Bryson•s Dictionary for Writers and Editors

Barbarossa / Barrie, J. M.
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and harshness and usually contains at least a hint of moral condemnation,
as in “barbarous ignorance” or “barbarous treatment.”
Barbarossa. Not -rosa. Nickname of Frederick I (c. 1123–1190), Holy
Roman Emperor; German code name for the invasion of the
USSR in 1941.
barbecue is the only acceptable spelling in serious writing.
Barbizon School. Group of French landscape painters, among them
Millet, Daubigny, and Rousseau.
Barclays Bank, UK (no apos.).
Barents Sea.
bar mitzvah. Religious coming-of-age ceremony for Jewish boys; the
ceremony for girls is a bat mitzvah. The plural is mitzvoth or mitzvahs.
Barnard, Christiaan. (1922–2001) South African heart surgeon. Note
-aa- in first name.
Barnes & Noble. (Ampersand.)
Barneys New York. (No apos.) Clothing retailer.
Barnstable. Town and county, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, but Barnstaple,
England.
Barnum, P(hineas) T(aylor). (1810–1891) American showman.
baron, baroness, baronet. A baron has the lowest rank in the British
nobility. A baronage can be either hereditary or nonhereditary.
Holders of the latter are called life peers. A baroness is a woman
who is the wife or widow of a baron, or a peer in her own right.
In British contexts, Lord or Lady can be substituted for Baron or
Baroness, e.g., Baron Baden-Powell is called Lord Baden-Powell.
A baronet is not a peer; this is a hereditary title ranking below a
peer but above a knight. See also british aristocracy.
barracuda.
Barrie, J. M. (formally Sir James Matthew Barrie) (1860–1937) Scottish
writer, creator of Peter Pan.