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Word of the Day: laconic from Dictionary.com |
affect/effect - replace affect with the word "influence" and effect with the word "result." If the word influence fits in the sentence, you should use affect; if the word result fits in your sentence, use effect.
all together/altogether - The forms altogether and all together, though often indistinguishable in speech, are distinct in meaning.
any more/anymore - if you can substitute "any less" for any more, it's two words. Example: I don't want any more pie.
a while/awhile - awhile, an adverb, is never preceded by a preposition such as for, but the two-word form a while may be preceded by a preposition. In writing, each of the following is acceptable: stay awhile; stay for a while; stay a while (but not stay for awhile)
APOSTROPHES (see also PLURALS) - for some strange, unknown reason, people are now using apostrophes in the weirdest places! Inexplicable! Some of the common words that it has begun to be used in are: hers, ours, theirs, yours, its. It's (I-T-APOSTROPHE-S) is ONLY to be used if it is a contraction - ONLY! - i.e., it is, it has. NEVER is it used to show possessive for this word!
Bates stamp - a stamp used for numbering pages (to see a picture of the stamp, go to Bates)
beaucoup - slang term meaning: great in quantity or amount - "many" or "much" (as in: spent "beaucoup" bucks) (pronounced bo-coo or boo-coo)
breathalyzer - instrument used to measure alcohol content in the breath (generic term) (see Intoxilyzer)
BMW - the automobile is referred to as a Bimmer. The motorcycle is referred to as either a Beamer or a Beemer.
cancer grading & staging - grades are in ordinal numbers (1, 2, 3); stages are usually in Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV). Other stages are B1, B2, C1 & C2
capias - (Latin) arrest warrant
certiorari - a writ of superior court to call up the records of an inferior court
COBRA - acronym for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
CODIS - acronym for Combined DNA Index System
COFI/COSI loans - acronyms for cost of funds index and cost of savings index
cricothyrotomy - incision through the skin and the cricothyroid membrane for relief of respiratory obstruction
de bene esse - a technical phrase applied to certain proceedings which are deemed to be well done for the present, or until an exception or other avoidance (i.e., 'conditionally'). For example, a declaration is filed or delivered, special bail put in, witness examined, etc. de bene esse, or good for
the present
debride (v) debridement (n) - to surgically remove lacerated, devitalized, or contaminated tissue (pronounced de-breed/de-breedment)
de minimis - (Latin) of minimum importance or trifling
de Quervain's disease/tendinitis - a painful problem which results from irritation of tendons on the side of the wrist which move the thumb sideways away from the palm. It can result in wrist and forearm pain on the side of the thumb, particularly with certain positions and movements of the wrist
do-rag - scarf or kerchief worn as a head covering, often tied at the nape of the neck. (aka durag) When you do a Google search, you will find do-rag with about 100 times more hits than durag. That's why I go with that spelling.
effect/affect - see affect/effect
Ethrane - anesthesia drug
fecund - doctors will sometimes use the phrase "fat, fecund and forty" when talking about women who are susceptible to gallstones.
HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
hors d'oeuvre(s) - canape, appetizer (I hate this word and can never find it when I need the spelling; thus, I decided to put it here)
Intoxilyzer - (brand name) instrument used to measure alcohol content in the breath (see breathalyzer)
intussusception - slipping of a length of intestine into an adjacent portion usually producing obstruction
judgment nisi - bail bond forfeiture (judgment that is not final or absolute)
jill - female version of a male jock strap
Jordy - enables people with low vision to see objects at a distance, up close and at any range in between. It is a battery-operated system which can be worn like a pair of glasses or used as a desktop video magnifier when placed on its docking stand. Prescribed in many cases for patients who have macular degeneration
Keogh plan - an individual retirement account for the self-employed. Named after Eugene James Keogh, an American politician
luting - (n.) lut·ing 1. any of various readily molded substances for sealing joints, cementing objects together, or waterproofing surfaces (dental term)
militate - to have a substantial effect
mores - the fundamental morals of a social group (pronounced mor AYZ)
nolled - (phonetically pronounced "nol-leed") - charges have been dropped and the case has been dismissed
nucleoplasty - a minimally invasive procedure for disc decompression
onomatopoeia - formation or use of words such as "grrrr" or "vrrrrooooooom" that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to
physiatrist - physician who specializes in physical medicine
PLURALS (see also APOSTROPHES) - DO NOT USE AN APOSTROPHE BEFORE THE LETTER S IF YOU ARE MAKING A PLURAL!!! THAT IS ONLY USED FOR POSSESSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I say it any stronger???
purlin - a horizontal member in a roof
quantum meruit - often misspelled as quantum merit
rapprochement - a reestablishing of cordial relations, as between two countriesschwannoma - sudden hearing loss
segue - (phonetically pronounced "seg-way") proceed to what follows without pause; to make a transition without interruption from one activity, topic, scene, or part to another
SPECIAL SYMBOLS - these are some special letters/symbols that are occasionally needed in producing transcripts that I have had to use from time to time, and so hopefully you will find them useful also. You create the letters/symbols by holding down the ALT key and keying in the numbers on the number keypad (NOT the numbers at the top of the keyboard)
{ALT} 129 - ü
{ALT} 130 - é
{ALT} 132 - ä
{ALT} 135 - ç
{ALT} 137 - ë
{ALT} 139 - ï
{ALT} 145 - æ
{ALT} 148 - ö
{ALT} 155 - ¢
{ALT} 156 - £
{ALT} 160 - á
{ALT} 161 - í
{ALT} 162 - ó
{ALT} 163 - ú
{ALT} 164 - ñ
{ALT} 165 - Ñ
{ALT} 167 - º
{ALT} 225 - ß
{ALT} 0153 - ™
{ALT} 0169 - ©
{ALT} 0174 - ®
Thera-Band - (brand name) a system of elastic bands in varying degrees of resistance which allow you to perform hundreds of exercises for all muscle groups with the same piece of equipment
vesicate - medical term meaning to raise blisters
Visqueen - (brand name) heavy plastic sheeting used in construction
vitiate - legal term meaning impair
-wise words - The suffix wise is sometimes added to words by nervous, tenative, and poor speakers. If adding a suffix to a one-syllable or two-syllable constructions causes no difficulty, writing the word without a hyphen is correct. Generally, use hyphens to eliminate all chance of misreading or misunderstanding. Also use the hyphen for proper nouns
workers' compensation/workman's compensation - I never can remember where the apostrophe is on these two, so have put them here to remind myself. {gg}
