Bryan A. Garner

lay waste. The traditional idiom is an unusual one: either “they laid waste the city” or (a variant form) “they laid the city waste.” “Lay” is the verb; “city” is the object; and “waste” is an adjective serving as an objective complement. The structure of “they laid waste the city” is like that of the […]

Miscellaneous Entries. jail; gaol. The first is the American spelling; the second is the British variant. Both words, of course, are pronounced /jayl/. janissary (= a loyal, subservient follower) is the standard spelling. It is capitalized only when used to mean “a Turkish infantry soldier in the sultan’s guard.” “Janisary” and “janizary” are variant forms.

layman; layperson; lay person. “Layman” is the most common among these terms and is commonly regarded as unexceptionable — in reference to members of both sexes, of course. E.g.: o “James Wilkinson, the 55-year-old layman who carried the cross at the head of Princess Diana’s funeral procession, said he had never experienced anything like Saturday’s

lay; lie (3). Part C: “laid” for Past-Tense “lay.” The “lay”-for-“lie” error also occurs with the past-tense forms — e.g.: “He laid [read ‘lay’] down flat on the ground and looked around for an object or landmark he might have missed from a higher angle.” “Pumpkin Place,” Amarillo Daily News, 4 Mar. 1996, at C1.

lay; lie (2). Today: “lay” for “lie.” This is one of the most widely known of all usage errors — e.g.: o “If you’ve got an extra $79,800 laying [read ‘lying’] around you could become the proud owner of two vacant buildings on the southeast corner of the Canyon square.” Bill Rogers, “Buildings Priced at

lay; lie (1). Today: The Distinction. Very simply, “lie” (= to recline, be situated) is intransitive — it can’t take a direct object {he lies on his bed}. But “lay” (= to put down, arrange) is always transitive — it needs a direct object {please lay the book on my desk}. The verbs are inflected

lawyer; attorney; counsel; counselor. The two most common among these, “lawyer” and “attorney,” are not generally distinguished even by members of the legal profession — except perhaps that “lawyer” is often viewed as having negative connotations. Thus one frequently hears about “lawyer-bashing,” but only the tone-deaf write “attorney-bashing” — e.g.: “Attorney-bashing [read ‘Lawyer-bashing’] always will

lawsuit. Journalists often misuse “lawsuit” (one word) for “complaint” (= the paper that is filed to start a lawsuit) — e.g.: o “In its 18-page lawsuit [read ‘complaint’], Viacom-owned CBS alleged: ‘”Celebrity” was consciously designed to mimic “Survivor” and unfairly trade on its success.’” Meg James, “CBS Sues to Block New ABC Program,” L.A. Times,

lavish, vb. As a transitive verb, “lavish” takes a direct object, but it is traditionally a thing, not a person. That is, you lavish gifts on a person, not a person with gifts. But writers have begun to engage in object-shuffling with this verb — e.g.: “Mayor Willie Brown welcomed Philippine President Joseph Estrada with

Miscellaneous Entries. irrelevance; irrelevancy. The former is generally preferred. The only plural form, however, is “irrelevancies.” irreligious; unreligious. Both words essentially mean “not religious.” But “irreligious” often suggests conscious indifference or even hostility toward religion. “Unreligious” is the more neutral term. irreparable is pronounced /i-REP-uh-ruh-buhl/. irresistible. So spelled — not “irresistable.” irrespective of = regardless

launch. “Launch” has become a vogue word when used in the sense “to begin, initiate” — e.g.: o “USAir Chairman Seth Schofield . . . is visiting Pittsburgh to launch a new service to Mexico City today.” Steve Creedy, “Travel Agents Slap Airlines over Fee Caps,” Pitt. Post-Gaz., 15 Feb. 1995, at F1. o “DuPage

laudatory; laudative; laudable. The adjectives “laudatory” and “laudative” both mean “expressing praise.” But “laudative” is a needless variant of “laudatory,” the much more common word. “Laudable,” in contrast, means “deserving praise.” The distinction is the same as that between “praiseworthy” (= laudable) and “praiseful” (= laudatory). The misuse of “laudatory” for “laudable” is lamentably common

Latinisms. In the English language, Latin words and phrases typically fall into one of six categories: (1) the ones that are now so common that they’re barely recognizable as Latin (“bonus,” “data,” “vice versa”); (2) the ones that are reduced to abbreviations in scholarly contexts (“e.g.,” “i.e.,” “ibid.,” “id.”); (3) the ones used in the

Miscellaneous Entries. ipse dixit (lit., “he himself said it”) = something said but not proved; a dogmatic statement — e.g.: “[Justice William Brennan’s] real doctrine always showed through. It was the doctrine of ipse dixit: He has said it, so it must be so.” “Death with Dignity,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, 30 Apr. 1996, at A8. ipso