Bryan A. Garner

vicious; viscous. “Vicious” (= brutal) is sometimes confounded with “viscous” (= gummy) — e.g.: o “Crouching just behind the service line, Agassi ran around his backhand to take a viscous [read ‘vicious’] rip at a return off Ferrero’s timid serve.” Selena Roberts, “Agassi Out as Ferrero Capitalizes on a Break,” N.Y. Times, 7 June 2002, […]

Miscellaneous Entries. uprighteous is a portmanteau word, a combination of “upright” and “righteous” — e.g.: “You may recall the uproar over Atlanta pitcher John Rocker and his lowly opinions of New York City and its inhabitants. It was hardly an original view, but he said it to a magazine reporter, and the uprighteous sky fell

vice versa. “Vice versa” (= the other way around; just the opposite) should be the fulcrum for reciprocal referents. That is, “Mike likes Ellen and vice versa” says that Ellen also likes Mike. The subject and the object could be switched around, leaving the verb intact — e.g.: “You can adjust the slide to allocate

viable. “Viable” originally meant “capable of living; fit to live,” a sense that still applies in many phrases, such as a “viable fetus.” By acceptable extension it has come to refer figuratively to any idea or thing that might flourish. But in this use it’s a vogue word that can often be improved on —

via. “Via” = (1) by way of (a place); passing through {they flew to Amarillo via Dallas}; or (2) by means of, through the agency of {we sent the letter via fax}. Sense 2, a casualism, is questionable whenever a simple preposition would suffice. Ernest Gowers called it a vulgarism in Modern English Usage (2d

veteran. Once a veteran, always a veteran. Hence *”former veteran” is redundant — e.g.: o “Many former veterans [read ‘veterans’] now work in the private sector and would have good reason to fear any disclosure of their possible exposure to Agent Orange.” Shira A. Scheindlin, “Discovering the Discoverable: A Bird’s Eye View of Discovery in

Miscellaneous Entries. unsupportable; insupportable. Both forms are standard and have been since they were first recorded in English in the 16th century. “Unsupportable is about twice as common as “insupportable” in American print sources — e.g.: “Adding $212 a month for health insurance to food, transportation, and housing costs in this high-cost state might well

very. Part A: As a weasel word. This intensifier, which functions as both an adjective and an adverb, surfaces repeatedly in flabby writing. In almost every context in which it appears, its omission would result in at most a negligible loss. And in many contexts the idea would be more powerfully expressed without it —

verses; versus. “Verses” (/VUHR-siz/) are lines of a poem or song, sections of a song separated by the chorus, or subsections of chapters in books of the Bible. “Versus” (/VUHR-suhs/) is a preposition from the Latin, meaning “facing,” especially in law and sports. Writers sometimes misspell it “verses” — e.g.: o “‘Many rooms are semi-private

Language-Change Index. The third edition of Garner’s Modern American Usage reflects several new practices. Invariably inferior forms, for example, are now marked with asterisks preceding the term or phrase, a marking common in linguistics. The most interesting new feature is the Language-Change Index. Its purpose is to measure how widely accepted various linguistic innovations have

Miscellaneous Entries. unknown quantity (= a person or thing whose characteristics haven’t been assessed) was originally a mathematical phrase. It became popular in the mid-20th century. Since then, some people have misunderstood the phrase as “unknown quality” — e.g.: “‘She is an unknown quality [read ‘quantity’] as a legislator, but you don’t come in here

verbiage. This term has long had negative connotations, referring to language that is prolix or redundant. E.g.: “Fanatics sloughing through Stone’s pseudo-Joycean jungle of verbiage might note . . . his overuse of sentence fragments and quick, cheap imagery.” James Hannaham, “Hollywood Babble,” Village Voice, 21 Oct. 1997, at 65. Still, the Shorter Oxford English

Verbal Awareness. To keep from making unconscious gaffes or miscues — as by referring to a “virgin field pregnant with possibilities” — writers must be aware of all the meanings of a word because its potential meanings can sabotage the intention. Careful users of language don’t let a sign such as “Ears Pierced While You

verbal; oral. “Verbal” = (1) of, relating to, or expressed in words, whether written or oral; or (2) of, relating to, or expressed through the spoken word. “Oral” = (1) of or relating to the mouth; or (2) of, relating to, or expressed through the spoken word. Many regard sense 2 as the exclusive province

Miscellaneous Entries. uneconomical; *uneconomic; noneconomic. The correct words are “uneconomical” (= not cost-effective) and “noneconomic” (= not relating to economics). The most common error is to use *”uneconomic” for “uneconomical” — e.g.: “Manifestly uneconomic [read ‘uneconomical’] projects have been pursued . . . . Lavish spending on the new federal capital, Abuja, is at odds

venue. “Venue” = (1) the proper or a possible place for the trial of a lawsuit; or (2) the place where an event is held {the venue will be Madison Square Garden}. In sense 2, it’s a vogue word — e.g.: o “While large-market teams covet fancy venues [read ‘locations’] to boost revenues, small-market team