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Yahweh vocalisation of the Tetragrammaton, YWWH, the Hebrew name of God

Yale lock trade name so must cap

Yangtze not Yangtse. See Chinese names, Chinese provinces map

yard the metre and the yard are sufficiently similar that conversions such as 500m (547 yards) are generally unnecessary. Conversions between metres and feet are often far more useful.

See metric

Yardies cap West Indian criminal gangs

Yarmouth is on the Isle of Wight; the town on the Norfolk coast is Great Yarmouth

yakuza l/c for Japanese criminal organisation or one of its members. The plural is also yakuza. See Mafia, Triads

Year 1, Year 3, Year 12 etc in schooling contexts

years note that two and a half years is spelt out, unless an age ("she is 2½"). See ages, numbers

yee haw preferred rendition of the cowboy exclamation (it rhymes with Saginaw in

yellow cake l/c, no quotes for semi-refined uranium ore. See International Atomic Energy Agency

Yellow Pages italics for the book, but roman for the organisation

Yemen not the Yemen

“yes” vote, “no” vote

yeti (l/c), the abominable snowman

YMCA, YWCA

yoghurt

yoke (oxen), yolk (egg)

Yorkshire since the reorganisation of 1996, see under unitary authorities for how to locate places in the county. Specify the location for smaller towns and villages, eg, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, but not Bradford or Leeds (West Yorkshire). Note the Yorkshire Dales, or simply the Dales, and the North York Moors (not North Yorkshire Moors). But also note North Yorkshire Moors Railway

young offender institution l/c for general use, cap for specific, as in Feltham Young Offender Institution. See jail, jailer

Young Turks caps

youth courts, not juvenile courts, which no longer exist. See Courts special section

YouTube close up, caps

yuan, the Chinese currency, rather than the renminbi

Yugoslav (meaning southern Slav) is the adjective from Yugoslavia (not Yugoslavian). Historically, write Yugoslav Army, not Serb Army. The remaining portions of Yugoslavia combined (February 2003) into a loose confederation named Serbia and Montenegro. The two countries left the confederation in 2006, with Montenegro and Serbia becoming separate states

yuletide (l/c)

yuppie noun or adjective

Yves Saint Laurent not St, no hyphen

Last edited: May 7, 2009