_discretus_, pp. of _discerno_, _dis_ + _cerno_, separate, and
formerly _discreet_ was also spelt _discrete_, and even had the
meaning of “separate, distinct,” which sense now belongs exclusively
to _discrete_. _Discreet_ is used with the signification of “evincing
discernment, judicious, prudent.”
~discern~, ~discriminate~: The latter word is often treated as
synonymous with _distinguish_, and there is etymological reason
for this, as both words mean to separate, but to _discern_ is to
“distinguish by the difference or differences; differentiate.” “What we
_discern_ we see apart from all other objects; what we _discriminate_
we judge apart, or recognize by some special mark or manifest
difference. We _discriminate_ by real differences; we _distinguish_ by
outward signs.”
~disfigure~. Compare DEFACE.
~disremember~: Avoid this term as provincial and archaic, and use
_forget_ instead.
~dissociate~ is preferable to _disassociate_; for associate is from the
Latin _ad_, to, + _socius_, united, whereas _dissociate_ is from the
Latin _dis-_, used with separative force, and _socius_. _Disassociate_
is therefore nothing more or less than uniting to and at the same time
severing from. The word, then, though used, is illogically formed and
should be avoided.
~distinguish~. See DISCRIMINATE.
~divers~, ~diverse~; By inattentive persons not infrequently
interchanged. _Divers_ implies severalty; _diverse_, difference. Hence
we say; “The Evangelists narrate events in _divers_ manners,” but “The
views of the two parties were quite _diverse_.”
~do~: Often used unnecessarily. Do not say, “I shall succeed as others
have _done_ before me.” Here “done” is pleonastic. But _do_ may be used
where it is purely auxiliary to a missing verb, as “I shall succeed as
others _do_” (succeed).
~dock~ is not a synonym for _wharf_ although it is often used as such.
The _dock_ is water, the _wharf_ is the abutting land or landing.
_Dock_ is by many persons used to mean a wharf or pier; thus: “He fell
off the _dock_ and was drowned.... A man might fall into a _dock_; but
to say that he fell off a _dock_ is no better than to say that he fell
off a hole.”--R. G. WHITE, _Words and Their Uses_, ch. 5. p. 107.
~donate~: Incorrectly used as simply meaning _give_. As meaning to
_bestow as a gift_ or _donation_, it has been vehemently objected to by
some critics, but the word has certainly acquired a place in popular
use, and is no more rendered unnecessary by the previous existence of
_give_ than _donation_ is by the previous existence of _gift_. _Donate_
should be used of the bestowal of important, ceremonious, or official
gifts only.--STANDARD DICTIONARY.
~done~: Avoid using the past participle of verbs instead of the
imperfect. Do not say, “You _done_ it,” or “you _seen_ it,” when you
mean “you _did_ it,” or “you _saw_ it.” Nor use the past tense for the
perfect participle, as in, “If you had _came_” when you mean “If you
had _come_.”
~don’t~ is a contraction of _do not_, and in this sense is permissible;
but as signifying _does not_, the proper contraction for which is
_doesn’t_, its use is inaccurate. In writing, the uncontracted
forms are much to be preferred, though in conventional speech the
abbreviations are accepted.
~don’t believe~, ~don’t think~: “I _don’t believe_ I’ll go”; “I _don’t
think_ it will rain”; solecisms now in almost universal use. Say,
rather, “I believe I will not go”; “I think it will not rain.”
~don’t make no error~. See ERROR.
~dopey~: A vulgar substitute for “sleepy; dull; thick-headed.”
~dose~, ~doze~: Discriminate carefully between these words. That which
a physician prescribes is a _dose_; that which a sleepy patient may
fall into is a _doze_.
~do tell!~ An exclamation of surprise the equivalent of which is “Is it
possible!”--an inane provincialism to be avoided.
~doubt~. See WHETHER.
~doubt but that~: In this phrase _but_ is superfluous as it does not
add anything to the sense.
~dozen~: Exercise care in writing or uttering this word. If a number
precedes, then _dozen_ forms the correct plural: if not, the plural is
formed by adding an _s_. Say “six _dozen_ sheep,” but “many _dozens_ of
cattle.”
~draft~, ~draught~: Exercise care in using these words. A _draft_ is an
order drawn by one person or firm on another for the payment of money
to a third; a _draught_ is a current of air passing through a channel
or entering by an aperture. These words are pronounced alike and modern
American practise favors the spelling of _draft_ for both.
~drive~: Critics have seen fit to cavil at the distinction between
_drive_ and _ride_, objecting that the coachman _drives_ the lady,
and asking whether traveling by train or trolley-car is a _ride_ or
_drive_. The popular idea is that one _rides_ in a public conveyance
but _drives_ when in a private carriage. As a matter of convenience,
however, the old-time distinction so far as it concerns _riding_ on
horseback and _driving_ in a carriage is good, and in no way encroaches
on the question of travel submitted. Horse-back exercise and a
carriage drive are essentially exercises for pleasure and so not to be
confounded with travel; but if there were no distinguishing expression
for the two, we should have to add a qualifying term to “ride,” to
indicate the form of recreation enjoyed. Again, on the legal principle
of _Qui facit per alium facit per se_ (He who does a thing by another
does it himself), the lady who commissions her coachman to _drive_, is
herself the author of his driving, and _drives_.
~drunk~: In modern usage of the verb this word is confined to the past
participle. It is therefore not now proper to say “They drunk his
health” say, rather, “They _drank_ his health.” Do not say “I have
_drank_” when you mean “I have _drunk_.”
~dry up!~ A vulgar imperative for “be quiet” or “stop talking” and as
such not used in refined circles.
~dubersome~: Of a vacillating nature, doubtful: an absurd corruption of
_dubious_ to be avoided.
~due~, ~owing~: Words now often used interchangeably. _Due_ should be
limited in its use to that which has to be paid, the word _owing_ being
indicative of the source of the existing condition. An obligation may
be discharged as being _due_ to a man’s estate or his character. A
man’s wealth is _owing_ to inheritance, good fortune, toil or thrift.
~Dutch~: Often misapplied to the Germans from a mistaken idea of the
spelling of the German word _Deutsch_. The Dutch are Hollanders, and
the Germans are “Deutsch” in Germany.
E
~each~, ~every~: These words should never be used with pronouns or
verbs in the plural.
~each other~: Strictly applied to two only, whereas _one another_
implies more than two. “The two friends congratulated _each other_”
(_i. e._, each one the other). “This commandment I give unto you that
ye love one _another_:” Yet this expression is now used carelessly as a
reciprocal pronoun; and Whittier writes “To worship rightly is to love
_each other_.”
~effect~, ~affect~: Distinguish carefully between these terms. To
_effect_ means to accomplish; to _affect_, to influence. By concerted
action men may _effect_ reforms which shall _affect_ their condition.
~effluvia~: A word often used incorrectly from the mistaken idea
that it is of the singular number. Do not say “What a disagreeable
_effluvia_” when you wish to draw attention to an unpleasant smell. If
you must use the word, say “_effluvium_.”
~egg~. Compare BAD.
~either~: An adjective denoting “one or the other of two” often used
incorrectly with a plural verb; as, “Either _are_ likely to sail.”
Now, inasmuch as “either” means “one or _the other_” of two the verb
in the sentence should be in the singular and to be correct the
sentence should be “Either _is_ likely to sail.” However, in its best
and strictest usage _either_, as has already been said, means “one or
the other of these,” as, “_either_ horn of a dilemma”; but there is
authority for its use as “any” and “each of two” or “both.” The former
of these is, however, a distinctly improper use, and the latter--though
sanctioned by “on _either_ side one, and Jesus in the midst,” (_John_
xix, 18) is better left unsaid.
~either you or I are (am or is) right~: Which should it be? You _are_;
I _am_; who _is_--which of the two? The complete sentence is clearly
“Either you (are right) or I (am right).” If the pronoun had been
coupled, as in “Both you and I” the plural verb would of course follow;
but the very fact of this would seem to indicate that where they are
distinctly disjoined, as here, the verb should not be plural and should
therefore be singular. Yet who could say “either you or I _am_ right.”
Peculiar as it is--it being impossible to say either “you is” or “I
is” the solution is to be found in the use of _is_; and the correct
rendering is, “Either you or I--one of us,--_is_ right.” Dr. Latham
cites the rule thus, “Wherever the word _either_ or _neither_ precedes
the pronouns, the verb is in the third person.” He adds a second rule
to the effect that if the disjunctive is without the word _either_ or
_neither_, then the verb agrees with the first of the two pronouns. He
would therefore say “either you or I _is_ right,” but “you or I _are_
right.” It is, however, questionable whether usage bears with him.
~elder~, ~eldest~; ~older~, ~oldest~: Discriminate carefully between
these terms. _Elder_ and _eldest_ are correctly applied only to persons
and usually only to persons in the same family, as, “his _elder_
brother.” _Older_ and _oldest_ are used of persons or things without
any restriction, “the _oldest_ inhabitant”; “the older _road_ is now
closed.”
~elegant~: Often misused for _pleasant_. _Elegant_ refers to qualities
of refinement, grace, taste or polish. One may say “an _elegant_ gown”;
“an _elegant_ outfit”; but not “an _elegant_ time” nor “an _elegant_
view.”
~else~: E. S. Gould and certain other critics take exception to
a possessive use of this word, upon which the former says “A
comparatively modern and a superlatively ridiculous custom has been
introduced by putting not the noun but the adjective, _else_, in the
possessive case.... _Else_, in the way it is used, means besides
... [one] might as well say somebody besides’s, etc. The proper
construction of the several phrases is somebody’s else, nobody’s else.”
On this subject the STANDARD DICTIONARY says: “The expressions ~some
one else~, ~any one else~, ~every one else~, ~somebody else~, which
are in good usage, are treated as substantive phrases and have the
possessive inflection upon _else_; as, _somebody else’s_ umbrella;
but some people prefer to treat them as elliptical expressions; as,
the umbrella is _somebody’s_ else (_i. e._, other than the person
previously mentioned).”
~embryo~: The plural of this word is formed by the adding of “s” not
“es” as in _potatoes_.
~emerge~, ~immerge~: Discriminate carefully between these terms.
To _emerge_ is to come out of; issue or proceed from something; to
reappear as in a new state; as, “the butterfly _emerges_ from the
chrysalis.” To _immerge_ is to plunge into anything, especially a
fluid; or to disappear; as, “some heavenly bodies _immerge_ in the
light of the sun.”
~emigrant~, ~immigrant~: These words are to be carefully distinguished
with regard, not to the person but to the country from which or to
which a person comes. The _e_ = _ex_, out of; the _im_ = _in_, into.
The _emigrant_ from Ireland is an _immigrant_ when he lands in New York.
~eminent~, ~imminent~: Discriminate carefully between these words.
_Eminent_ means distinguished, prominent, conspicuous. _Imminent_ means
impending; threatening.
~endorse~, ~indorse~: From the Latin _in_, on, and _dorsum_, back,
means to write or place upon the back of. It is therefore pleonastic to
say, as is frequently done, “_indorse_ on the back of.”
The spelling _indorse_ which follows the medieval Latin is that
preferred in law and commerce; _endorse_, a spelling which follows
middle English analogy, is the preferred form according to literary
usage.
~enjoy~: A word often misused. Do not say “I enjoy bad health” nor “I
enjoy good health,” when you suffer from illness or are in a perfect
state of health. One enjoys health (here good is superfluous), but how
can one _enjoy_ bad health?
~enthuse~, said to be of journalistic origin, is characterized as slang
by the STANDARD DICTIONARY, meaning “manifest enthusiasm or delight.”
~enthusiast~, ~fanatic~: Discriminate carefully between these words. An
_enthusiast_ is one who is ardently zealous in any pursuit; a _fanatic_
is one whose mind is imbued with excessive or extravagant notions on
religious subjects.
~epithet~: Often misused from the mistaken idea that an epithet must
necessarily be opprobrious in character or imply opprobrium. An epithet
is an adjective or a phrase or word used adjectively to describe
some quality or attribute of its object, as in “a _benevolent_ man,”
“_Father_ Æneas,” “benevolent” and “father” are epithets.
~equally as well~: An erroneous phrase rendered correctly _equally
well_. The introduced conjunction has no grammatical place in the
sentence, the meaning of which is clear without it.
~equanimity of mind~. A pleonasm since equanimity means “evenness of
_mind_.”
~error, don’t you make no~: An ungrammatical and therefore incorrect
phrase sometimes used to assert a fact; say, rather, “make no error.”
~eruption~, ~irruption~: Discriminate carefully between these words.
An _eruption_ is a bursting forth as from inclosure or confinement. An
_irruption_ is a sudden incursion; an invasion.
~eternal~, ~everlasting~: Distinguish carefully between these words.
That which is _eternal_ is without beginning or end; that which is
_everlasting_ is without end only.
~euphemism~. Compare EUPHUISM.
~euphuism~ is often improperly used for _euphemism_. Added to the Greek
_eu_, well, is _phyē_, nature, in the former, and _phēmi_, speak, in
the latter. The former is general and denotes a style, an affectation
of speech or writing, whereas _euphemism_ is particular and denotes a
figure of speech.
~evacuate~ should be distinguished from ~vacate~. _Evacuate_ does not
mean to go away but to make empty; and when the word is used in regard
to military movements, evacuation is a mere consequence, result, or
at most, concomitant of the going away of the garrison. (R. G. WHITE,
_Words and Their Uses_, ch. 5, p. 109.) To _vacate_ is to surrender
possession by removal.
~event~: Care should be exercised in the use of this word. It
means strictly a happening; that which happens or comes to pass as
distinguished from a thing that exists. In interlocutory proceedings
a defendant was granted costs (which happened to be considerable)
_in any event_. The plaintiff was shrewd enough to drop all further
proceedings, and consequently there was no _event_ so the heavy costs
which he would have had to pay fell upon his opponent.
~eventuate~: Although some writers condemn the use of this word as a
synonym for “happen” the use is recorded by modern dictionaries and
may be considered good English. Originally and in a restricted sense
_eventuate_ meant “to culminate in some result”; now, it means also “to
be the issue of.”
~even up~: A slang expression much used in the South and West to
signify “get even with; exact compensation from”: an undesirable phrase.
~ever~: Where _ever_ is intended to be used as an adverb of degree
and not an adverb of time, it is improper to substitute _never_ (not
ever) for the word. If the substitution be made, it must be with the
understanding that the thought of the sentence is changed from degree
to time. “If he run _ever_ so well, he can not win” is not correctly
expressed by “If he run _never_ so well,” etc., unless the thought
intended to be conveyed is “If he run, and run so well, as _never_ in
his life before, he can not win.” The tendency has been to use both
_ever so_ and _never so_ loosely and vaguely.
~ever so~: The phrases _ever so great_, _little_, _much_, _many_,
etc., meaning “very” or “exceedingly great,” etc., may be carefully
discriminated from _never so great_, _little_, etc., meaning
“inconceivably great, little,” etc. Compare NEVER SO.
~every~: A collective pronominal singular that is sometimes incorrectly
used with a verb in the plural. Do not say “Every passenger of the
two hundred aboard _were_ detained at the dock.” Say, rather, “Every
passenger ... _was_ detained.”
~every confidence~: The phrase is objected to by some critics on the
ground that “_every_ is distributive, referring to a number of things
that may be considered separately, while confidence is used as a
mass-noun.” The adjective, therefore, as signifying _all_ or _entire_,
is not permitted, though the phrase is accepted by many as being
elliptical, the words “sort of” being understood after _every_; but
_implicit confidence_ is a preferable phrase.
~every which way~: A pleonastic colloquialism for “every way”; “in all
directions”; either of which phrases may be used in preference.
~evidence~, ~testimony~: These words are often used as if they were
interchangeable. Greenleaf says “_Testimony_, from the Latin, _testis_,
a witness, is, however, only a species of evidence through the medium
of witnesses. The word _evidence_, in legal acceptation, includes all
the means by which any alleged matter of fact, the truth of which is
submitted to investigation, is established or disproved.” (_Evidence_,
vol. i. ch. 1, p. 3.) Again “_Evidence_ rests upon our faith in human
_testimony_, as sanctioned by experience” (vol. i. ch. 10, p. 70). We
may have the _testimony_ of a traveler that a fugitive passed his way;
but his footprints in the sand are _evidence_ of the fact.
~evident~. Compare APPARENT.
~exasperate~. Compare AGGRAVATE.
~executer~, ~executor~: Discriminate carefully between these words. An
_executer_ is one who performs some act; a doer. An _executor_ is one
who in law administers an estate.
~exceed~, ~excel~: Formerly _exceed_ (from the Latin _ex_, forth,
+ _cedo_, go, = to go beyond the mark) had for one of its meanings
_excel_ (from the Latin _ex_, out, + _celsus_, raised, = to go
beyond in something good or praiseworthy; outdo). Now these words
must be distinguished. This is to be particularly noted in the
derivatives _excessive_ and _excellent_--the former signifying an
excess in that which ought not to be exceeded, the latter in that
where it is praiseworthy to exceed. It is, therefore, not correct to
speak of weather as being _excessively_ cold; say rather, _very_ or
_exceedingly_ cold.
~except~, ~unless~: These words are not synonymous. Avoid such
locutions as “You will not enjoy it _except_ you earn it.” Say rather,
“You will not enjoy it _unless_ you earn it.”
~exceptionable~ is to be distinguished from ~exceptional~.
_Exceptionable_ conduct is that which is out of the common and forms
the exception to the rule.
~excise~, ~customs~, ~tolls~: Distinguish from each other. Mill in his
“Political Economy” says:
“Taxes on commodities are either on production within the country, or
on importation into it, or on conveyance or sale within it, and are
classed respectively as _excise_, _customs_, or _tolls_ and transit
duties.” (bk. v. ch. 3, p. 562.)
Thus, _excise_ is a charge on commodities of domestic production;
_customs_ is a charge or duty assessed by law levied on goods imported
or exported; _tolls_ are charges for special privileges as, passing
over a bridge or a turnpike.
~excite~, ~incite~: Exercise care in the use of these words. _Excite_
means to produce agitation or great stir of feeling in; _incite_ is to
rouse to a particular action.
~exemplary~ should not be used for “excellent.” That which is
_exemplary_ serves as a model or an example worthy of imitation: that
which is _excellent_ possesses distinctive merit or excels that which
is good or praiseworthy.
~exodus~: Sometimes misused for ~exit~ or ~departure~. Do not say “I
made a hasty _exodus_”; say, rather, “My _exit_ (or _departure_) was
hasty.”
~expect~ is commonly misused for _think_, _believe_, _suppose_; also
for _suspect_. _Expect_ refers to the future, not to the past or
present, usually with the implication of interest or desire. Yet “I
_expect_ it is,” or even “I _expect_ it _was_,” is very common.
~expect likely~, ~expect probably~. The STANDARD DICTIONARY says of
these careless locutions, it is not the expectancy, but the future
event, that is _likely_ or _probable_. One may say “I think it is
_likely_,” “I think it [the act, event, or the like] _probable_,” or
“It seems _likely_” or “_probable_.” When another person’s expectancy
is matter of conjecture, one may say “You _probably expect_ to live
many years”; _i. e._, “_I think it probable_ that _you expect_,” etc.;
but “Probably you expect,” etc., would be better.
F
~face the music~: Slang for to confront with boldness anything of an
unpleasant character or any task especially difficult: a metonymic but
inelegant phrase.
~fade away~: In modern parlance a slang phrase first introduced by
Thackeray (_Vanity Fair_, ch. 60, p. 540), and meaning “disappear or
vanish mysteriously.” The phrase is in good usage, however, in the
sense of “to pass away gradually; vanish; die out;” as, “religious
animosity would of itself _fade away_” (MACAULAY, _Hist. of England_,
vol. 2, p. 134).
~faint~, ~feint~, and ~feign~ all come from the French, _feindre_,
which is derived from the Latin, _fingo_, shape. The first two,
similarly pronounced, have very different significations. _Faint_ means
a sudden loss of consciousness or swoon; _feint_ signifies a deceptive
move or pretense. To _feign_ is to make a false show of; pretend.
~fake~: Slang term for imposition; fraud; also, fictitious or
manufactured news. Expressive but inelegant.
~fakement~: Slang for an act of fraud. Less desirable than preceding
and equally inelegant.
~fanatic~. Compare ENTHUSIAST.
~farewell~: When separated by a pronoun _farewell_ is written as
two words; as, _fare you well_. Exception has been taken to Byron’s
pathetic lines
_Fare thee well_, and if for ever,
Then for ever, _fare thee well_;
but this is hypercriticism for here the pronoun is nothing but the
Anglo-Saxon dative.
~farther~, ~further~: _Farther_ should be used to designate
longitudinal distance; _further_ to signify quantity or degree. Thus,
“How much _farther_ have we to go?” “Proceed no _further_ along that
course.”
~fault~: The different meanings of this word should be clearly
distinguished. A man perplexed or one who has made a mistake is _at
fault_; if he has done anything for which he may be blamed he is _in
fault_. A hound is _at fault_ when he has lost the scent.
~faun~, ~fawn~: Homophones each with a distinct meaning. _Faun_ is from
the Latin _Faunus_, god of agriculture and of shepherds, and signifies
a god of the woods; _fawn_, from the Anglo Saxon _faegen_, fain,
signifies to seek favor by cringing and subserviency.
~favor~ in the sense of “resemble” is a colloquialism, the use of which
is not recommended.
~faze~, ~feeze~: Slang terms for “disconcert” or “confuse,” either of
which is to be preferred.
~feel to~: A colloquial expression meaning “to have an impulse;” as “I
_feel to_ agree with you,” which can not be too severely condemned.
~feel bad~, ~feel badly~: Discriminate carefully between these terms.
If you mean to express the idea that you are ailing in health, _feel
bad_ is correct. _Feel bad_ is synonymous with _feel ill_ and is
correct. One might as well say _feel illy_ as _feel badly_ if the
latter were correct as applied to health. However, _feel badly_ is
correct when the intention is to say that one’s power of touch is
defective as through a mishap to the fingers.
~feel good~, ~feel well~: Distinguish carefully between these phrases.
_Good_ signifies having physical qualities that are useful, or that
can be made productive of comfort, satisfaction, or enjoyment, as, a
_good_ view, _good_ flour; _well_ signifies having physical health,
free from ailment; as, “two are sick, the rest are _well_.” Compare
GOOD.