Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words - Bill Bryson [40]
indefinitely. “The new structures should, by contrast, last almost indefinitely” (Newsweek). Indefinitely in the sense of “for a very long time” is almost always better avoided in the context of human achievements. It is often exasperatingly vague. Did the writer here mean that the new structures would last for a million years, which seems decidedly unlikely, or merely for a century or two? There is obviously quite a difference. The word means only “without prescribed limits,” so strictly speaking, the sentence is telling us that the structures may last almost forever or they may collapse next week. “Almost indefinitely,” incidentally, is impossible.
indexes, indices. Either is acceptable, though some dictionaries favor indices for technical applications.
indict, indite. Very occasionally confused, as here: “The American Family Association persuaded the city council to indite the museum director and his board for obscenity” (Independent). To lay a formal charge—the sense intended here—is to indict. Indite, a word rare almost to the point of obsolescence, means to set down in writing.
indispensable. Not -ible.
individual is unexceptionable when you are contrasting one person with an organization or body of people (“How can one individual hope to rectify the evils of society?”). But as a simple synonym for person (“Do you see that individual standing over there?”), it is still frowned upon by many authorities as casual and inelegant.
inflation has become so agreeably quiescent in recent years that the word and its several variant forms are much less troublesome than they were when the first edition of this book appeared. However (and just in case), a few definitions may come in handy. Inflation means that the money supply and prices are rising. Hyperinflation means that they are rising rapidly (at an annual rate of at least 20 percent). Deflation means that they are falling, and reflation that they are being pushed up again after a period of deflation. Stagflation means that prices are rising while output is stagnant. Disinflation, a word so vague in sense to most readers that it is almost always better avoided, means that prices are rising but at a rate slower than before. Finally, bear in mind that if the rate of inflation was 4.5 percent last month and 3.5 percent this month, it does not mean that prices are falling; they are still rising, but at a slower rate.
innocent. “She and four other inmates have pleaded innocent to the tax charges” (Boston Globe). It is perhaps pedantic to insist on it too rigorously on all occasions, but it is worth noting that in the United States, as in Britain, people do not actually plead innocent, since one of the hallmarks of our legal system is that innocence is presumed. Strictly, they plead guilty or not guilty.
in order to. A wordy locution even in the hands of an authority, as here: “Grammar may be defined as the system of principles . . . according to which words must be patterned in order to be understood” (Shipley, In Praise of English). In nearly every instance, removing in order tightens the sentence without altering the sense. See also IN, INTO, IN TO.
insects. “The famous local danger is the funnel web spider, the most poisonous insect in the world” (Bryson, In a Sunburned Country). I can affirm from experience that if you describe spiders as insects, you will be swiftly informed from many quarters that spiders are in fact arachnids, a different class of creature altogether; it also includes mites, ticks, and scorpions, none of which should be described as insects. Although some dictionaries (American Heritage, for one) allow the looser usage in informal or nontechnical writing, it is unquestionably incorrect and thus better avoided almost always. If you need to describe insects and spiders together, the word is arthropods.
insidious, invidious. Insidious indicates the stealthy or tardily