Bryson•s Dictionary for Writers and Editors

238
NCAA / neither
NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Ndeti, Cosmas. (1971–) Kenyan distance runner.
Ndjamena (or N’Djamena). Capital of Chad.
’Ndrangheta. Organized crime group in Calabria, Italy.
Neandertal increasingly is the preferred spelling for the extinct
species of human, though the formal scientific rendering Homo
neanderthalensis still generally keeps the -thal spelling. Neanderthal
man as a term for the species is both sexist and oldfashioned.
near disaster. “His quick thinking saved an RAF jet pilot from a near
disaster.” Not quite. The pilot was saved from a disaster. A near
disaster is what he had.
neat’s-foot oil. A substance used to treat leather.
Nebuchadnezzar. (c. 625–551 bc) King of Babylon (605–561 bc).
nebuchadnezzar, an exceptionally large bottle of champagne, twenty
times the size of a normal bottle.
nebula. The plural can be either nebulae or nebulas.
necessarily, necessity.
needless to say is a harmless enough expression, but it often draws
attention to the fact that you really didn’t need to say it.
nefarious.
negligee.
negligible.
Negretti & Zambra. Maker of musical instruments.
Nehemiah. Jewish leader in fifth century bc after whom an Old Testament
book is named.
Nehru, Jawaharlal. (1889–1964) Indian prime minister (1947–1964).
Neiman Marcus, the department store group, no longer hyphenates
its name.
neither. In neither . ..nor constructions, the verb should always
agree with the noun nearest it. Thus, “Neither De Niro nor his
agent was available for comment.” When the noun nearest the