Dr. Samuel Johnson, or the Dictionary!

Did you know? Dr. Samuel Johnson compiled “A Dictionary of the English Language” in 1755, and it is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language.

~ More about Dr. Samual Johnson here  »

Enlightening or annoying?

How do you feel about using a Dictionary when you read?  I ask this because I’ve had comments from readers, directly and in reviews, who mention I use a lot of words in my writing that cause them to reach for their good old Merriam-Webster. One even went so far as to ask whether I did this for snob appeal, as one might at a cocktail party!

Cross my heart and hope to spit, I simply use them, unselfconsciously, because they are part of the lexicon I’ve acquired over the past several decades.

Cumbersome or Fun?

I’d like to know whether, as a reader, you find using a dictionary cumbersome or fun. I usually find a dictionary just adds to an existing base of knowledge, so I like the Fat Book.

Now, as a matter of full disclosure, I’m partial to Kindle for fiction. Kindle is a snap. Touch and Bingo! there’s your definition. In fact, Kindle enables many foreign language works for dictionaries. And using a dictionary when reading in a foreign language can really be a slow slog!

Look it Up

I like the good old dictionary despite the fact that looking up words is a slow process for me. We all have holes in our intellectual tool kit and mine is the alphabet! This is mentioned as a matter of full disclosure.

So back to the original question: Dictionary: fun or frustrating? Vote with a few keystrokes.