Thursday, June 5, 2008

The Visual Thesaurus: How To Get the Most Enjoyment out of Your Dirty Words

Ever find yourself looking for a synonym for "the f word," but you just don't know where to go?

a: Go to the library! Well, more specifically, go to the library's online databases.

The Marriott Library subscribes to 300 or so databases. And while I have many favorites, the Visual Thesaurus makes my oh-so-exclusive top ten. Like a regular print thesaurus, the Visual Thesaurus gives you a "classified list of synonyms"--a definition that I ripped off directly from the Visual Thesaurus. But in addition to that, it also provides definitions and word maps (see below) that show how those synonyms interact with other related words. The most amusing feature, however, is the audio pronunciation. Just imagine: an emotionless computerized voice repeating curse words to your wicked, little heart's content.

inappropriate

6 comments:

skepticle said...

My wicked little heart is edified!
Thanks Information Literacy Goddess!

Adriana Parker said...

Hey, nice diction!

Cricket said...

Hey looks really nice, do you know if there is external acces to the visual thesaurus, i don't have a university network ID, hope u can take a look on my blog.

Adriana Parker said...

Sadly, the databases are restricted to members of the university community. But if you come in, we can get you a guest pass. :)

Greg Hatch said...

Sadly, the "Visual Thesaurus" subscription will expire on June 30, 2008, due to budget constraints. We'd gained access to this resource through our consortial partner UEN (Utah Education Network). When they didn't receive enough legislative funding this past spring, they had to cut some online resources, and the Visual Thesaurus was a victim. RIP VT!

Adriana Parker said...

Well, it was fun while it lasted. :(