Reverse dictionaries are so handy when you just can’t bring a word to mind, and need a little nudge in the right direction. This book works by directing you from a word that is close to what you want, to - with any luck - the word you really want. It uses three different techniques: offering a definition and synonyms of the close word, referring you to a chart of terms related to that subject, and showing you illustrations that may include the elusive word you are seeking.

The book has over 130 detailed color pictures and 160 charts. Sometimes the charts are not as helpful as a picture would be, such as a list of old weaponry but no illustrations. And I still wasn’t sure, after consulting a chart of geographical features, if I wanted to use “llano” or “pampa.” Likewise, the list of types of columns couldn’t answer my question of whether a colannade could be a peristyle, or even a peripteral. Also, that same list has caryatid, but doesn’t distinguish between those with and without baskets on their heads (canephores have baskets).

But this book certainly serves its basic purpose, and may send you on to more detailed descriptions in other references. It’s an entertaining resource to have around, and a delight for word lovers. ( )

Useful refernce book. ( )

Everyone has experienced the frustration of mislaying a familiar word. You know what you want to say; you know that the precise word exists that would enable you to say it; and you know that you know this word…. But when you reach for it, it's not there. That's when the pantomime of exasperation begins: you snap your fingers, you frown, you rummage about in your mental attic, you say ""it's on the tip of my tongue"" or ""What's the word --- oh, you know,"". But the word, hovering just out of reach, continues to elude and tantalize you.
Psychologies studying this phenomenon compare it to being on the brink of a sneeze. Anticipation... concentration... and --- frustration. What's needed, so to speak, is a pinch of snuff. The Reverse Dictionary provides one. It's a linguistic snuffbox, helping to release that pent-up sneeze. The relief it affords should be considerable.

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