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Armed Forces Arts Churches Courts Politics Sport Titles

Labor Day, Labor Department, Bureau of Labor Statistics (in US), but anglicise, eg, the Defence Department etc. See American spellings

Labor Party (in Australia)

Labour Party (in UK); abbreviate in lists etc to Lab. See Politics special section

lackadaisical

Ladbrokes, the betting shop, but Ladbroke plc; note also William Hill and Coral (neither takes final “s”)

lady, ladies prefer to write woman, women

Lady Gaga

Lafite, Château. See wines

Lagos is the biggest city but not the capital of Nigeria; Abuja is

laid-back hyphen for noun and adjective

laissez faire do not use the laisser version

Lake District do not include Lake when the name contains its equivalent; thus Windermere, Derwent Water, but Bassenthwaite Lake

La-La land noun; extra hyphen as adjective, eg, La-La-land mentality

lambast (not lambaste)

lamé (to distinguish it from lame)

lamppost (no hyphen)

Land Rover (no hyphen); similarly Range Rover. See trade names

Land's End

landmine (no hyphen)

landslide (political), landslip (earth)

languor, languorous (not -our)

lap dancer, lap dancing (nouns), but a lap-dancing club (adjectival, hyphenate); likewise pole dancer, pole dancing (nouns), but a pole-dancing club (adjectival, hyphenate)

laptop (computer), no hyphen. See desktop

largesse (not largess)

lasagne prefer the plural to lasagna

Lashkar-e-Taiba Indian militant group. May be written LeT at subsequent mentions. Note also the Pakistani Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. See Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Pakistan

Lashkar Gah prefer to Lashkar Gar for the capital of Helmand province; see Afghanistan

last, past last should not be used as a synonym of latest; “the last few days” means the final few days; “the past few days” means the most recent few days.

Also, do not write, eg, "last June" in December if you mean "June last year".

Last Post, like Reveille, is sounded, not played

Latin be sparing in its use, apart from in the Law Report. When Latin phrases are in common usage, use roman rather than italics, eg, caveat emptor, quid pro quo, QED, ex parte injunction, habeas corpus

Latin dancing cap Latin in this and all other contexts, whether the Latin language or history, Latin music, Latin temperament etc

Latin Mass must not be used as a synonym for the older Tridentine rite

Latino, Latina plurals Latinos, Latinas

latitude, longitude write 45º 32'N, 40º 17'W etc

La traviata (note l/c “t”)

launch a book/film/housing development is launched (not launches)

launch pad (two words)

launderette (not laundrette)

Laurence, Vice-Admiral Tim (Princess Royal's husband). See Titles special section

lavatory can now be used interchangeably with toilet. Reserve the use of loo for informal contexts

law lords, law officers (l/c). See judges' names, Courts special section

lawnmower (one word)

Law Report in The Times, always initial caps and singular (not Reports); so the style for x-refs is Law Report, page 42 etc

Law Society Consumer Complaints Service new name from April 2004 for the Law Society of England and Wales's Office for the Supervision of Solicitors (ie, complaints and grievance service)

lay, lie a person lays a carpet (transitive verb), but lies on a carpet (intransitive). Never confuse

lay-by noun

lay person, lay people both two words

layoff (noun), lay off (verb) refer to the suspension of workers from employment with the intention of re-employing them at a later date, or the temporary suspension of work introduced by an employer as an economic measure, so should not be used as synonyms for permanent job losses

layout (noun), lay out (verb)

lay person, lay people in church or professional contexts

lay waste means to devastate or destroy, so it does not need a following "to". Goats can lay waste a field, not lay waste to a field

leach do not confuse removing from a substance by a percolating liquid with leech the blood-sucking creature or a metaphor for taking the life out of somebody or something

Leader of the Commons/House of Lords; Leader of the Opposition (ie, caps); however, Labour leader (l/c), Tory leader (l/c) etc. See Politics special section

League Against Cruel Sports (note caps) describes itself as an animal welfare, not animal rights, organisation

lean, leap past tenses leant, leapt (not leaned, leaped)

Leaning Tower of Pisa (initial caps)

Lea River, but Lee Valley Regional Park Authority etc

Learjet (one word)

learnt (past tense and past participle of learn);

learned (adjective, as in scholarly)

leave, leaving prefer to depart, departing

Lebanon, not the Lebanon (except occasionally in historical context). Note Fouad Siniora, the Prime Minister; Dahiya, the Beirut suburb. See phalangist, Sudan

Lebedev, Alexander proprietor of the London Evening Standard and of Novaya Gazeta in Moscow. See newspapers, Russian names

le Carré, John the author's birth name is David Cornwell

Le Corbusier render the architect as Le Corbusier (not Corbusier) at all mentions. This is the nom d'artiste of Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris

Lecs (initial cap only), short for local enterprise councils. See Tecs

leech do not confuse with leach

Lee Kuan Yew (of Singapore)

Left, the cap in the political context when referring to a group of like-minded individuals, eg, “The Left added to Tony Blair's worries”; but l/c in “the party swung to the left”. When the Left is qualified, keep the adjective l/c, eg, the hard Left, the far Left. Also, the left wing, left-wing contenders, leftwingers. See Centre, Right

leftist, left-leaning try to avoid these, and also rightist, right-leaning, which are particularly liked by news agencies, not least in the Americas, and opt for left-wing, right-wing, left-of-centre, right-of-centre etc

leg despite several attempts to rewrite the anatomy books, stick with femur for the thigh bone and the tibia and fibula in the shin. Like fibs, the fibia is not true

legal aid l/c and never hyphenate, even adjectivally in phrases such as legal aid cases. Note that the Legal Aid Board was replaced by the Legal Services Commission. See Courts special section

Legal Complaints Service superseded the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, which was formerly the Solicitors Complaints Bureau. See Courts special section

legal terms in general, use l/c for titles etc except when in full or specific; thus, the Recorder of Liverpool (thereafter the recorder), the West London Magistrate, Chelmsford Crown Court, Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court (caps on first mention), etc; but “the court was told”, “the judge said”, “the magistrate ordered” etc.

The Bench is capped only when referring to the judges as a group; a bench of magistrates is always l/c. See magistrates' courts.

Always cap the Bar and the Inn (even when used on its own). See Courts special section

legendary avoid its clichéd use

legionella, listeria, salmonella are all bacteria, not viruses. See bacterium

legionnaires' disease

Legion of Honour or Légion d'honneur; either form is acceptable, according to context

legroom one word, also elbowroom, headroom

Lehman Brothers Lehman at second mention

leitmotiv (l/c, roman), prefer to leitmotif

Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons (restaurant in Great Milton, Oxfordshire)

Leonardo da Vinci at second mention always Leonardo, never da Vinci; but note The Da Vinci Code for the book and the film

Leoncavallo, Ruggero

leprosy patient in modern context, prefer to leper. Always avoid defining people by condition or illness: a schizophrenic, a diabetic, a paraplegic

lèse-majesté (treason, or insult to a monarch) takes roman and accents

less in quantity, fewer in number. See fewer

lesser opposite to greater (eg, the lesser evil); not to be used as a synonym of less. See greater or lesser degree

letch (after) prefer to lech for informal verb meaning to behave lecherously towards, lust after

letdown one word as noun; but let down (verb)

letter bomb (hyphenate only in adjectival use)

letterbox, postbox (no hyphens)

leukaemia see -aemia

Levi's (jeans) should take the apostrophe; but use Levi Strauss for the company

liaison, liaise the word link would often be better. The verb to liaise has forced its way into the language; however, use sparingly and only in its correct sense - to establish co-operation, to act as a link with, not as a synonym of meet or talk

Liberal Democrat(s) Lib Dem, Lib Dems are acceptable alternatives in headlines and, after first mention, in text. But do not shorten simply to Liberals. Abbreviate in lists etc to LD. See Politics special section

Libor London interbank offered rate. At first mention in some contexts, eg, outside the Business pages, it may be helpful to explain that Libor is the rate at which banks lend to each

licence (noun), license (verb), but beware of

licensee (noun), licensed, licensing. See practice, practise

Liechtenstein

Liège note accent on the Belgian city. In Flemish it is Luik

lieutenant-general at subsequent mentions, write general; likewise major-general becomes general, lieutenant-colonel becomes colonel etc (but sergeant-major remains sergeant-major).

See Armed Forces special section

life cycle

lifeguard (on a beach); Life Guardsman (on a horse)

lifelong (one word as adjective)

Life of Brian no definite article in the title of the film that poses the eternal question "What have the Romans ever done for us?"

liferaft (one word), as lifeboat, lifebelt etc

lifesize(d) (no hyphen)

lift-off (spacecraft etc), as take-off (hyphenated)

light bulb two words as noun, but hyphenate adjectivally

light-hearted see -hearted

lightning (as in electrical storm), lightening (as in making lighter)

light-year

like do not use as a synonym of such as (eg, say “cities such as Manchester are ambitious”, not “cities like Manchester ... ”); nor as a synonym of as if (eg, say “he looks as if he is succeeding”, not “he looks like he is succeeding”)

likeable

likely do not use the Americanism "He will likely send out another e-mail soon". Write "He is likely to send out another e-mail soon";or "Most likely he will send out ... "; "Very likely he will ... "

lily of the valley

linchpin (not lynchpin)

line l/c in, eg, Maginot line

line of control l/c, boundary in Kashmir between Indian and Pakistani-controlled areas

line of fire militarily, in the flight path of a fired missile. Do not confuse with firing line, qv

liner take care with this word, which strictly no longer applies to passenger cruise ships. Liners nowadays are cargo vessels trading regularly between designated ports, eg, container ships. Confine use of "liner" for passenger ships to historical contexts, eg, the transatlantic liner Queen Mary. See QE2

line-up (noun), but to line up (verb)

Lions (rugby) officially the touring rugby union team is known as the British Isles; alternatively, the Lions. At a pinch, they may be referred to as the British and Irish Lions. They are not the British Lions

Lipizzaner horses (prefer this version to Lippizaner)

liquefy (not liquify), but liquidate

liquorice, not the American licorice

lira (singular), lire (plural), the former Italian currency

lissom prefer to lissome (or lithesome); means supple in the limbs or body; lithe; supple; agile; nimble

literally avoid as expression of emphasis; “he literally exploded with anger” is absurd

livery halls (in the City of London) do not take the definite article (eg, Drapers' Hall, not the Drapers' Hall). See London

living room (no hyphen, as dining room etc)

Livingstone, Ken; Dr (David) Livingstone (explorer); Livingstone daisy; but Livingston, West Lothian

Livorno rather than Leghorn, despite usual style on anglicising foreign names

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Anglesey, which translates as "St Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near the rapid whirlpool of Llantysilio of the red cave". The name is often abbreviated to Llanfairpwll or Llanfair PG, which may be helpful in circumstances with small character counts

Llewelyn-Bowen, Laurence, interior designer

Lloyds TSB, the bank, and Lloyds Banking Group; but Lloyd's of London (insurance)

Lloyd's of London now use this full name at first mention, Lloyd's thereafter. Note Lloyd's names

Lloyd Webber all family members (father William and sons Andrew and Julian) have no hyphen except in reference to Andrew as Lord Lloyd-Webber

LLP (limited liability partnership) as for Ltd or plc, there is not normally a need to add LLP at the end of a firm's name

loan is a noun (ie, never say “I loaned him £20” etc); the verb is lend/lent

loathe (verb), loath (adjective; not loth)

local government cap councils when full title, eg, Watford Borough Council, Newtown District Council (thereafter the council); but l/c when title is not in full, eg, Watford council;

all council committees in l/c;

although we cap mayor at full first mention (eg, Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London), l/c for council officials such as borough surveyor, town clerk;

cap the seat of local government if we are sure of its title (eg, Leeds City Hall, Birmingham Council House - not to be confused with Birmingham Town Hall - Lambeth Town Hall etc)

lochs in Scotland, loughs in Ireland

Lockerbie suspects the convicted man is Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi (after first mention, al-Megrahi); his co-accused was Al-Amin Khalifa Fhimah (thereafter Mr Fhimah)

lockout (in industrial disputes etc), one word; but to lock out

locomotive names are italicised, as with ships' or aircraft names, eg, Flying Scotsman, Mallard. Do not use "the" unless certain it is part of the name, eg, The Queen's Own Hussars.

See aircraft names, ships

lodestar, lodestone prefer to load-

log jam two words

London cap the East End and the West End of London, and now also North London, South London, East London, West London, Central London, Inner London; but l/c southeast London, southwest London etc. See postal addresses. The local council for the City of London is the Court of Common Council, whose members are common councilmen; cap borough in titles of particular boroughs, eg, London Borough of Bromley. See also London boroughs map, livery halls

London Assembly see Greater London Authority

London Clinic, The (cap “T”)

London clubs important to get the names correct as our readership remains strong in clubland. Note particularly the Athenaeum; Boodle's; Brooks's; Buck's Club; Pratt's Club; the Queen's Club; Royal Over-Seas League; Savile Club; Travellers Club; United Oxford and Cambridge University Club; White's Club. It would be wrong to say, eg, Boodle's Club; on the other hand, it is permissible to refer to the Garrick Club, the Reform Club, the Savage Club etc simply as the Garrick, the Reform or the Savage

Londonderry see Ireland

London hotels and restaurants as with London clubs, it is essential to give the correct form of the following: Berkeley Hotel; Brown's Hotel; Claridge's; the Dorchester; Four Seasons Hotel; Grosvenor House; Hilton London Kensington (one of some 16 Hiltons in the capital); Hyatt Carlton Tower hotel; Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park hotel; The Lanesborough; Langham Hilton; Le Meridien Piccadilly; London Hilton on Park Lane; Marriott Hotel (several in the capital); May Fair Hotel; New Connaught Rooms; Sheraton Park Lane Hotel; Quaglino's; Ritz Hotel; The Savoy; Simpson's-in-the-Strand; The Tower; Le Meridien Waldorf; Royal Westmoreland Hotel

London Olympics see Olympics

London Stock Exchange may be abbreviated to LSE, but use sparingly and only in context, especially in headlines, because of confusion with the London School of Economics. Prefer the Exchange (initial cap) wherever possible. See LSE

London Transport was rebranded as Transport for London (abbreviate TfL), not Transport in London. See Transport for London

London, University of the 19 constituent colleges are: Birkbeck (no College attached); Central School of Speech and Drama; Courtauld Institute of Art; Goldsmiths (no College attached, no apostrophe); Heythrop College; the Institute of Cancer Research; Institute of Education; King's College London (no comma); London Business School; London School of Economics and Political Science (London School of Economics or LSE acceptable shortened forms); London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Queen Mary (NB, no College attached); Royal Academy of Music; Royal Holloway (NB, no College attached); Royal Veterinary College; St George's; School of Oriental and African Studies; School of Pharmacy; University College London (no comma, subsequent abbreviation to UCL acceptable).

Additionally, under the School of Advanced Studies, there are the following institutes: the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies; the Institute of Classical Studies; the Institute of Commonwealth Studies; the Institute of English Studies; the Institute of Germanic & Romance Studies; the Institute of Historical Research; the Institute of Musical Research; the Institute of Philosophy; the Institute for the Study of the Americas; and the Warburg Institute. There is also the University of London Institute in Paris; and the University Marine Biological Station Millport, on the isle of Cumbrae, which is managed jointly with University of Glasgow. See also Imperial College London; Russell Group; University of the Arts London

London Zoo (cap Zoo)

Longchamp (not Longchamps), the French racecourse

Long Lartin the high-security prison in Worcestershire. Locations of jails can be found on the Prison Service website

longstanding do not use hyphen

lookout (noun, no hyphen)

Lord Advocate do not add for Scotland

Lord Chancellor's Department (caps, and not Lord Chancellor's Office)

Lord Mayor (caps) as in Lord Mayor of London, Birmingham etc; thereafter, the lord mayor; the same applies to Mayor of Woking etc

Lord of the Rings, The, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Note The is part of the title. The second film in the cycle is called The Two Towers (not Twin Towers). See Hobbit, Middle-earth, Tolkien

Lord's (cricket ground)

Lords takes singular verb, eg, the Lords is sitting. See Politics special section

lords justices (both words take the plural)

lord-lieutenant should be hyphenated, according to the Association of Lord-Lieutenants (note this plural, not lords-lieutenant); use l/c in general use, but the Lord-Lieutenant for Gloucestershire etc (when specific)

lorry prefer lorry to truck, but the American truck has become ubiquitous and cannot be banned, especially from foreign stories

loss-maker, loss-making

Lotto the renamed main game of the national lottery. See National Lottery, rollover

lour prefer to lower, as in a louring sky

Loutchansky, Grigori not Lutchansky. See Russian names

loveable takes the middle “e”, as likeable

Lovells City solicitors, no longer Lovell White Durrant

lowbrow (as highbrow)

lower prefer lour, as in a louring sky

Lower House, Upper House (of Parliament). See Politics special section

lowest common denominator mathematically, this can be a big number (the lowest common multiple of the denominators of several vulgar fractions). However, the use of the term in a derogatory sense to mean the level of the least discriminating audience is in common usage and is acceptable

low-key

Loya Jirga (roman, initial caps), the Afghan national council that meets irregularly. See War on Terror

loyalist see Ireland

LSE short for London School of Economics, or - sparingly and only in context in Business pages - London Stock Exchange. See London, University of

Ltd can usually be dropped from company names (as can plc). See LLP

Lucas, Caroline the Green politician is Dr Lucas subsequently

Lugovoy, Andrei not Lugovoi. He is a former KGB officer, not a former KGB agent. See Russian names

Lula da Silva, President, of Brazil, then Mr Lula da Silva. His full name, eg, for colour pieces, is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

lullaby (not -bye)

lumbar, as in the lower back (eg, lumbar puncture); lumber as in junk furniture, lumberjacks, or (verbally) moving clumsily about etc

Lurex (initial cap)

Luton airport (l/c airport), and resist pressure to insert international. See airports

Luxembourg (not -burg). See Santer. Note Rosa Luxemburg (leader of the Berlin uprising in 1919)

Lycra (cap, trade name)

lying in state (noun, no hyphens; nor the verb, to lie in state)

Lyons (not Lyon). See foreign places, Marseilles

Lyric Theatre Hammersmith (no comma)

-lyse the style is analyse, paralyse etc (not -ize). See -ise, -isation

Lytham St Anne's, Lancashire (use the apostrophe, but no hyphens)

Lyttelton Theatre (at the National); similarly, Humphrey Lyttelton (jazz musician)

Last edited: June 1, 2009