Jack Daniel's
technically a Tennessee whiskey, not a bourbon

jack-in-the-box
but jack of all trades

Jacuzzi
TM; named after its US inventors, Roy and Candido Jacuzzi; call it a whirlpool bath unless you're sure it really is a Jacuzzi

jail
not gaol

Jalalabad
city in Afghanistan; Jalal-Abad is in Kyrgyzstan

JCDecaux
no spaces

Jeep
TM

Jehovah's Witness

jejune
naive, unsophisticated (not necessarily anything to do with being young)

jellaba
loose cloak with a hood, worn especially in north Africa and the Middle East

Jerez

jerry-builder

jetski

jewellery

jib
triangular sail or arm of a crane; "I don't like the cut of his jib" means you don't like the look or manner of someone

jibe
(not gibe) taunt

jihad
used by Muslims to describe three different kinds of struggle: an individual's internal struggle to live out the Muslim faith as well as possible; the struggle to build a good Muslim society; and the struggle to defend Islam, with force if necessary (holy war)

jobcentres
are run by Jobcentre Plus

jobseeker's allowance

job titles
are all lc: editor of the Guardian, governor of the Bank of England, prime minister, etc

jodhpurs

Joe Public, John Doe

john dory
fish

Johns Hopkins University
not John Hopkins
website

Johnson Matthey plc
metal specialist, not to be confused with Johnson Matthey Bank

jokey
not joky

Joneses
as in "keeping up with the Joneses"; also note "the Joneses' house" (not the Jones' house)

Jonsson, Ulrika

judgment
not judgement

judgment call
Use this phrase only if you delete the word "call"

July 7 2005
the London suicide bombings may be referred to as 7/7 in headlines; the bombers were Hasib Hussain, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Germaine Lindsay and Shehzad Tanweer

jumbo jet
two words but jump-jet

 


junior
abbreviate to Jr not Jun or Jnr, eg Sammy Davis Jr

just deserts
not just desserts, unless you are saying you only want pudding

juvenile
the Criminal Justice Act 1991 replaced this term with "youth", and raised the age at which you cease to be one from 17 to 18