A Dictionary of Cont..

eader or hearer knows it. That defeats the purpose
of using it, because when a euphemism is
obvious then the unpleasantness that it seeks to
hide is emphasized rather than minimized.
Tummy is simply disgusting when used by
anyone over the age of four. It was hatched in
English nurseries and the sole purpose that it
serves is to illustrate the futility of attempting
through euphemisms to avoid the facts of life.
For tummy is a euphemism for stomach which
(in the sense in which tummy is used; for even
the most delicate never refer to a tummy pump
or a tummy ulcer) is already a euphemism. If
anything could make the word worse than it
already is, it is its coy use in advertisements of
ladies’ underwear.
Guts, when used literally, describes the entrails.
By inescapable association it is a coarse
and unpleasant word, but where a coarse and
unpleasant word is wanted it is the word to use.
For its figurative uses, see guts. Its singular form
is less offensive than the plural.
belong. In English usage when belong is followed
by a preposition, it is followed by to. American
usage, retaining the basic idea of “having a
rightful place,” permits any preposition that indicates
place (The book belongs in the library.
The cups belong on the shelf. The pan belongs
under the sink).
bend. The past tense is bent. The participle is also
bent.
An old participle bended survives today but
is used only as an adjective, as in on bended
knee. Even as an adjective, bent is used more
often than bended, as in a bent wire.
Bent, meaning “determined,” may be followed
by an infinitive, as in he was wholly bent to
make his kingdom and his people happy. But
the -ing form of a verb with the preposition on,
as in he was bent on making them happy, is
generally preferred.
bends. As a name for caisson disease, the bends
is limited to the United States.
beneath contempt. Since contempt is generally
lofty and haughty, the phrase would not seem
very effective. Its meaning is probably elliptical:
the act or whatever is being spoken of is so bass
that it is beneath consideration, even of contempt.
The phrase is usually spoken in a manner
that suggests strong contempt and conveys the
embarrassing implication that the speaker is
actually far more deeply offended than he likes
to admit. It is just as well not to use it at all.
benedick; benedict. The bachelor who in Shakespeare’s
Much Ado About Nothing gloried in
his unwedded freedom-until he fell in love with
Beatrice-was called Benedick, and the writer
who wishes to show that he is aware of the
origin of the term will so spell it. And, of
course, any direct reference to the character
must be so spelled, and with a capital B. But
-ict and -ick are only variant spellings and anyone
who in cheerful ignorance or disregard of
the etymology chooses to write of a benedict
has committed no grievous error,
beneficent; benign: benevolent; munificent. A beneficent
person is one who does good for others.
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A benevolent person is one of good will who
wishes others well (There are far more of the
benevolent than the beneficent in the world).
A benign person is one who is kind and gracious,
of an even and pleasant disposition.
Munificence is sometimes the consequence of
benevolence, but it need not be. It simply means
extreme liberality in giving and that is sometimes
prompted by vanity. When in Browning’s
“MY Last Duchess” the duke. sueakina to the
,- I
envoy, refers icily to the Count your master’s
known munificence no one assumes that benevolence
is involved. Munificent is sometimes used
as if it meant magnificent or splendid, and, of
course, munificence can make splendor and
magnificence if it chooses, but this use is an
error.
The antonyms to beneficent, benign, and benevolent
are maleficent, malign, and malevolent.
benefit of the doubt. To regard a man as innocent
because, despite strong evidence against
him, he has not yet been proved guilty is often
-all too often-referred to as giving him the
benefit of the doubt. The phrase is now a cliche
and should be avoided in ordinary speech or
writing.
bent. See bend.
bereave. The past tense is bereaved or bereft. The
participle is also bereaved or bereft.
Bereaved is used more often than bereft in
speaking of the loss of a person and bereft is
more usual in other contexts, as in the bereaved
family, bereft of joy. This distinction is not
rigidly observed and the two forms may be used
interchangeably.
bereavementi loss. Reuve means to tear away
forcibly. A man bereft of reason is one whose
rationality has been rudely taken from him by
some violent excess of grief, passion, or misfortune.
For the past three centuries it has been
used of the loss of immaterial possessions.
Compared to this, loss, the mere deprivation
of something one once had, seems a mild word,
yet in its simplicity there is sometimes a force
exceeding that of the emotionally charged bereavement.
Bereavement is used, particularly,
of the loss sustained by the death of someone
loved. It seems more stately, more fitted to
funereal solemnities. Yet this fact is a little evident
and the word is slightly tainted with artificiality:
My loss is greater than I can bear is
moving; My bereavement is greater than I cun
bear would make the discerning listener slightly
uncomfortable.
beseech. The past tense is besought or beseeched.
The participle is also besought or beseeched.
Besought is generally preferred for both the
past tense and the participle. Beseeched is an
old form no longer used in Great Britain but
still heard in respectable American speech.
Beseech may be followed by an infinitive, as
in I besought him to tell me the truth. It could
once be followed by a that clause, as in beseeching
God that he would give them the victory,
but this construction is now archaic.
beside; besides. At one time these words had the
same meaning and could be used interchange-