Take it from the ‘bitch goddess:’ Don’t toss your dictionary
Raise your hands if you’ve thrown out your dictionary in favor of using those you can find free online. I thought so. You wanted to eliminate the clutter on your desk and save time by plugging in words on a website and getting instant results. So easy!
During the Christmas holiday, my stepfather shuddered in horror at the idea that people would be so lazy. Why wouldn’t they take the time to look up words (or anything else for that matter) the old-fashioned way? I made an impassioned argument for the virtues of online research, but it fell on deaf ears. He wouldn’t budge in his contention that it’s good for you to look up information in books.
But then something happened that reminded me of the benefits of old-school methods. I was looking up a word in my hardbound Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary (yes, I still like my desk reference), when I stumbled across “bitch goddess” at the top of one of the pages. What? Intrigued (I concede I’m a wordsmith geek), I looked at the actual entry to find out the origins and meaning of the term.
It turns out “bitch goddess” is a noun that came into being in 1906 and means success, especially the worldly or material kind. Had I looked up my original word online, I would never have expanded my vocabulary to include “bitch goddess.” Will I ever be able to sneak it in to casual conversation? How about working it into a discussion with my clients about their projects?
“Hi Gina, it’s Dawn. How’s your day going? I’m almost finished with your newsletter. By the way, did you know I’m a fabulous bitch goddess?”
Right….
Before you sell out your old friend for a clean desk and 21st century searching, remember this: A good dictionary contains a treasure trove of undiscovered gems. You can learn words you would otherwise never know about, the etymology behind them and impress friends and family with your expanded vocabulary. Dictionaries make old-school cool again.
