Dictionary of Contemporary American Usage

Rating:
Summary: The usage dictionary as literature
Review: That this splendid book (I have the eighth printing from 1957) is out of print and indeed quite dated in many respects (e.g., the word "Negro" was then standard usage) is a shame since it is an excellent work on how to use the language with elegance, grace and precision.

Like most usage dictionaries it consists of word entries presented alphabetically followed by comments on the word or words in question. These comments often amount to little essays on how to write effectively or how to distinguish between similar words, or how to feel about certain words, and when (and if) it is acceptable to use certain words or phrases. As such this book belongs to an earlier era when there was no question about the prescriptive nature of a usage guide, while notions of frequency were clearly secondary to judgments about use made by experienced and careful writers.

This was a treasure and delight to me when I first read it as a young writer eager to develop a sophisticated and convincing style. Indeed I read it from cover to cover; and, although it may not always be obvious, the Evanses noticeably improved my style. I took special delight in their many admonitions against the use of cliches. To be honest they overdid it a bit, condemning hundreds of phrases as hackneyed, overworked, trite, stale, shopworn, moth-eaten, etc. until they ran out of adjectives and had to resort to clever and humorous circumlocutions to get across their message. Here is the way they treat the (over)use of Shakespeare's "alas, poor Yorick!":

It is sad that "a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy" should be known to us only through such a threadbare quotation. Alas, indeed, poor Yorick! There is another line from Hamlet that should always be uttered after this one: "What, has this thing appear'd again tonight?" Or, if one perceives that it is about to be spoken, appeal to the speaker's better nature: "Refrain tonight, and that shall lend a kind of easiness to the next abstinence." And if he does forbear: "For this relief, much thanks."

The subject of cliches did not leave me until I encountered the lyrics of Bob Dylan. Initially I was underwhelmed and then amazed at how many cliches he could pack into any given song. And then at some point a light dawned on me and I realized that Dylan had invented a new poetic device: expression by cliche! Instead of using mere words in metaphorical and rhythmic ways, he used familiar phrases. Oh my, my, my what would the Evanses have thought?

One of the things that the Evanses do that is not done in usage books much anymore is to make distinctions of usage between words that are not necessarily confused but have different shades of meaning or connotation. Thus one entry is for "inquire; ask; demand; question." Most people for whom English is the native language can use these words appropriately and would say that the bank robber "demanded" the money, not that he "asked" for it. (And certainly not that he "inquired" about it.) Here the Evanses point out that "ask" is "the everyday word" and that "inquire...always implies asking about something specific."

Another thing they do well is to explain the origin and meaning of many words, phrases and idioms that we commonly use without thinking. For example in their entry for "make bricks without straw" the Evanses give the origin of the phrase (from Exodus), explain what it originally meant, how it is misused and misunderstood, and, in this case, finally dismiss it as "worn out with overuse."

Or consider their entry on "malapropism." Such is the delicious history and meaning of this word that no usage dictionary that I know of omits it. But here the explanation is carried to a very pleasant height. First, not only is the word defined but the Evanses explain how a malapropism "is worse than a mispronunciation because a mispronunciation...is simply honest ignorance; whereas malapropisms...occur in the speech of those who...soar above their abilities and display...not only their ignorance but their vanity as well." Then they recall Sheridan's Mrs. Malaprop, as all usage books do. However they are not content with this. Instead the Evanses recall Shakespeare's Mistress Quickly as well, remarking that she does the same thing only better, and that it is only the "capriciousness of fame" that we say "malapropism" instead of "quicklyism."

The real value of this book is then not so much in the usage advice per se but in the lexicographic erudition eloquently displayed along with guidance through example on how to write with the effectiveness that comes with using exactly the right word in exactly the right place. While few of us can draw on the sort of knowledge that the Evanses could, it is good to know what is possible.

This is a book especially for those who love the English language and take delight in its artistic use. If a usage dictionary can be considered literature, this book is a resplendent example.