Bryson•s Dictionary for Writers and Editors

Persephone / Petrograd � 263
Persephone. In Greek mythology, queen of the underworld; identified
with the Roman goddess Proserpina.
Perseus. In Greek mythology, son of Zeus who murdered Medusa.
persevere, perseverance.
persiflage. Idle banter.
persimmon.
personal, personally. When it is necessary to emphasize that a person
is acting on his own rather than on behalf of a group or that he
is addressing people individually rather than collectively, personal
and personally are unexceptionable. But usually the context
makes that clear and the word is used without purpose, as
here: “Dr. Leonard has decided to visit personally the Oklahoma
parish which is the center of the dispute.” If he visits, Dr.
Leonard can hardly do it otherwise than personally. Many other
common terms—personal friend, personal opinion, personal favorite—are
nearly always equally redundant.
personnel.
perspicacity, perspicuity. The first means shrewdness, the second lu -
cidity.
pertinacious. Persistent.
peruse. It is a losing battle no doubt, but perhaps worth pointing
out that peruse does not mean to look over casually. It means to
read or examine carefully.
pesos.
Pétain, Henri Philippe. (1856–1951) French general and politician,
head of the Vichy government (1940–1944).
PETCO Park. San Diego baseball stadium, home of the Padres.
Peter Principle. The idea that people are promoted until they reach a
level at which they are incompetent.
Petri dish. (Cap. P.)
Petrograd. Originally St. Petersburg, then Leningrad; reverted to St.
Petersburg in 1991.