A Dictionary of Cont..

layed a pickle into one of the most valuable family
heirlooms in America).
The word was formerly sometimes spelled
parley and sometimes parlee.
parley. In England the word parley is usually restricted
to a discussion of terms between representatives
of contending forces. This sense is
common in America where, however, the word
may also mean a discussion or a conference, as
it formerly did in British usage.
parlous, simply a variant in spelling and pronunciation
of perilous, is archaic and its use a mild
and minor affectation. It survives chiefly in such
tired phrases as in a parlous state, a parlous condition.
parochial. See parish.
parody. See burlesque.
parole. In America and England parole means the
promise of a prisoner of war to refrain from trying
to escape, or, if released, to return to custody
or to forbear taking up arms against his captors
(Since the colonel refused to give his parole
there was nothing for it but to keep him under
close guard).
In the United States, but not in England, the
commonest use of the word is an extension of
this to penology. Parole in America means the
liberation of a person from prison, conditional
upon good behavior, prior to the end of the maximum
sentence imposed upon that person, or
such a release or its duration (He had not been
out on parole a week before he committed another
robbery). Such persons must have a sponsor
who will accept responsibility for them, and
they are said to be paroled into the custody of
or paroled to the sponsor. They must report at
regular intervals to a parole officer.
The English equivalent of parole in the penological
sense is ticket-of-leave and the parolee
(as he is called in the United States) is on ticketof-leave
or a ticket-of-leave man. Violation of
parole is regarded in America as a serious offense.
The English public-whatever the attitude
of the law-seems to take a lighter or more merciful
view of a former convict’s lapses. For generations
one of their most popular comic-strip
characters was Tom the Ticket-of-leave Man
whose burglarious adventures delighted the
young. Despite the dreadful nature of so many
American comics, it is inconceivable that one
could be based on eternal violations of parole.
But, then, American crimes are too often lethal
to be funny.
paronamasia is the technical term for punning.
See pun.
parricide; patricide. A parricide is one who kills
either of his parents or anyone else to whom he
owes reverence. It is also the act of so killing,
and especially the act or crime of killing one’s
father. Patricide is specifically the killing of one’s
father or one who has killed his father. Thus
parricide may be a synonym for patricide, when
the victim is a father, but patricide cannot always
be used as a synonym for parricide which
can include the killing of a mother, of a sovereign
to whom allegiance has been sworn or of
others who stand in a parental relationship to the
killer. The killina of a mother or one who kills
his (or her) mother is a matricide.
parson. From its traditional sense of the holder or
incumbent of a parochial benefice, parson has
come, even in British usage, to mean any clergyman,
minister, or preacher, not solely an Anglican.
In England today the term is slightly depreciatory.
In America it is rarely used except
for humorous or archaic effect. Minister, pastor,
and preacher are the common words, though
the last, unless referring specifically to one who
preaches, is rustic. Parsonage, however, is in
use for the residence of a minister of religion.
See also clergyman.
part; parts. Either of these words may be treated
as singular or plural, depending on the meaning.
When referring to something inanimate, part
should be followed by a singular verb, as in the
greatest part of these years was spent in work.
When referring to a large number of human
beings, it should be followed by a plural verb,
as in the greatest part of the population were
illiterate. Similarly, the word parts must be used
with a singular verb when it refers to a single
unit or a portion, as in three parts of him is ours
already. If the plural verb are is used here, the
three parts become separate bits or pieces.
Only the plural form parts can be used to
mean “talents,” as in a man of parts; or geographical
areas, as in foreign parts.
part; portion; share; proportion; percentage. Part
is the general word to describe that which is less
than the whole (All Gaul is divided into three
parts). A portion is a specific part allotted or
assigned to a person or purpose (Father, give me
the portion of goods that falleth to me). A share
is a portion, rather as seen from the point of
view of the receiver than from that of the assigner
(That’s less than my fair share. It was
agreed that because of the extra risks Z ran Z was
to have a larger portion than the others). Share
also has about it, possibly for no better reason
than the rime involved, a suggestion of a fair or
due portion (Share and share alike. Just relax
and wait your turn; everybody will get his
share). In a special sense, a share is one of equal
fractional parts into which the capital stock of a
joint-stock company or a corporation is divided.
Proportion should not be substituted loosely
for part. It should refer to ratio, to a comparative
relation between things, or magnitude as to
size or quantity (The proportion of organisms
that reach maturity is small compared to all that
start as fertile seeds or eggs). Percentage, like
proportion, is derived from mathematics and is
often misused in general senses by the pretentious.
It is best used in describing a rate or proportion
per hundred, an allowance, duty, commission,
or rate of interest on a hundred. In
looser use, percentage can mean a proportion in
general (We hope for a lower percentage of cas-
&ties in the next landing) and, in slang, it is
used to mean gain or advantage (What’s the percentage
in working hard only to pay higher
taxes?).