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A.Word.A.Day--thesaurus

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thesaurus (thi-SOR-uhs) noun

1. A book of synonyms, often including related and contrasting words and antonyms.

2. A book of selected words or concepts, such as a specialized vocabulary of a particular field, as of medicine or music.

[Latin thesaurus, treasury, from Greek thesauros.]

"Next time you find yourself before your PC waiting for a Microsoft Word file to print, here's a neat little trick. Highlight some text, click the thesaurus tool, and see what you get. The results can be revealing, if not alarming....

If you look up... Microsoft Word's thesaurus suggests...
Larry Ellison larva
Paul Allen paunch
Scott McNealy scoundrel
Lou Gerstner loud
anticompetitive competitive
Klein, Joel kleptomania
Reno, Janet no
DoJ doldrums
Andreessen, Marc android
Buffett, Warren buffoon"

Fun Office Activity: Harmless Thesaurus? Or Key to Bill Gates' Soul?, Fortune, 3 Aug 1998.

Why doesn't a thesaurus have another word for thesaurus?

This week's theme: What would you ask words if you could speak with them?

X-Bonus

Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. -Plato

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