Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words - Bill Bryson [46]
Liechtenstein. Misspelled much too often, as here: “The inspectors are interested also in the considerable amount of unsolicited purchases of Guinness shares coming from Swiss and Lichtenstein-based institutions” (Times). For what it is worth, the first syllable of the name is pronounced “leak,” not “lick.”
lifelong. “Jesse Bishop was a lifelong drug addict who had spent 20 of his 46 years in prison” (Guardian). You might be a lifelong resident of New York or a lifelong churchgoer or, at a stretch, a lifelong lover of music. But unless the unfortunate Mr. Bishop turned to drugs at a remarkably early age, lifelong is much too literal a word to describe his addiction.
lighted, lit. Either is correct. Lighted, however, is more usual when the word is being used as an adjective (“a lighted torch”).
light-years. “So protracted have the discussions been that their progress should almost be measured not in years but in light-years” (Guardian). Though the intention here was obviously facetious, it is as well to remember that light-years are a measure of distance, not time. In temporal terms, one earth year and one light-year are the same.
like, as. Problems often arise in choosing between like and as. Here are two examples, both from the New York Times and both wrong: “Advertising agencies may appear as [make it like] homespun enterprises to the American public”; “On the surface it looks like [as if] all of the parties are preparing for serious bargaining.”
On the face of it, the rule is simple: as and as if are always followed by a verb; like never is. Therefore you would say, “He plays tennis like an expert” (no verb after like), but “He plays tennis as if his life depended on it” (verb depended).
Although that is the rule, you may wish to suspend it at times. Except in the most formal writing, sentences like the one you are now reading and the two that follow should not be considered objectionable: “She looks just like her mother used to”; “He can’t dance like he used to.” There is also one apparent inconsistency in the rule, in that like may be used when it comes between feel and an -ing verb: “He felt like walking”; “I feel like going abroad this year.”
A separate problem with like is that it often leads writers to make false comparisons, as here: “Like the Prime Minister, his opposition to increased public spending is fierce” (Daily Telegraph). The writer has inadvertently likened “Prime Minister” to “opposition.” In order to liken person to person, the sentence needs to be recast: “Like the Prime Minister, he is fiercely opposed to increased public spending,” or words to that effect.
Limbourg, Limburg. The first is a province of Belgium, the second a province of the Netherlands. The cheese is Limburg or Limburger.
limited means constrained, set within bounds. Unless the sentence includes the idea of imposing a limit, the word is better avoided. It is reasonable enough to say that a special offer is available for a limited time, but to write that “there was a limited demand for tickets” is absurd when what is meant is that fewer customers than had been hoped for showed up.
Linnaean for the system of naming plants and animals by genus and species (e.g., Homo sapiens). Some dictionaries accept Linnean as an alternative spelling. The term comes from the Swedish botanist Carl Linné (1707–1778), who chose to Latinize his name as Carolus Linnaeus. For the rules of application concerning the Linnaean system, see GENUS, SPECIES.
lion’s share is better avoided unless you wish to convey some suggestion of a greedy or selfish accumulation, a sense