Alphabetical Entries: W

this is, for good reason, rarely heard anymore.

this outdated phrase shouldn't be seen any more, but if you're tempted: no. It implies that one partner in a relationship is more dominant and that the dominant partner is male (they used to be the only ones in pants), and that every relationship has a man and a woman in it.

weathercaster, meteorologist, weather reporter/forecaster/prophet, forecaster, climatologist. Note the nonparallel "girl/man."

director of a website.

same-sex couples have weddings, commitment ceremonies, and civil unions; there are LGBT wedding registries, a national magazine focusing on LGBT ceremonies, and companies that supply everything you need from LGBT-friendly vendors. See also marriage.

the "lock" in this word is from the Anglo-Saxon for "gift" while "wed" means "promise." Marriage, or wedlock, is thus the promised gift of happiness. See also out of wedlock.

an inaccurate and derogatory way to refer to military reservists, especially in light of their importance in Iraq where many have served several tours of duty, lost jobs and families, and returned home with mental and physical injuries. Others have not returned at all. Activated during times of war and at other times engaged in humanitarian services, reservists work hard, live with disrupted lives, and contribute immeasurably to the good of the commonwealth. They are soldiers.

man or woman. Approximately 8% are women.

'Welfare,' as a word, has fallen far from its heights as one of the basic national purposes described in the Constitution: 'to promote the general welfare' (William Safire, Safire's Political Dictionary). Most people think of welfare as government money (our taxes) that goes to individuals in need. They rarely think of government money (our taxes) that goes to large corporations. If you can, tie together the two kinds of welfare and begin using the phrase "corporate welfare" when appropriate. See also poor, welfare mother, working poor.

welfare/public assistance client/recipient. Myths, stereotypes, misinformation, and unjustified hostility surround "the welfare mother." For example, although the prevailing public notion is that welfare families are larger than most, those who use public assistance have the same average family size as those who don't. Likewise, although the average person believes that most welfare mothers are black, white women make up an equal percentage of "welfare mothers." "Being a mother is a noble status, right? Right. So why does it change when you put 'unwed' or 'welfare' in front of it?" (Florynce Kennedy, in Ms.). The most egregious "welfare queen" (if there is such a thing) in the country can't possibly compete with white-collar criminals who make millions in fraud, embezzlement, income-tax evasion, offshore banking, and clever accounting. It's astonishing that "she" is regularly demonized, while "they" don't even have a label, much less receive heartfelt public scorn. See also welfare.

renege, default, backpedal, back/pull out, weasel/worm out of, cheat, swindle. Although this term may or may not have anything to do with the people of Wales, it is considered a slur by them; the Welsh American Legal Defense and Development Foundation has persuaded several news organizations to avoid the terms welshing and welsher.

inhabitant/native of Wales, someone from Wales, Welshman and Welshwoman. Plural: the Welsh, people of Wales, Welshfolk, Welshwomen and Welshmen (but never Welshmen and women).

retain in the earlier, historical sense (young woman or female servant). Today, wench is fluid—it can mean a promiscuous woman (and wenching is what men do with wenches), but it's sometimes used affectionately and even claimed as a positive word (International Wenches Guild).

although this term comes from wer for "man" and is most often perceived as male, the American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "a person transformed into a wolf or capable of assuming the form of a wolf"; use it of either sex (there is no parallel for a woman).

Caribbean. "West Indian" is a term given by Columbus, whereas "Caribbean" is derived from an ancient indigenous word naming the pre-Columbian inhabitants, sea, and islands (Zoë Anglesey, in MultiCultural Review).

this term, the East, the Far East, and the Middle East are holdovers from the days when Europe thought itself the center of the world. These phrases probably aren't going to go away anytime soon, but you can be aware of their flawed origins.

beware if a subtext in your material that implies that everything good and effective originates in the West (or in the U.S.) and that Western civilization is that by which the measure of everything else is taken.

legitimate gender-specific word.

undocumented resident/worker. This term for someone from Mexico in the U.S. without a visa is derogatory and unacceptable. See also ethnic slurs, illegal alien, immigrant.

whaler. A whaler can also refer to the ship.

wharfworker, wharfhand, dockhand, dockworker, stevedore, shoreworker, shorehand, longshore worker.

wharfinger, harbor manager. The nonsexist "wharfinger" is actually the older term (1552); wharfmaster came into the language in 1618. For discussion of "master" words, see master (n).

what evil lurks in our/people's/human hearts? What evil lurks in the hearts of humans?

whatsoever you sow, that too shall you reap; whatever we sow we will also reap.

wheelchair user, someone who uses/navigates in a wheelchair. People who use a wheelchair have widely different disabilities and varyng abilities. Never use: wheelchair-bound, confined/bound/restricted to a wheelchair; these terms are misleading because wheelchairs can be liberating, and not everyone uses a wheelchair permanently. It helps some people to be transferred, to sit in chairs, to drive cars, and for other purposes. A wheelchair is a tool, not a prison, something that frees rather than restricts. See also confined to a wheelchair, cripple, disabilities, handicapped.