Bryson•s Dictionary for Writers and Editors

Oo o
O, oh, oho. The first normally appears in literary or religious contexts;
it is always capitalized and never followed by punctuation.
The second is used in more general contexts to denote emotions
ranging from a small sigh to an outcry; it is capitalized only at
the start of sentences and normally followed by either a comma
or exclamation mark. Oho, with or without an exclamation
mark, denotes an expression of surprise.
OAS. Organization of American States.
OAU. Organization of African Unity.
Oaxaca. City and state in southern Mexico.
Obadiah. Old Testament prophet.
Obama, Barack. (1961–) Democratic politician, U.S. senator from Illi -
nois (2005–); full name Barack Hussein Obama.
Obasanjo, Olusegun. (1937–) President of Nigeria (1999–2007).
obbligato. In music, an indispensable part.
obeisance. A show of deference.
Oberammergau. Village in Bavaria, Germany, where celebrated passion
play is performed every ten years.
obiter dictum. (Lat.) A remark made in passing; pl. obiter dicta.
objet d’art, pl. objets d’art.
objet trouvé. (Fr.) “A found object.”
oblivious. Many authorities long maintained that oblivious can
mean only forgetful. You cannot properly be oblivious of something
that you were not in the first place aware of. But in its
broader sense of merely being unaware or impervious, oblivious
is now accepted universally.