.
phylum. Taxonomic division of plants and animals; pl. phyla.
Physic, Regius Professor of. Cambridge University. Not Physics.
physiognomy. Facial characteristics.
physique.
pi. Ratio of circumference to diameter of a circle, equivalent to 3.14159… also the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet.
pianissimo, pianississimo. In music, the first means very soft, and the second means as softly as possible.
Picard, Jean. (1620–1682) French astronomer.
Picasso, Pablo. (1881–1973) Spanish artist.
picayune. A trifling matter.
Piccadilly.
piccalilli. A kind of relish.
Piccard, Auguste. (1884–1962) Swiss physicist.
piccolo. A small flute pitched an octave higher than a normal flute; pl. piccolos.
picnicked, picnicking, picnicker.
pico-. Prefix meaning one-trillionth.
Pico della Mirandola, Count Giovanni. (1463–1494) Italian philosopher.
pidgin, creole. Pidgin is a language spontaneously devised by two or more peoples who have no common language. Pidgins are generally very rudimentary. If contact between the different peoples is prolonged and generations are born for whom the pidgin is their first tongue, the language will usually evolve into a more formalized system of speech called a creole. Most languages that are commonly called pidgins are in fact creoles.
pièce de résistance. (Fr.) Most outstanding item, particularly applied to the finest dish in a meal.
piecemeal.
pied-à-terre. (Fr.) (Hyphens.) A secondary residence; pl. pieds-à-terre.
Piedmont. Region of Italy; in Italian, Piemonte.
Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Piero della Francesca. (c. 1418–1492) Italian artist.
pierogi (or pirogi). Polish dumpling; pl. same.
Pierre, South Dakota. The state capital; pronounced peer.
Piers Plowman, The Vision of William Concerning. Epic poem by William Langland (c. 1360–1399).
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Capital of Natal.
pigeonhole. (One word.)
piggyback.
Pikes Peak. (No apos.) Summit (14,100 ft.; 4,341 m.) in Rocky Mountains, Colorado; named after Zebulon Montgomery Pike, its discoverer.
Pilates. (Cap.) Trademarked exercise system.
Pilipino. Language of the Philippines.
Pilsener (or Pilsner). Beer.
Pilsudski, Józef. (1867–1935) Polish statesman.
pimento, pl. pimentos. Pimiento and pimientos are accepted alternatives.
Pincay, Laffit, Jr. (1946–) Panamanian-born American jockey.
pineal gland.
Pinero, Sir Arthur Wing. (1855–1934) English comedic playwright.
Ping-Pong. (Caps.)
Pinocchio. Note -cc-.
Pinochet, Augusto. (1915–2006) President of Chile (1973–1990).
pinscher, Doberman. Breed of dog.
pint. A liquid measure equal to sixteen ounces in the United States, twenty ounces in Britain.
Pinturicchio. Nickname of Bernardino di Betto Vagio (1454–1513), Italian painter.
Pinyin. System for romanizing Chinese names. Pinyin was devised in 1953 but has been in widespread international use only since about 1977. See also CHINESE NAMES.
piquant. Pungent, alluring.
pique. Resentment. “Fit of pique” is a cliché.
Piraeus. Port of Athens.
Pirandello, Luigi. (1867–1936) Italian author and playwright; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1934.
Piranesi, Giovanni Battista (or Giambattista). (1720–1778) Italian artist and architect.
piranha. Species of fish.
Pirelli. Italian tire manufacturer.
pirouette. Graceful turn on one foot.
Piscataway, New Jersey.
Pissaro, Camille. (1830–1903) French painter.
pistachio. Nut-bearing tree; pl. pistachios.
pistil. Part of a flower.
pitiable, pitiful, pitiless, but piteous.
Pitti Palace, Florence. In Italian, Palazzo Pitti.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Not -burg.
pixels. Picture elements, the little squares from which computer graphics are composed.
pixie. Not pixy. A sprite.
Pizarro, Francisco. (c. 1475–1541) Spanish conquistador, conquered Peru, founded