Bryson's Dictionary For Writers And Editors (v5.0) by Bill Bryson Read Free Book Online

lie”) or willfully obnoxious (“blatant commercialization”) or both. Something that is
flagrant
is shocking and reprehensible (“a flagrant miscarriage of justice”). If I tell you that I regularly travel to the moon, that is a blatant lie, not a flagrant one. If you set fire to my house, that is a flagrant act, not a blatant one.
    blazon means to display or proclaim in an ostentatious manner. Trails are blazed, not blazoned.
    Bleecker Street, New York City.
    Blériot, Louis. (1872-1936) French aviator.
    blitzkrieg. (Ger.) “Lightning war” an overwhelming attack.
    Blixen, Karen, Baroness. (1885-1962) Danish writer, who used the pseudonym Isak Dinesen.
    Bloemfontein, South Africa, capital of Orange Free State.
    Bloomberg, Michael. (1942–) American businessman and politician, mayor of New York City (2002–).
    blueprint as a metaphor for a design or plan is much overworked. At least remember that a blueprint is a completed plan, not a preliminary one.
    Blumberg, Baruch S(amuel). (1926–) American scientist, joint winner of 1976 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.
    BMW. Short for Bayerische Motoren Werke.
    B’nai B’rith. Jewish organization.
    Boadicea. (d. AD 62) Traditional spelling for queen of the Iceni, a British Celtic tribe, but now more often spelled Boudicca.
    Boboli Gardens, Florence, Italy.
    Boccaccio, Giovanni. (1313-1375) Italian writer.
    bocce, boccie. Bowling game.
    Bodensee. The German name for Lake Constance.
    Bodhisattva. In Buddhism, an enlightened one.
    Bodleian Library, Oxford University; pronounced
bodd-lee-un.
    Boeotia. Region of ancient Greece, centered on Thebes.
    Boethius, Anicius Manlius Severinus. (c. 480–c. 524) Roman statesman and philosopher.
    Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver.
    boffo. A huge success.
    Bofors gun. (Cap.) Named for a town in Sweden.
    Bogdanovich, Peter. (1939–) American film director.
    bogey, bogie, bogy.
Bogey
is the invariable spelling for contexts involving golf strokes,
bogy
generally is reserved for malevolent spirits, and
bogie
is a technical term used to describe parts of wheels or tracks on mechanical conveyances.
    Bogotá. Capital of Colombia.
    Bohème, La. Opera by Giacomo Puccini (1896).
    Bohr, Niels. (1885-1962) Danish physicist, won Nobel Prize for Physics (1922).
    Bois de Boulogne. Paris park.
    bok choy. Chinese vegetable.
    Boleyn, Anne. (c. 1507-1536) Second wife of Henry VIII.
    bolívar. Monetary unit of Venezuela, named for Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), Venezuelan-born revolutionary.
    Bolivia. South American republic; the seat of government is La Paz, but the official capital is Sucre.
    Böll, Heinrich. (1917-1985) German writer, awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1972.
    bollito misto, pl.
bolliti misti.
An Italian stew.
    bollix. To botch or bungle.
    Bombay. Now known as Mumbai.
    bon appétit. (Fr.) Eat well, enjoy your food.
    Bonhams. (No apos.) London auction house.
    bonhomie. (Fr.) Good nature.
    Bonnard, Pierre. (1867-1947) French painter.
    bonne nuit. (Fr.) Good night, but bonsoir for good evening.
    bonsai, banzai.
Bonsai
is the Japanese art of growing dwarf shrubs;
banzai
is a Japanese salute, literally “May you live 10,000 years.”
    bonsoir. (Fr.) Good evening, but bonne nuit for good night.
    bon vivant, bon viveur. The first is a person who enjoys good food; the second a person who lives well.
    Book-of-the-Month Club.
    Boonyaratglin, Gen. Sonthi. (1946–) Leader of military coup in Thailand in 2006; on second reference he is Gen. Sonthi.
    Boorstin, Daniel. (1914-2004) American historian.
    Bophuthatswana. Former South African black homeland; capital Mmabatho. Reintegrated into South Africa in 1994.
    bordellos.
    Borders Books and Music. (No apos.)
    Borghese. Noble Italian family.
    Borgia, Rodrigo. (1431-1503) Pope Alexander VI, father of Cesare Borgia (1476-1507) and Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519).
    Borglum, Gutzon. (1871-1941) American sculptor, designer of the