The
first book of synonyms, in English, appeared in 1766. The Difference Between Words Esteemed
Synonymous, by Rev. John Trusler, showed how words that mean similar things can
be substituted for one another.
Replaced. Traded. Surrogate.
Alternate. Pinch-Hitter. Get
it? I happened upon a book, Webster’s
Book of Synonyms, while browsing a used bookstore in Cambridge, MA. I fell in love with it.
The
musty, old hardcover book was offered for just $4.50. It was printed in 1951 and had the look,
feel, and scent of such a book. The back
cover shows a black and white shot of the Merriam Company, then the publisher
of the Webster dictionary line. I love
the image of old file cabinets and people seated at paper-filled desks. Not a screen in sight.
I
have dictionaries, in print and online, at hand, but I couldn’t resist adding
this to my bookshelf. I felt like
I was buying a piece of history.
This
book is 64 years old. Think of all the words it’s missing - and how many have
become outdated. It predates space
exploration, the Internet, modern-day terrorism, the Super Bowl, and reality TV
shows. It came out during the Korean War
and The Cold War. McCarthyism would
become synonymous with the Salem witch hunt.
Rock and Roll exploded in the 50’s and it was a decade of Subway Series
between the Dodgers, Giants, and Yankees.
“The
way you write or speak is often the way people judge you – or your
business. Knowing the right words will
help you to express yourself clearly and to get across your ideas,” states the
back cover. “Webster’s Dictionary of Synonyms
is a wordbook on a new plane, designed to help you use the right word in the
right place – easily and quickly. It was prepared by the famous Merriam-Webster
editorial staff.”
Interestingly,
in this edition of 908 pages, they didn’t list the synonym for the word
“synonym.”
There
is a danger in thinking we can easily substitute one word for another. Each word has at its own unique definition,
and subtle message attached to it. To
trade one for another, as if one could perfectly fill the space of the other,
is to mistakenly dilute some of our words.
Words are linked to contex.t.
They are never equal to each other.
For
instance, overweight, fat, and chubby are not exactly the same thing, but may
be used as synonyms for one another.
Really, they are different degrees of each other. They are all connected to the physical
concept of weight and of being more than what is perceived to be normal. But we feel differently when one says he is
fat vs. obese or chubby vs. chunky.
Perhaps
words can be grouped together in a similar fashion simply because they are more
alike than any other words are like them, but still, no one term can truly
replace another. First, think about how
and why you say a word. Do you say
something with a negative intention?
“She’s a fat, dumpy girl who’ll never attract a prince.” Is it said to be encouraging? “One is not fat merely because they are not
thin. She’s a normal weight.”
Skinny
bitch.
Fat
bastard.
When
two words combine to form a powerful picture it makes it even harder to use
synonyms. Thin bitch lacks the same
punch, as does husky bastard.
Words
are the writer’s currency. How we use
the words we have to work with will dictate what becomes of a great book vs.
ordinary. There’s no synonym for
greatness, no substitute for creativity, hard work, vision, and luck. Look it up.
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