“Well, there are strange things in this world,” I said.  “Now, take the words manufacture and make.  I always thought that both words meant the same thing.”

“Why, they do, Eli,” said Mr. Depew.

“Not always,” I said.

“Now, when could they have a different meaning?”

“Why, this morning I came down from Albany on a Central car manufactured to carry fifty passengers, but it was made to carry seventy-two people.”

“Yes, I dare say; but we’ll now talk about the Behring Sea question.”
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67

Truth, Veracity

“The veracity of his statement is doubted.”  The sentence should be, “The truth of his statement is doubted,” or “In making that statement his veracity is doubted.”  Veracity is applied to the person; truth to the thing.

Try the experiment

“They are trying the experiment of running railroad trains by electricity.”  This should be, “They are making the experiment,” etc.  The word experiment contains the idea of trial, hence, to try the experiment is to try the trial.

Little piece

“I will go with you a little piece.”  A short distance or a part of the way would be more appropriate.

Every confidence

“I have every confidence in his ability to succeed.”  Confidence is a unit; every implies several units considered separately.  “I have the greatest confidence in his ability to succeed” is correct.

Ugly

This word properly applies to the appearance of a person or thing, hence such expressions as “He has an ugly temper,” “This is an ugly customer,” “That was an ugly rumor,” etc., although common in colloquial discourse, should be avoided in dignified address.
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68

Unbeknown

This is a provincialism that should be avoided.  Use unknown.

Underhanded

Often incorrectly used for underhand; as “That was a contemptible and underhanded trick.”

Calligraphy

This word means not writing, simply, but beautiful writing; hence, to say, “His calligraphy is wretched” is equivalent to saying, “His excellent writing is poor,” which is a contradiction of terms.

Can but, Cannot but

These expressions are sometimes confounded.  “If I perish, I can but perish,” means “I can only perish,” or “I can do no more than perish.”  “I cannot but speak of the things I have heard” means that I am under a moral necessity to speak of these things.  The past tense forms could but and could not but should be, in like manner, discriminated.

Casualty, Casuality

The latter word is sometimes used in place of the former.  The first is legitimate; the second is without authority.  The words specialty and speciality have a termination similar to the above.  They may generally be used interchangeably and are both legitimate.
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