Economist Style Guide - Redress Information & Analysis

c
cadre Keep this word for the framework of a military unit or the offi cers
of such a unit, not for a communist functionary.
calibres see hyphens.
Cambodian names see names.
Canute’s exercise on the seashore was designed to persuade his
courtiers of what he knew to be true but they doubted, ie, that he
was not omnipotent. Don’t imply he was surprised to get his feet
wet.
capitals A balance has to be struck between so many capitals that
the eyes dance and so few that the reader is diverted more by our
style than by our substance. The general rules are to dignify with
capital letters organisations and institutions, but not people; and
full names, but not informal ones. More exact rules are laid out
below. Even these, however, leave some decisions to individual
judgment. If in doubt use lower case unless it looks absurd. And
remember that “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little
minds” (Emerson).
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avoiding confusion Use capitals to avoid confusion, especially
with no (and therefore yes). In Bergen no votes predominated
suggests a stalemate, whereas In Bergen No votes predominated
suggests a triumph of noes over yeses. In most contexts,
though, yes and no should be lower case: “The answer is no.”
Organisations with unusual or misleading names, such as
the African National Congress and Civic Forum, may become
the Congress and the Forum on second and subsequent
mentions.
cities City with a capital, even though City is not an integral part
of their names: