by Bill Bryson
seize.
Sejm. Parliament of Poland.
Selassie, Haile. See HAILE SELASSIE.
self-confessed, as in “a self-confessed murderer,” is usually tautological. In most cases, confessed alone is enough.
Selfridges. (No apos.) London department store.
Selznick, David O. (for Oliver) (1902–1965) American film producer.
semblance.
Sendero Luminoso. (Sp.) Shining Path, Peruvian revolutionary group.
Senegal. West African republic; capital Dakar.
senhor, senhora, senhorita. (Port.) Mr., Mrs., Miss; first syllable pronounced sun.
Senna, Ayrton. (1960–) Brazilian Formula One racing car driver.
“Sennacherib, The Destruction of.” Poem by Byron (1815).
Sennett, Mack. (1884–1960) Canadian-born American film producer and director; born Michael Sinnott.
señor, señora, señorita. (Sp.) Mr., Mrs., Miss.
sensual, sensuous. The words are only broadly synonymous. Sensual applies to a person’s baser instincts as distinguished from reason. It should always hold connotations of sexual allure or lust. Sensuous was coined by Milton to avoid those connotations and to suggest instead the idea of being alive to sensations. It should be used when no suggestion of sexual arousal is intended.
Seoul. Capital of South Korea. An alternative name in Korea is Kyongsong.
Sephardi. A Jew of Spanish or Portuguese origin; pl. Sephardim. See also ASHKENAZI.
seppuku. Ritual suicide in Japan; hara-kiri.
septicemia. Blood poisoning.
septuagenarian. Not septa-. Person seventy to seventy-nine years old.
Septuagesima. Third Sunday before Lent, seventieth day before Easter.
sepulcher. Not -re.
seraglio. A harem.
Serengeti National Park, Serengeti Plain, Tanzania. Not -getti.
sergeant.
seriatim. Not -tum. In a series, one after another.
serving, servicing. Servicing is better reserved for the idea of installation and maintenance. Serve is the better word for describing things that are of general and continuing benefit.
sesquipedalian. A long word.
Session, Court of. Supreme court of Scotland. Not Sessions.
Seurat, Georges Pierre. (1859–1891) French painter.
Seuss, Dr. (1904–1991) Children’s writer and illustrator, real name Theodore Seuss Geisel.
seven deadly sins. They are avarice, envy, gluttony, lust, pride, sloth, and wrath.
7-Eleven is the trademark name for the convenience stores chain.
7 UP is the trademark name for the soft drink.
Seven Wonders of the World. They were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Pharos at Alexandria.
Sèvres porcelain.
Sexagesima. Second Sunday before Lent, sixtieth day before Easter.
Seychelles. Island republic in the Indian Ocean; capital Victoria. Adj. Seychellois.
sforzando. In music, an abrupt stress on a note or chord.
’s Gravenhage. Formal name for The Hague, Netherlands; pronounced skrah-ven-hah'-guh.
Shake ’N Bake. American grocery product.
Shakespearean, Shakespearian. The first is the usual spelling in America and the second is the usual spelling in Britain, but, interestingly, don’t look to The Oxford English Dictionary for guidance on any spellings concerning England’s greatest poet. Perversely and charmingly, but entirely unhelpfully, the OED insists on spelling the name Shakspere, a decision it based on one of the six spellings Shakespeare himself used. It does, however, acknowledge that Shakespeare is “perhaps” the commonest spelling now used.
shaky (not -ey), shakiness.
shallot. A plant related to the onion.
“Shalott, The Lady of.” Not Shallot. 1832 poem by Tennyson.
Shamir, Yitzhak. (1915–) Prime minister of Israel (1983–1984, 1988–1992); born Yitzhak Jazernicki.
Shandong. Chinese province; capital Jinan. Formerly spelled Shantung.
Shangri-La, not -la, for the Himalayan paradise created by James Hilton in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon.
Shankill Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Not -hill.
shank’s mare or pony. To travel on foot.
Shanxi. Chinese province; capital Taiyuan.
SHAPE. Abbreviation of Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe.
Sharapova, Maria. (1987–) Russian tennis player.
Shariah (or Shari’ah). Koranic law.
shar-pei. Breed of dog.
Sharpeville Massacre. Fatal shooting of sixty-seven black South African demonstrators by police at black township of Sharpeville, near Johannesburg, on March 21, 1960.
Shatt al-Arab. River that forms section of border between Iran and Iraq.
Shays’ Rebellion. Not Shay’s. Uprising by American farmers in 1786–1787 led by Daniel Shays of Massachusetts.
Shea Stadium, New York, home of the New York Mets baseball team.
Shedd Aquarium, Chicago.
Sheetrock, for a type of plasterboard, is a trademark.
shekel. Israeli unit of currency.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. (1797–1851) English writer, and second wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), English poet.
shenanigans.
Shepard, Sam. (1943–) American actor and playwright; born Samuel Shepard Rogers.
Shepherd, Cybill. (1949–) American actress.
Shepherd Market, but Shepherd’s Bush, London.
Sheremetyevo Airport, Moscow.
sheriff.
Sherpa (cap.), a Himalayan people living in Tibet and Nepal.
’s-Hertogenbosch. City in the Netherlands, commonly called Den Bosch.
Shetland or the Shetland Islands are the accepted designations for the Scottish islands. The Shetlands is frowned on by some and thus better avoided. See also ORKNEY ISLANDS.
Shevardnadze, Eduard. (1928–) President of Georgia (the country, not the U.S. state), 1995–2003.
shibboleth. A word, phrase, or linguistic quirk common to all members of a particular group and by which they can be distinguished from others.
Shiite (or Shi’ite). Member of the Shia branch of Islam.
Shikoku. Japanese island.
shiksa. (Yid.) Disparaging term for a non-Jewish girl.
shillelagh. Irish cudgel; pronounced shi-lay'-lee.
Shinawatra, Thaksin. (1949–) Former prime minister of Thailand, deposed in coup in 2006.
Sholokov, Mikhail. (1905–1984) Russian novelist; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature in 1965.
Shostakovich, Dmitri. (1906–1975) Russian composer.
shriek.
shriveled, shriveling.
shrove. Past tense of shrive, to give confession.
Shrove Tuesday. The day before Ash Wednesday. Shrovetide is the three days before Ash Wednesday.
Shubert Theatre, New York City.
Shultz, George. (1920–) American statesman.
Shute, Nevil. Pen name of Nevil Shute Norway (1899–1960), British novelist.
Sibelius, Johan Julius Christian. (1865–1957) Finnish composer.
sibilant. Hissing.
Sibylline.
sic. (Lat.) Thus. Used, usually in square brackets, to show that a word or passage is being quoted exactly despite any errors or infelicities it may contain.
Sichuan. Chinese province formerly known as Szechwan or Szechuan; capital Chengdu.
sic transit gloria mundi. (Lat.) “So passes the glory of the world.”
Sidgwick & Jackson. British publisher.
Sidney, Sir Philip. (1554–1586) English poet.
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University.
SIDS. Sudden infant death syndrome.
siege.
Siegfried Line. Defensive fortification built by Germany along its western border before W
orld War II.
Siena, Italy.
Sierra Leone. Republic in West Africa; capital Freetown.
Sierra Nevada. Not Sierra Nevada Mountains; “mountains” is already present in the term.
sieve.
signatory.
Sign of Four, The, not the Four, for the Sherlock Holmes story.
signor, signora, signorina. Italian for Mr., Mrs., and Miss.
Sikkim. Former Himalayan kingdom annexed by India in 1975.
Sikorsky helicopters.
silhouette.
silicon chip. Not -cone.
sillabub. Variant spelling of syllabub.
Sillitoe, Alan. (1928–) English novelist.
silvan (pref.)/sylvan (alt.).
s’il vous plaît. (Fr.) “Please.”
simile, metaphor. Both are figures of speech in which two things are compared. A simile likens one thing to another, dissimilar one: “He ran like the wind.” A metaphor acts as if the two compared things are identical and substitutes one for the other; thus comparing the beginning of time to the beginning of a day produces the metaphor “the dawn of time.”
Simon & Schuster. Publisher.
simpatico (It.)/simpático (Sp.). Friendly, congenial.
simulacrum. A likeness or copy; a deceptive substitute.
Sinai. Not the.
since. A common error is seen here: “Since April the company stopped giving discounts to students.” Since indicates action starting at a specified time in the past and continuing to the present. The verbs in sentences in which it appears must also indicate action that is continuing. Make it either “In April the company stopped” or “Since April the company has stopped.”
sinecure. A profitable or advantageous position requiring little or no work.
Sinepuxent Bay, Maryland.
sine qua non. (Lat.) “A necessary condition.”
sinfonietta. A small orchestra.
singe, singed, singeing.
Singin’ in the Rain. Not Singing. Classic MGM musical (1952).
Sinhalese. Main population group of Sri Lanka.
Sinn Fein. (Gaelic) Literally “we ourselves” Irish nationalist movement and political party. Pronounced shinn fane.
siphon is the usual spelling, but syphon is also acceptable.
sirocco. Type of hot wind originating in the Sahara and blowing over southern Europe.
Sistani, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-. (1930–) Senior Shia Muslim cleric in Iraq.
Sisyphus. Not -ss-. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king of Corinth who was condemned for eternity to push a heavy stone up a hill, only to have it roll down again. Hence Sisyphean describes some endless task.
Sithole, Rev. Ndabaningi. (1920–2000) Zimbabwean clergyman and politician.
sitz bath. A chairlike tub in which the thighs and hips are immersed in water.
Sixth Avenue, New York; former, but still widely used, name for the Avenue of the Americas.
sizable.
Skagerrak. Note -rr-. Channel of the North Sea lying between Norway and Denmark.
skedaddle.
skein. Flock of geese in flight or bundle of thread or yarn; pronounced skane.
skeptic, skepticism.
ski, skied, skiing.
skiddoo. To depart hastily.
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. American architectural firm.
skilless. Note -ll-. This clumsy word, meaning to be without skills, is better avoided.
skillful.
skirmish.
skulduggery. Not skull-.
sleight of hand. Not slight.
sloe. A bluish-black wild plum. Hence, sloe-eyed, sloe gin.
slough. Pronounced to rhyme with cow, it means a swamp or bog; pronounced to rhyme with rough, it means to shed skin.
smart alec (or aleck).
smidgen (or smidgin or smidgeon).
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
smoky.
Smollett, Tobias. (1721–1771) British novelist.
Smuts, Jan Christian. (1870–1950) Prime minister of South Africa (1919–1924, 1939–1948).
Smyrna. Former name of Izmir, Turkish city on Aegean Sea.
SNCF. Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer, French national railway company.
sneaked, snuck. The day may come well when snuck supersedes sneaked—it probably already has done so in speech—but it is worth bearing in mind that many authorities continue to regard it as nonstandard. Use sneaked instead.
snippet.
Soane’s Museum, Sir John, London. Note apos.
so as to. The first two words can generally be deleted without loss, as they might have been here: “The rest of the crowd stuffed hot dogs into their faces so as to avoid being drawn into the discussion.”
sobriquet. A nickname; pronounced so-bri-kay'.
Society of Friends. Formal name of the Quakers.
Sofia. Capital of Bulgaria; in Bulgarian, Sofiya.
SoHo. Manhattan district; short for South of Houston Street.
soi-disant. (Fr.) Self-styled.
soigné (Fr. masc.)/soignée (Fr. fem.). Well groomed.
sojourn.
soliloquy, soliloquies.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City.
solos.
soluble, solvable. The first is something that can be dissolved; the second is something that can be solved.
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander. (1918–) Russian novelist.
somersault.
sometime, some time. Most often it is one word: “They will arrive sometime tomorrow.” But when some is used as an adjective equivalent to a short or a long or an indefinite, it should be two words: “The announcement was made some time ago.”
Three considerations may help you to make the distinction:
1. Some time as two words is usually preceded by a preposition (“for some time,” “at some time”) or followed by a helping word (“some time ago”).
2. Some time can always be replaced with an equivalent expression (“a short time ago,” “a long time ago,” etc.); sometime cannot.
3. When spoken, greater stress is placed on time when some time is two words.
Sommet Center, Nashville; pronounced so-may.
Somoza, Anastasio. (1925–1980) President of Nicaragua (1967–1972, 1974–1979).
Sondheim, Stephen. (1930–) American composer and lyricist.
son et lumière. (Fr.) Nighttime sound and light show.
Sophocles. (495–406 BC) Greek playwright.
sophomore, sophomoric.
Sorbonne, Paris; formally Académie Universitaire de Paris.
Sorenstam, Annika. (1970–) Swedish professional golfer.
sortie. A quick attack, especially by the besieged on their besiegers; also, one mission by a single military aircraft.
Sotheby’s. Auctioneers; formerly Sotheby Parke Bernet & Co., now Sotheby’s Holdings Inc.
Sotomayor, Javier. (1967–) Cuban high jumper.
souchong. Chinese tea.
soufflé. Light, puffy dish made with egg whites.
souk. Market in Arab countries.
soupçon. A very small amount.
sou’wester. Rain hat with a broad brim at the back or a southwest wind.
Sovereign Bancorp Inc. Pennsylvania-based bank.
Soviet Union, the, formally ceased to exist in 1991. It comprised fifteen Union Republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Byelorussia, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Soyinka, Wole. (1934–) Nigerian writer; awarded Nobel Prize for Literature 1986. Full name: Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka.
spate properly describes a torrent, not a flurry.
special, especial. The first means for a particular purpose, the second to a high degree. A special meal may be especially delicious.
specie. Coins, as opposed to paper money.
species, genus. The first is a subgroup of the second. The convention is to capitalize
the genus but not the species. Thus, Homo sapiens. The plurals are species and genera.
Spenser, Edmund. (1552–1599) English poet.
Spetsai, Greece.
spicy. Not -ey.
Spielberg, Steven. (1946–) American film director and producer.
spigot.
spiky. Not -ey.
spinnaker. Type of sail.
spinney. Small woodland.
Spinoza, Baruch de. (1632–1677) Dutch philosopher.
Spitsbergen. Norwegian island in the Svalvard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.
spittoon.
split infinitives. The belief that it is a serious breach of grammar to split an infinitive (that is, to put an adverb between “to” and a verb as in “to boldly go”) is without foundation. It is certainly not a grammatical error. If it is an error at all, it is a rhetorical fault—a question of style—and not a grammatical one. It is practically impossible to find a recognized authority who condemns the split infinitive.
spoliation, not spoil-, for the state of being spoiled.
spontaneous, spontaneity.
spoonfuls. Not spoonsful or spoons full.
Spratly Islands. South China Sea.
springbok. An antelope.
squeegee. Device for cleaning windows.
Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina; site of infamous massacre of 8,000 citizens by Serbian forces in 1995.
Sri Lanka. Island state off India, formerly called Ceylon; capital Colombo. Note the airline is SriLankan (one word) Airlines.
SS. Abbreviation of Schutzstaffel, infamous Nazi enforcement agency.
staccato.
Stakhanovite. In the former Soviet Union, a worker held up to the nation as a paragon.
stalactite, stalagmite. Stalactites point downward, stalagmites upward.
stalemate is a permanent deadlock—one so intractable that no further action is possible. A chess match that reaches stalemate is not awaiting a more decisive outcome; the stalemate is the outcome. Standoff, deadlock, or impasse are all better words if remedial action is still possible.
Stamford, Stanford. Occasionally confused. Stamford is the name of notable communities in Connecticut and the English county of Lincolnshire. Stanford is the university in Palo Alto, California. The intelligence test is the Stanford-Binet test.
stanch, staunch. Although staunch is given as an acceptable variant by most dictionaries, stanch is still generally the preferred spelling for the verb meaning to arrest the flow. As an adjective, staunch is the only spelling (“a staunch supporter”).