As a young boy in the mid-late 70s, I stole a Thorndike Barnhart Advanced Dictionary dictionary from Byram Middle School, Stanhope, New Jersey. I use it almost everyday. I feel terribly guilty and would gladly pay for it (in 197? dollars).

The justification that eases my mind is my teacher, Mrs. Neugabauer, who practically pleaded with her students to read. I'd love to place a wager on whether any of her books, in her 20-? year teaching career has been read more than this one. It still has the This Book Is the Property Of ... stamp inside the front jacket.

Hope her pay wasn't docked for the missing book.

English is a fairly precise language and those that use it well, load their quiver with a daunting array of very specific lexicon. That said, I also consult my Roget's International Thesaurus ocassionally. If you can say it, rather than explain it, communication occurs more easily.

I'm not an expert and think people who berate others for trying to be precise, do an injustice to the forum.

(I really wish the TD Englishpersons would learn to spell )