I have, for at least 13 years, used J.I. Rodale’s The Synonym Finder as my thesaurus of choice.  It’s the best I’ve found, and I love me a good thesaurus.

But today I had to question my preference. Working on a client project,  I wanted to find a term that connoted mental space, intellectual wiggle room, a physical distance from enclosure.

The Synonym Finder offered “enough room to swing a cat.”

Not quite what I was looking for.

As I flipped through, looking for another term, the book shouted, “lickspittle; legerdemain; inefficacy; ill-bred; debauchery; contumacious!” Well, that’s just rude.

I might be in the market for another thesaurus, if this one keeps misbehaving.