792. Thief.– N. thief, robber, homo trium literarum, pilferer, rifler, filcher, plagiarist.
Peter Roget, author of Roget’s Thesaurus, was born on this day in 1779 (died 1869)
According to Holiday Insights, today is Thesaurus Day.
Yesterday I talked about my home office and the things I have in place to help me write.
When I was writing this post I looked around. I don’t think I own a thesaurus. Or a dictionary.
When I took writing classes in high school and college those tools were indispensable.
These days, I’m probably arrogant enough to think that my vocabulary is well enough established that I don’t need to look for a better word.
Then when reality hits and I’m stuck I’ll go to the Interwebz, which is, of course, another name for the Internet.
Of course, sometimes for emphasis, I’ll just make up a word.
There’s nothing wrong with not knowing the meaning of a word or in looking for a better word to express what you’re trying to say. In fact, knowing which resources to use can make one a better writer.
In the movie Mame, young Patrick Dennis asks his aunt what a particular word meant. She hands him a notepad and pencil and tells him that every time he hears a word he doesn’t understand he should write it down and they’ll discuss it later.
These days kids just probably pull out their smartphone and Google it.
Still, there’s something nostalgic about the thought of pulling a book off the shelf and thumbing through the pages to find just the right answer.
I won’t go so far as to say technology is another word for lazy…but then again…
No, technology provides us new tools. What we have to determine is how and when to use them.
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