I. WORDS AND PHRASES

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06737044
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: March 29, 2018
• Case Number: F-2018-00422

- Approved for Release: 2018/03/27 C06737044
NulS S F=1
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The D/OSR Dictionary, or a General Gyde to What
to Travell Upward by Avoiding, Being a Useful Com-
pendium of Words, Phrases, Marks, Styles, and Quaint
Sayings Which at One Time or Another Have Gotten
Someone in Trouble.
I. Words and Phrases
1. Subscribers (to a radio net) and generally
any word NSA likes, such as anomalies (in
communications)
2. very, extremely, formidable,�dramatic, mo-
dest, rather--or any other equally uninform-
ative modifiers (E.H. White in Elements of
Style calls very, rather, and little "leeches
Iii the land of prose, sucking the blood of
words.")
3. collateral--be specific (e.g., clandestine
sources)
4. abort
5. undoubtedly--use "probably", "almost certainly"
("Always one of my lest favorite words"--D/OSR,
8 Jul 69 and.2 Aug 70)
6. latter, former, respectively--must be used with
"the greatest care,". i.e., not at all
7. must--"must .is not good intelligence writing"
(D/OSR, 19 Feb 68)
IL to feel--use "to think" or "to know" or "to
judge" or, possibly, "to believe"
9. Chicoms (even dirty red bastards is better)
10: subs--rates'with Chicoms as unacceptable short-
hand
11. should--"probably will" is preferred
12.
ideally, as in "ideally suited"--use "well
suited" (if you have to) or just "suited"
N.
rz"
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13: greatly--"greatly=??" (D/OSR 24 Jan 69)
14. revealed--as in "photography reveals..."
15. classic--when 'standard or typical is meant
16. negated--as in "existence has been negated"
17. SSESS
18. in order to--"it is seldom necessary to say
to make your point" (D/OSR, 6 Oct 69)
19. Few, several, some, many,most, and similar
words expressive of indefinite quantities when
a good hard number (or a. range) could be used
20. Huge
21. ever increasing--"blech" (D/OSR, 1 Jun 70)
22. Med--for Mediterranean
23. "Likely" in an OSR title (e.g., "Likely Missions
of...") (D/OSR 13 Dec71)
II. Proscribed usage
1. while--when although is meant
2. However,--may not be used as first word of sen-
tence
3. effected--accomplished is preferred
4. statute miles, without specifying
5. data as a singular noun--"In OSR, data are."
(D/OSR)
6. vessels--for boats, ships, naval craft
7. dates as adjectives--write "the launch on 27
May" rather than "the 27 May launch" (Also on
DDI list)
8. probable--do not write "probable missile launcher"
when you can say "what probably is a missile
launcher"
9. PI expressions--such as IIIC, IIID
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� .� r. �
10. underlining names of ships--OCI does, but OSR
does not
11. mid-1970s--use mid-Seventies
12. excessive use of acronyms (EUOA)
13. since, when because is meant--"Let's try to
avoid this use of 'since', since I don't like
it." (D/OSR, 1 Dec 69.)
14. split infinitives--"I am willing to allow that
infinitives aan be split with good effect. I
believe, however, that is the rarer case."
(D/OSR, 1970)
III. Punctuation
1. and/or
2. Excessive Capitalization (Too Damn Germanic)
3. all slants (e.g. Kuanchou/Shati) are out and/or
prohibited/not used
4. semicolons are never used (except in a series)
5. ...also true, of course, of exclamation points!!!
IV. Style .
1. Long paragraphs
2. Long and muuddyie sentences
3. Passive voice
4. "It...that" constructions ("It. is likely that"
"It is possible that"
V. Miscellaneous proscriptions
1. Clark (without an E).
***Contributions welcome at any time.***
Send to wherever he may be found.
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