During one of his standup routines, Steven Wright - comedian, actor, writer, and Oscar-winning film producer - asked rhetorically, “What’s another word for Thesaurus?” I love his keen sense of irony.
Thesaurus: the book one turns to when one needs to know, “What’s another word for …”
When I finally stopped laughing I looked up thesaurus in my Thesaurus. What I found was: onomasticon! If I had heard this word out of context I probably would have envisioned dinosaur.
One of the things I love about the English language is how wieldable and pliable it is, especially so regarding irony. Some of my darkest works have benefited from the inclusion of an ironic ending.
So, what exactly is irony? According to dictionary.com it is "an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have, happened." It’s that humorous ending of a joke known as the punchline.
As to the Thesaurus, I relied heavily on mine when I began to write poetry at age eleven in order to boost my eloquence, but as my vocabulary grew I found myself referring to it less and less often.
Now, if I sit with an idea long enough, specific words rise up to meet it, to commune with my thoughts, working together, ferreting out exactly what I want to say, as my eyes begin to glaze, entranced.
I keep my Onomasticon handy for those events when I want to be sure that the word I’ve chosen is what I think it is in its broadest sense. It is still easier than I’d like to admit to be mistaken.
Oh, but I do so love words! They are my favorite toys.
Image: http://exilebibliophile.blogspot.com ... 'Bookworm' painting by Carl Spitzweg
Thesaurus: the book one turns to when one needs to know, “What’s another word for …”
When I finally stopped laughing I looked up thesaurus in my Thesaurus. What I found was: onomasticon! If I had heard this word out of context I probably would have envisioned dinosaur.
One of the things I love about the English language is how wieldable and pliable it is, especially so regarding irony. Some of my darkest works have benefited from the inclusion of an ironic ending.
So, what exactly is irony? According to dictionary.com it is "an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have, happened." It’s that humorous ending of a joke known as the punchline.
As to the Thesaurus, I relied heavily on mine when I began to write poetry at age eleven in order to boost my eloquence, but as my vocabulary grew I found myself referring to it less and less often.
Now, if I sit with an idea long enough, specific words rise up to meet it, to commune with my thoughts, working together, ferreting out exactly what I want to say, as my eyes begin to glaze, entranced.
I keep my Onomasticon handy for those events when I want to be sure that the word I’ve chosen is what I think it is in its broadest sense. It is still easier than I’d like to admit to be mistaken.
Oh, but I do so love words! They are my favorite toys.
Image: http://exilebibliophile.blogspot.com ... 'Bookworm' painting by Carl Spitzweg
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