Bryson's Dictionary For Writers And Editors (v5.0) (25 page)

ITAR-TASS.
Russian news agency; formerly just called TASS.

its, it's.
Its
is the possessive form of
it
: “Put each book in its place.”
It's
is the contraction of
it is:
“The beauty of solar power is that it's environmentally friendly.”

Iverson, Allen.
(1975–) American basketball player.

Ivy League.
Group of eight universities in the eastern United States noted for high academic standards: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale.

IWW.
Industrial Workers of the World, called Wobblies.

Izmir,
Turkey; formerly Smyrna.

Izvestia
(or
Izvestiya
). Russian newspaper.

Jj

ja, jawohl.
(Ger.) “Yes.”

“Jabberwocky.”
Poem by Lewis Carroll in
Through the Looking-Glass
(1872), and (no cap.) any kind of nonsense writing.

jacana.
Tropical bird.

jacaranda.
Tropical tree.

jackal.

jackanapes.
A cocky person.

Jacobean, Jacobin, Jacobite.
Jacobean
describes the period of the reign of James I of England (1603–1625).
Jacobins
were radical republicans during the French Revolution.
Jacobites
were supporters of James II of England and his heirs following the Glorious Revolution.

Jacobi, Derek.
(1938–) English actor.

Jacobs Field.
Cleveland baseball stadium, home of the Indians.

Jacobs Suchard.
Swiss chocolate company.

jactitation of marriage.
Note
-ctit-
. Falsely claiming to be someone's wife or husband.

Jacuzzi.
(Cap.) Whirlpool bath.

Jaeger clothing.

jai alai.
Also called
pelota.
Fast-paced ball game popular in Spain and Latin America.

Jakarta.
Not
Djakarta
. Capital of Indonesia; formerly Batavia.

jalopy.
Old car.

jalousie.
Type of slatted shutter.

jamb.
Not
jam
. A doorpost or similar.

James's, St.,
not James', for the palace, park, and square in London.

Janácek, Leoš.
(1854–1928) Czech composer.

Jane Eyre.
Novel by Charlotte Brontë (1847).

Jankovic, Jelena.
(1985–) Serbian tennis player.

Janus.
Roman god of the gate of Heaven, depicted as having two faces—one at the front and one at the back—because every door or gate looks two ways; also god of beginnings and of the first month, January.

Japan Air Lines.
Not
Airlines
.

Jaques,
not
Jacques
, for the character in William Shakespeare's
As You Like It
.

jardinière.
Ornamental pot or stand for plants; garnish of mixed vegetables.

Jaruzelski, General Wojciech.
(1923–) Polish general, prime minister (1981–1985), head of state (1985–1989), president (1989–1990).

Jarvik-7.
Artificial heart invented by Robert Jarvik (1946–).

javelin.

JCPenney.
(One word.) Venerable U.S. retailer.

Jeanne d'Arc.
French for Joan of Arc.

Jeddah/Jidda,
Saudi Arabia.

jeep, Jeep.
Use
jeep
generally for army vehicles, but
Jeep
specifically for the brand name of cars produced by DaimlerChrysler.

Jeffreys, George, Baron.
(1648–1689) British “hanging” judge, infamous for severity of his punishments handed down after Monmouth's rebellion (1685).

Jehovah's Witness.

jejune.
Insubstantial.

Jekyll and Hyde.
The full title of the book by Robert Louis Stevenson is
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(1886).

Jelinek, Elfriede.
(1946–) Austrian writer, awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 2004.

Jellicoe, John Rushworth, Earl.
(1859–1935) British admiral.

Jell-O.
Venerable dessert.

Jemaah Islamiah.
Islamist group responsible for several bombings in Indonesia.

je ne sais pas.
(Fr.) “I don't know.”

je ne sais quoi.
(Fr.) “I don't know what” applied to the indescribable.

Jenkins' Ear, War of.
(1739–48) War between Britain and Spain over trade with South America, ostensibly provoked by an incident in which Spanish sailors boarded a British vessel in the Caribbean and cut off the ear of the captain, Robert Jenkins, but this happened seven years before the hostilities began.

jeopardy, jeopardize.

jeremiad.
Elaborate lamentation.

jeroboam.
Wine bottle that contains four ordinary wine bottles' worth of wine.

jerry-built, jury-rigged.
Occasionally confused. The first applies to things that are built cheaply and sloppily without regard to quality. The second describes things made in haste, with whatever materials are at hand, as a temporary or emergency measure.

Jervaulx Abbey,
England; pronounced
jer-vo'
.

jetsam, flotsam.
Jetsam
applies to goods that have been thrown overboard (jettisoned) at sea;
flotsam
describes goods that have floated free from wreckage. Historically flotsam went to the Crown and jetsam to the lord of the manor on whose land it washed up.

Jeu de Paume, Galerie Nationale du,
Paris.

jeune fille.
(Fr.) A girl.

jew's harp.
(No caps.)

Jhabvala, Ruth Prawer.
(1927–) German-born British novelist and screenwriter.

jibe
means to be in agreement and is also a nautical term for the act of changing course. See also
GIBE
.

jihad.
A Muslim holy war.

Jinnah, Mohammed Ali.
(1876–1948) Founder of Pakistan, governor-general (1947–1948).

Jobs, Steven.
(1955–) Not
-ph-
. Computer entrepreneur, co-founder of Apple Computer Inc.

jodhpurs.
Riding breeches, named after the Indian city of Jodhpur.

Johannesburg,
South Africa, but the German wine is
Johannisberger.

John Newbery Medal.
Award for outstanding children's literature.

John o' Groat's.
House and ferry site in Scotland traditionally (but incorrectly) given as the northernmost point on the British mainland.

Johns Hopkins
(note
s
on both) is the name of the university and medical center in Baltimore.

Johnson, Lady Bird.
(1912–2007) Wife of Lyndon Baines Johnson; her real name was Claudia Alta Johnson.

Johnson, Lyndon Baines.
(1908–1973) U.S. president (1963–1969).

Johnson, Magic.
(1959–) Basketball player; his real name is Earvin Johnson Jr.

Johnson, Nunnally.
(1897–1977) American screenwriter, film director, and producer.

joie de vivre.
(Fr.) State of being carefree, full of joy.

Joiners' and Ceilers' Company.
London livery company.
Ceiler
is an old term for a wood carver.

Joliet,
Illinois.

Joliet
(or
Jolliet
),
Louis.
(1645–1700) French-Canadian explorer.

Joliette County,
Quebec.

Jones, Inigo.
(1573–1652) English architect and designer.

Joneses, keeping up with the.
Not
Jones'
or
Jones's
or other common variants.

jonquil.
Species of narcissus.

Jonson, Ben.
(1572–1637) Not
John-
. English dramatist and poet.

Jordaens, Jakob.
(1593–1678) Flemish painter.

Joslyn Art Museum,
Omaha.

joss stick.

Jove.
Alternative name for the Roman god Jupiter.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Financial services company.

Juan de Fuca Strait.
Passage in Puget Sound between Washington and British Columbia.

Juárez,
Mexico; formally it is
Ciudad de Juárez.

Judas Iscariot.
Apostle who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

jugular vein.

Juilliard School of Music,
New York City. Note
Jui-.

jujitsu.
Japanese form of unarmed combat.

julienne.
To slice vegetables into strips; a soup containing such vegetables.

Juno and the Paycock.
Play by Sean O'Casey (1924).

Jurgensen, Sonny.
(1934–) American football quarterback; real name Christian Adolph Jurgensen III.

just deserts.
Not
desserts
. The expression has nothing to do with the sweet course after dinner. It comes from the French for
deserve
, which may help you to remember that it has just one middle
s
.

Juvenal.
(c. 60–c. 140) Roman poet; full name
Decimus Junius Juvenalis.

j'y suis, j'y reste.
(Fr.) “Here I am, here I stay.”

Kk

Kaaba.
Sacred shrine at Mecca.

Kabardino-Balkariya.
Russian republic.

kabuki.
Japanese theater.

Kaczýnski, Lech,
and
Jaroslaw.
(1949–) Identical twin brothers, respectively president (2005–) and prime minister (2006–2007) of Poland.

Kádár, János.
(1912–1989) Hungarian politician.

Kaddish.
(Cap.) Type of Jewish prayer.

kaffeeklatsch.
(Ger.) A gathering for coffee and conversation.

Kahlúa.
Coffee liqueur.

Kahneman, Daniel.
(1934–) Israeli-American academic; awarded Nobel Prize in Economics (2002).

Kahoolawe.
Smallest of the main Hawaiian islands.

Kakadu National Park,
Northern Territory, Australia.

kakapo.
Endangered flightless bird from New Zealand.

Kalamazoo,
Michigan.

Kalashnikov.
Rifle.

kaleidoscope.

Kalgoorlie.
Mining town in Western Australia.

Kamchatka Peninsula,
Russia.

kamikaze.

Kampuchea.
Official name for Cambodia, 1975–1989.

Kandinsky, Wassily
(or
Vasily
). (1866–1944) Russian-born French artist.

Kaneohe.
City and bay on Oahu, Hawaii.

Kant, Immanuel.
(1724–1804) German philosopher.

Kaohsiung.
Second-largest city in Taiwan.

Kapusściński, Ryszard.
(1932–2007) Polish writer.

Karachayevo-Cherkesiya.
Russian republic.

Karadzć, Radovan.
(1945–) Bosnian Serb politician accused of genocide and war crimes.

Karajan, Herbert von.
(1908–1989) Austrian conductor.

Karamanlis, Kostas
(or
Costas
). (1956–) Prime minister of Greece (2004–); formally
Konstantinos Karamanlis.

Karl-Marx-Stadt.
(Hyphens.) Name of Chemnitz, Germany, during Communist era.

Karlovy Vary.
Czech spa formerly known as Carlsbad.

Kármán, Theodor von.
(1881–1963) Hungarian-born American physicist.

Karolinska Institute,
Stockholm.

Kaskaskia River,
Illinois.

Kasparov, Garry.
(1963–) Note
-rr-.
Russian chess player; born Harry Weinstein.

Kassel,
Germany.

Katharina.
Character in
The Taming of the Shrew
by William Shakespeare.

Katharine's Docks, St.,
London. Note the unusual spelling of
Katharine
.

Katmandu
(or
Kathmandu
). Capital of Nepal.

Kattegatt.
The strait between Denmark and Sweden; in Danish Kattegat.

Kauai.
Hawaiian island.

Kauffman Stadium.
Kansas City baseball stadium, home of the Royals.

Kaufman, George S(imon).
(1889–1961) American dramatist.

Kazakhstan.
Central Asian republic, formerly part of the Soviet Union; capital Astana.

keelhaul.

keenness,
but
keenest.

keeshond.
Breed of dog; pl.
keeshonden.

Kefauver, (Carey) Estes.
(1909–1963) American politician.

Keino, Kip.
(1940–) Kenyan runner; full name
Kipchoge Keine
.

Keneally, Thomas.
(1935–) Australian writer.

Kenyatta, Jomo.
(c. 1897–1978) Born Kamau Ngengi; president of Kenya (1964–1978).

Kerensky, Alexander (Feodorovich).
(1881–1970) Russian revolutionary, briefly prime minister (1917).

kerfuffle.
Disorder, commotion.

Kerguelen Islands.
Group of islands in the southern Indian Ocean.

Kerkyra.
Greek for Corfu.

Kern, Jerome.
(1885–1945) American composer.

kerosene.

Kerouac, Jack.
(1922–1969) American novelist, a spokesman for the “beat generation” born Jean-Louis Kerouac.

Kerrey, Bob.
(1943–) U.S. politician and academic; president of the New School.

Kerry, John.
(1943–) U.S. Democratic senator from Massachusetts; ran for president in 2004.

Kertész, Imre.
(1929–) Hungarian writer; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 2002.

kewpie doll.

Key, Francis Scott.
(1780–1843) Author of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

KGB.
Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti, “Commission of State Security” the secret service of the former Soviet Union. The name ceased to be used after 1991.

khaki,
pl.
khakis.

Khalilzad, Zalmay.
(1951–) Afghan-born American academic and diplomat; U.S. ambassador to United Nations (2007–).

Khamenei, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali.
(1939–) Supreme Leader of Iran (1989–). Note that
Sayyid
has many variant spellings, among them
Seyyed, Seyed
, and
Said
.

Khartoum.
Capital of Sudan.

Khayyám, Omar.
Omar is not a first name, so alphabetically this Persian poet and mathematician (c. 1050–c. 1125) should be listed under
O.

Khomeini, Ayatollah Ruhollah.
(1908–1989) Iranian religious and political leader, head of state (1979–1989).

Khrushchev, Nikita.
Few errors make a publication look more careless than misspelling the name of a world leader, and few leaders' names have been misspelled more frequently or variously than that of the late Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Note that the surname has three
h
's.

Kibaki, Mwai.
(1931–) President of Kenya (2002–).

kibbutz, kibitz.
The first refers to Israeli communal settlements (pl.
kibbutzim
). The second is to watch at cards or some other such activity, often in an interfering manner.

kibosh.

kidnapped, kidnapper, kidnapping.

kielbasa.
Polish sausage.

Kierkegaard, Søren (Aabye).
(1813–1855) Danish philosopher.

Kigali.
Capital of Rwanda.

Kiick, Jim.
(1946–) American football player.

Kilauea.
Active volcano on the island of Hawaii.

Kilimanjaro.
Mountain in Tanzania, the highest point in Africa (19,340 feet; 5,895 meters). At the end of a line the name should be divided
Kilima-njaro
.

Kill Van Kull.
Strait between Staten Island and New Jersey.

kiloton.
(Abbr. kT.) An explosive force equal to 1,000 tons of TNT.

kilowatt.
(Abbr. kW.) 1,000 watts.

Kimberley,
South Africa and Australia.

Kimberly-Clark.
U.S. paper and forest products group.

Kim Il Sung.
(1912–1994) North Korean prime minister (1948–1972) and president (1972–1994), succeeded by his son,
Kim Jong Il
(1942–).

kimono,
pl.
kimonos.

kind, kinds.
There should always be agreement between
kind
or
kinds
and its antecedents. “These kind of mistakes” should be either “This kind of mistake” or “These kinds of mistakes.”

kindergarten,
but
kindergartner.

kinesiology.
The study of body movement.

kinetics
is singular.

King, (William Lyon) Mackenzie.
(1874–1950) Prime minister of Canada (1921–1926, 1926–1930, 1935–1948).

Kings Canyon National Park,
California (no apos.).

Kingsford-Smith
(hyphen) for the airport in Sydney, Australia, but
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
(no hyphen) for the aviator after whom it was named.

Kinshasa.
Formerly Léopoldville; capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kirghizia.
Now called
Kyrgyzstan.

Kirgizstan.
Use
Kyrgyzstan.

Kiribati.
Remote coral-islands state in Pacific Ocean; capital Tarawa.

Kirin/Jilin.
(Pinyin.) Chinese province.

Kirkpatrick, Jeane.
(1926–2006) American diplomat and academic. Note irregular spelling of first name.

Kissimmee,
Florida.

Kitakyushu,
Japan.

kith and kin.
Your kin are your relatives. Your kith are your relatives and acquaintances.

kittiwake.
Type of gull.

Kitty Litter
is a trademark.

Kitzbühel.
Austrian resort.

Klein, Calvin (Richard).
(1942–) American fashion designer.

klieg light.

Klinefelter syndrome.
Not
-felter's
. Genetic disease that causes language difficulties.

KLM.
Abbreviation of Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, national airline of the Netherlands. It merged with Air France in 2004 to form
Air France–KLM.

Klöckner-Werke.
German steel manufacturer.

Kmart
for the stores group. The formal name is
Kmart Corporation.

knackwurst
(or
knockwurst
). Sausage.

knead.
To manipulate, as with bread dough.

Knesset.
Israeli parliament.

knick knack.

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
for the British honorary title. Note the second
the
.

knockwurst.
Alternative spelling of
knackwurst.

Knossos
is generally the preferred spelling in American English for the ancient capital of Crete; alternative spellings are
Cnossos
and
Cnossus
.

knot.
A speed of one nautical mile an hour. A ship does eight knots or it does eight nautical miles an hour, but not eight knots an hour. A nautical mile equals 1.15 land miles, and in most contexts the reader will appreciate having that difference elucidated.

koala bears
is wrong.
Koalas
are marsupials and have no relation to bears. Just call them
koalas.

København.
Danish spelling of Copenhagen.

Kohinoor/Koh-i-noor.
Famous Indian diamond, now part of the British crown jewels.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.
(No commas.) American investment firm.

Köhler, Horst.
(1943–) President of Germany (2004–).

kohlrabi.
Edible plant, pl.
kohlrabies.

Kohn Pedersen Fox.
(No commas.) U.S. architectural firm.

Kokoschka, Oskar.
(1886–1980) Austrian-born British artist and writer.

Kolkata
is the new official name for the Indian city traditionally known as Calcutta; until the new name is fully established, both should be used on first reference.

Köln.
German spelling of Cologne.

Komunyakaa, Yusef.
(1947–) American poet.

Konditorei.
(Ger.) Bakery.

kookaburra.
Australian kingfisher.

Koolhaas, Rem.
(1944–) Dutch architect; full name
Remment Koolhaas.

kopek
(or
kopeck
). Small Russian coin.

Kopit, Arthur.
(1937–) American playwright.

Koppel, Ted.
(1940–) American television journalist.

Koran
(or
Quran
). Muslim holy book.

Korea
was partitioned in 1948 into
South Korea
(officially
Republic of Korea
), capital Seoul; and
North Korea
(officially
People's Democratic Republic of Korea
), capital Pyongyang.

Korean names
are similar to Chinese in that the family name comes first; thus, after the first reference, Park Chung Hee becomes Mr. Park. Koreans tend not to hyphenate their given names, and neither as a rule do they write the second given name without caps, as in the old Chinese system.