COMPOUNDS OF -LIKE AND MID-
Compounds ending with -like are usually made one word, unless derived from a proper name, or appearing in unusual and unpleasing combination, as they do when two or more similar consonants meet, in which case the hyphen should be used, as it is in shell-like, bell-like, and miniature-like. Childlike, godlike, lifelike, ladylike, businesslike, etc., are always consolidated.
Compounds in which the prefix mid- begins the word are frequently written with a hyphen, as in mid-ocean; but the words in commoner use have become consolidated, as midday, midnight, midway, midsummer, midships, midland, midrib, midwife.
COMPOUNDS OF COLOR
Expressions like a brownish yellow or a yellowish white, being simple cases of adjective and noun, are not compounded. But where a noun is used with an adjective to specify color the words may take the hyphen: lemon-yellow, silver-gray, olive-green, emerald-green, etc.
COMPOUNDS OF POSSESSIVE CASE
Compounds formed of nouns in the possessive case with other nouns are not infrequent, as in bird's-eye, death's-head, kingVevil, crow's-nest, bear's-foot, jew's-harp, etc. The use of a hyphen follow-
