The style in the last example is known as the interrupted compound. It is gaining ground rapidly in the best printing-houses, and is recommended by De Vinne, who uses it in his books. Here are some examples: Foot-, top-, and side-notes; quarter-, eighth-, and half-kegs; base- and foot-ball, foot- or side-note. This is good usage. See the Century magazine for examples, or see any books published by the Century Company. There seems to be no other way to signify that both words in such examples are compounds.
[46.] No Fixed Rules. There are no hard and fast rules regarding compounds. It is, in fact, almost impossible to hold to a uniform, consistent style. Here are some of De Vinne’s compoundings:
(a) Subject-matter, lower-case, making-up, memorandum-book, proof-reader, fault-finding, type-setting, style-card, letter-writing, printing-house, quote-marks, quotation-marks, piece-compositors, five-to-em body, book-making, book-work, pre-historic, pre-raphaelite, ill-bred, well-formed, good-looking, composing-room, dining-table, canal-boat, ferry-house, dwelling-house [See list on page 74 of De Vinne’s Composition], over-wide, spelled-out, title-page, table-work, old-style, bold-faced, hymn-book, to-morrow, to-day, head-lines, type-writing, catch-lines, hair-space, thin-space, type-founders, side-heading, type-setting, foot-note, letter-writer, side-notes, six-point, cut-in note, center-note, shoulder-note, three-em indention, wide-leaded, double-leaded, every-day world. Note that they do not agree with the Chicago Proofreaders’ Association list.
(b) The following are approved forms: Fine-tooth saw, six-bit machine, six-foot pole, two-year-old horse, but six-months-old baby. Bluewing, whitefish, bricklayer, gaspipe, footboard, motherhood, widowhood.
[47.] Specials. The following list is for use in trade-journals: Hopvine, hopyard, hop-picker, labor-union, labor-saving, liquordealer, liquorseller, liquor-saloon, liquor-store, liquor-bottle, wine-merchant, wineroom, winedealer, wine-taster, wine-press, wine-party, wine-vault, wine-vinegar, wineglass, wineglassful, wine-stone, vine-disease, trade-union, trade-mark, trade-journal, trade-name, trade-wind, street-car, street-railroad, street-sweeper, street-sprinkler, street-walker, pastepot, paperknife, papercutter, saloonmen, saloonkeeper, barkeeper, barkeep, wood-alcohol.
(a) Many words that might be solidified, under the rules of logic, are set with hyphens because they present an unsightly appearance as one word. These things are largely matters of fancy.
(b) There are some such expressions as, Italian and Chinese American citizens, which are very puzzling. The question arises whether hyphens should be used in such expressions, and how. Such sentences are sometimes erroneously written with one hyphen, as, Italian and Chinese-American citizens. The sentence is proper enough as first written, but a somewhat more discriminating use would be, Italian- and Chinese-American citizens. In expressions like these the interrupted compounds are properly written with hyphens. See paragraph [45].
[48.] Dashes. Avoid dashes in side-headings, as in this Style-code. They are not needed at the end of a quotation, between it and the credit. See paragraph [22].
Also see De Vinne’s Correct Composition, page 273.
[49.] De Vinne Rules Violated. Though the Century Company, the Century Magazine, and editors high in authority follow the simple rules laid down by De Vinne, there are many violations of these rules in the Century itself, as well as in its publications. Sometimes names of newspapers are quoted, and sometimes they are set in italic. The system of capitals is not closely followed. In a letter to the editor of this work, Mr. De Vinne thus explained the failure of the publications of the Century Company to show uniformity: “The Century Company has many editors, and each editor has notions of his own that printers are directed to follow. Though most of these editors abide by the rules expounded by me in my works on typography, a study of some of our books shows that the neglect to capitalize Bay, City, Island, etc., when the word refers distinctly to a proper name, is a common error—so common that the proofreaders find it a waste of time to suggest to editors and authors the need of a capital. Yet I hold stoutly to the correctness of the capital. Even careful editors are often overruled by authors. The Century printing-house can not be held responsible, with justice, for some of the eccentricities of our printing. It should be borne in mind that a printer’s business is to do what he is told.”