Q. How is capitalization handled in questions of ambiguous geographical origin? I’m trying to rationalize the advice in chapter 8. Is it “German shepherd,” on the grounds that the term refers to the putative geographical origin of the dog, or “german shepherd,” in the same way that you have “swiss cheese” and “french dressing” on the grounds that the term is nonliteral, meant to evoke recall of a geographic place irrespective of the actual origin? (If this is confusing because German shepherds may originate from Germany, what about Australian shepherds, which have nothing to do with Australia whatsoever?)
A. As of the 18th edition, CMOS capitalizes the adjectives in “French dressing” and “Swiss cheese,” in line with Merriam-Webster (where “Australian shepherd” and “German shepherd” also get initial caps); see CMOS 8.62. For terms not listed in CMOS, check the dictionary.