Before deciding which dictionary to go with, I looked online at the main dictionary publisher's websites. They were 'wimpled', 'torsional', and 'vermiculate'. My initial need for a dictionary came whilst reading a paragraph in Cormac McCarthy's novel 'The Road' where three words I was unfamiliar with cropped up in one paragraph. My dad got both words but only after reading from the older edition. Printing to arrange (type) set a page, etc in type ready for printing. To settle (differences between people in dispute). To calm (oneself) to bring (thoughts, etc) under control. To arrange as a balanced, artistic whole. To create (music) to write (a poem, letter, article, etc.) to make up or constitute something. To form by putting together or being together to put in order or at rest to settle or sooth to design artistically to set up for printing to create (esp in litereature and music) to write (esp music to set type) to cease, rest. But, it's not as clear as the previous edition, in my opinion. No doubt, as this dictionary is cited as one of the best for cryptic crossword lovers, you may have got that. To put forward or propose (a possible law or bill) for attentions, consideration or approval. To bring into operation, practice or use. To bring (especially something new) into a place, situation, etc for the first time. a radio or television programme) to an audience. To make them known by name to each other, especially formally. To bring in, establish to conduct into a place, to put in, add, insert or inject formally to make known or acquaint with (with to) to preface, to present to an audience (eg a radio broadcast, a theatre entertainment). To give you an idea, I'll write it here too. Two were taken from the edition I bought (11th edition) and the same two words taken from the older 21st Century Chambers edition. As a test, I took the definitions from two common words, wrote them down and asked my dad to guess what the word was. I can get past the bible-thin paper and the narrow sans serif font but what a dictionary must be able to do, of all things, is to present clear and understandable definitions. My parents own the Chambers 21st edition and it's far superior to this. It is a possession to enjoy and worth waiting for, because. I am familiar with the English alphabet and the grouping of indented letters seems to have been chosen rather to equalise the intervals than to facilitate one's arrival at one's destination. If I were to make the choice again, which I may well do when the 12th edition appears, I would forego the thumb indexing. The quality of printing, selection of paper and clarity of fonts don't impose any undue strain on my not-so-young-as-they-were eyes. However, the Internet community is not overlooked and, with a nod to bogof shopping bargains, purchase of this hard-back dictionary brings with it a bonus six-monthly subscription to both `The Chambers Dictionary' and `The Chambers Thesaurus' on-line. Its nearly 5lb (2.3kg) weight is another reason (besides price) for having it delivered to your door via Amazon rather than having to lug it home yourself. I suppose some might cavil that in this electronic age, reference books are relics of a bygone age, but Chambers' often quirky wit makes this a delightful book to curl up with and delve into as well as being an invaluable reference work, always provided that you have adequate support for such a hefty tome.
There are the usual preliminaries and some useful-looking tables at the end which I may be grateful for one day if I remember what and where they are. Jeremy Paxman's amusing foreword will introduce you to some of each. Any dictionary must be selective and Chambers has naturally dropped some words that are past their sell-by date in favour of more useful innovations. There will always be partisans who favour one dictionary over another and `The Oxford Dictionary of English' will be an unequalled favourite of many, but I find the two books complement one another - I keep a copy of each to hand and both are well-used. It is a worthy successor to `Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary' which first saw the light of day in 1901.
Chambers has long been the dictionary of choice for contemporary authors, lovers of word-games, crosswords and the like, and the eleventh edition, published last year (2008) has been well worth waiting for.
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