The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, Trade Paperback

by Merriam-Webster (Editor)

Find the right word fast with this indispensable, affordable guide from America’s Language Experts. The perfect tool for readers and writers, The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus features more than 150,000 word choices, including related words, antonyms, and near antonyms. Each main entry provides the meaning shared by the synonyms listed and abundant usage examples show words used in context. With words alphabetically organized for ease of use, this book is perfect for home, school, or work and is a great complement to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary , trade paperback.

Genres: Reference, Writing, Nonfiction, Language, Dictionaries, Textbooks, Research

688 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1978

Reviews

[Ted]

The Ghosts of Belfast review, Part II
Part I http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Part III http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Part IV http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

The Troubles, continued


Maze Prison

Her Majesty’s Prison Maze (also known as The Maze, The H Blocks, and Long Kesh – the latter because that was the name of the former Royal Air Force station where the prison had been built) was the prison, situated southwest of Belfast, that was used to house paramilitary prisoners from 1971 to 2000. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Priso... The prison’s peak capacity in the 1980s was about 1700.

Curiously, I was not able to find definitive statistics on how many prisoners of the various paramilitaries served time in the Maze. One site mentions a total number over the years of about 10,000 prisoners, with the great majority of these Catholics. The article above mentions a figure of 95% Catholics as of a 1975 date. There is little doubt that in the public mind Maze was a facility housing primarily Republican prisoners, regardless of the percentage of Loyalist paramilitaries that were resident at different times.

The Maze prison event that all people in Northern Ireland, and probably throughout the U.K., remember is the hunger strike that was staged in 1980-81.

On 27 October 1980, seven Republican prisoners refused food and demanded political status. Thatcher's Conservative government did not initially give in. In December the prisoners called off the hunger strike when the government appeared to concede their demands. However, the government immediately reverted to their previous stance, confident the prisoners would not start another strike. Bobby Sands, the Officer Commanding of the Provisional IRA prisoners, began a second action on 1 March 1981. Outside the prison in a major publicity coup, Sands was nominated for Parliament and won the Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election. But the British government was still resisting and on 5 May, after 66 days on hunger strike, Sands died. More than 100,000 people attended Bobby Sands' funeral in Belfast. Another nine hunger strikers (members of both the IRA and the INLA) died by the end of August before the hunger strike was called off in October.

Ten Men Dead is a book about the hunger strike. See Books about The Troubles below.

While the prisoners of the Catholic/Protestant factions were housed separately in the Maze, there were apparently situations that they could come into contact. At least this does occur in the novel in the case of Gerry’s friendship with Ronnie Lennox, the Loyalist prisoner who taught him how to do guitar woodwork (chapter 6). The worst example of this inter-mingling was the murder of Billy “King Rat” Wright, a UVF Loyalist (and a born-again Christian), who was assassinated inside the prison on 27 December 1997 by three INLA inmates. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Wr... )


Stormont

The Parliament of Northern Ireland was created under the Government of Ireland Act of 1920, by which the government of the U.K partitioned Ireland into North and South. (This act led to Southern Ireland instigating the Irish War of Independence, which resulted in the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922.)

In Northern Ireland, this “home rule” Parliament began to function as established by the Act in June of 1921. From then until 1932 the Parliament met in various locations within Belfast. In 1932 it moved to the newly built Parliament Buildings on the Stormont Estate just east of Belfast. “Stormont” evolved to become, in the vernacular of Northern Ireland, the name used to refer to both the Parliament Buildings and to the government of Northern Ireland itself.

In 1972 the home rule government was suspended by the British Parliament because of the Troubles, and Westminster assumed direct control of most of Northern Ireland’s governance.

Under the Belfast Agreement of 1998 a Northern Ireland Assembly was established to provide a new home rule institution for Northern Ireland. This is again situated in the Parliament Buildings at Stormont; hence “Stormont” once again refers to the home rule portion of Northern Ireland’s government. From 1998 to the present the history of this institution has been a tumultuous one, with the Assembly suspended more often than not in the years 1998-2007. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern... ) At the time of the novel’s events in 2007 the situation had reached a point where it appeared that Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party had reached enough accommodation to allow the Assembly to move forward.

I confess that I cannot interpret some of the statements in the novel which refer to Stormont. For example, “At one time … it had been against party policy to take a seat at Stormont”. What time is being referred to? What party? I could guess, but I won’t.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormont...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governme...


The Belfast Agreement


The Belfast Agreement was signed in Belfast on Good Friday (10 April) of 1998. Parties to this agreement were the British (for Northern Ireland) and Irish governments, and eight Northern Ireland political parties, among them the Ulster Unionist Party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party, and the Progressive Unionist Party.

According to Wikipedia’s summary:

The Agreement is made up of two inter-related documents …
1. a multi-party agreement by most of Northern Ireland's political parties;
2. an international agreement between the British and Irish governments (the British-Irish Agreement).

The Agreement set out a complex series of provisions relating to a number of areas, including:
- the status and system of government of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom (Strand 1);
- the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (Strand 2);
- the relationship between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom (Strand 3);

Issues relating to civil and cultural rights, decommissioning of weapons, justice and policing were central to the Agreement.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was the only major party in Northern Ireland that did not sign the agreement, and continued to oppose it through the voting held in May of 1998, in which 71% of the voters in Northern Ireland voted in favor of the agreement (turnout was 81%). The vote in the Irish Republic was on amending the Irish Constitution in line with the agreement. In the south 94% of voters were in favor, with a 56% turnout. The Agreement took effect on 2 December 1999.
(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_... )

Maze Prison & the Belfast Agreement

The Agreement included the following key points, under the heading Prisoners.

1. Both Governments will put in place mechanisms to provide for an
accelerated programme for the release of prisoners, including transferred
prisoners, convicted of scheduled offences in Northern Ireland or, in the
case of those sentenced outside Northern Ireland, similar offences
(referred to hereafter as qualifying prisoners). Any such arrangements will
protect the rights of individual prisoners under national and international
law.
2. Prisoners affiliated to organisations which have not established or are
not maintaining a complete and unequivocal ceasefire will not benefit
from the arrangements. The situation in this regard will be kept under
review.

(my emphasis) See http://www.dfa.ie/uploads/documents/A...

“They called people like him political prisoners. Not murderers or thieves … not criminals of any kind, just victims of circumstance.”

The above quote is an ironic, bitter, angry recollection of Gerry Fagan’s about the release of prisoners (including him) from Maze prison in 2000, under the above terms. As Wikipedia notes, “ … the prison was emptied of its paramilitary prisoners as the groups they represented agreed to the ceasefire. In the two years following the agreement, 428 prisoners were released.” After almost all the Maze prisoners (some convicted murderers) were released, the last four were transferred elsewhere and the prison was closed on 29 September 2000.



Belfast

“Gerry was still a respected man in West Belfast”

Neville’s story is set not only in Belfast physically, but also in the perception of Belfast as the primary place of the Troubles.

Belfast is Northern Ireland’s capital and largest city. The population of the Belfast Metropolitan area (“greater Belfast”; 370 sq mi) is about 580,000 (2001 data). Using both the population and area figures, Belfast compares fairly closely to Louisville KY (600,000; 325 sq mi). About one in three Northern Ireland residents live in this area. The Belfast Urban area (the “inner city”, 44 sq mi) has a population of about 270,000, which is similar to Buffalo NY (260,000; 40 sq mi).

During the times of the Troubles Belfast was widely perceived (whether correctly I don’t know) as one of the most dangerous places in the U.K., and probably in all of Western Europe. Aside from this reputation, one of the main things Belfast was known for (outside the U.K.) was it’s somewhat dubious legacy as the birthplace, in 1911-12, of the ill-fated Titanic.

People of Protestant background outnumber those of Catholic background by about two to one in the greater Belfast area, but in the inner city the two communities are much closer in size, with Catholics narrowly outnumbering Protestants. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_... , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast#... )

Areas segregated by religion

The map at the following site shows the Electoral Wards of Belfast color-coded by the percentage of Catholics in the area. Note the high concentration of Catholics in various areas of West Belfast. The Falls ward (91% Catholic) is where much of the novel takes place. Marie’s place, near Queen’s University, is in the Botanic ward, which is about evenly divided between Catholic and Protestant residents. http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/i...
Wikipedia says of these sections of Belfast

Despite a period of relative peace, most areas and districts of Belfast still reflect the divided nature of Northern Ireland as a whole. Many areas are still highly segregated along ethnic, political and religious lines, especially in working-class neighborhoods. These zones – 'Catholic' or 'Republican' on one side and 'Protestant', or 'Loyalist' on the other – are invariably marked by flags, graffiti and murals. Segregation has been present throughout the history of Belfast, but has been maintained and increased by each outbreak of violence in the city. This escalation in segregation, described as a "ratchet effect", has shown little sign of decreasing during times of peace. When violence flares, it tends to be in interface areas. The highest levels of segregation in the city are in west Belfast with many areas greater than 90% Catholic. Opposite but comparatively high levels are seen in the predominantly Protestant east Belfast. Areas where segregated working-class areas meet are known as interface areas.

(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast )
See the “interface areas” link for a description of many such areas which became well-known flash-points during the Troubles. Most of the interface areas listed are in North Belfast and West Belfast. They are typically short segments of roads, or open areas such as parks, which lie between two neighborhoods of opposite allegiance. Some of these areas are readily apparent on the map referenced above: in the North, the New Lodge/Duncairn boundary and the southern boundary of Ardoyne; in the West, the boundary between the Shankill and Falls wards.
Other areas mentioned are more easily identified on the following street map of Belfast, since many of them are identified using street names.
http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/i...

As mentioned in the block quote above, the segregated areas of Belfast are known for their murals. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murals_i... ) From the Wiki article referenced above I’ve extracted the following four photos. First, a mural from the Sinn Fein offices on Falls Road, dedicated to the Memory Of Bobby Sands, who died in the Hunger Strike at The Maze.

Second, a mural from Ballymurphy in West Belfast



Next is a mural on the Lower Newtownards Road, a Protestant area of East Belfast, which depicts Republican killings.



Finally, a UDA/UFF mural





The following section is a real spoiler. It may spoil your lunch, your digestion, your day …

Casualties

The number of people killed as a direct result of the Troubles has been tabulated by many organizations, and even by some individuals. There are a number of different totals that can be found. There’s no reason to doubt the accuracy of any totals as far as I’m aware, but different totals are produced because of the different ground rules that have been adopted. There are two main variables that determine the number that will be produced. One is the time frame used. The Wikipedia article that I have used for much material gets its numbers and time frame from http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/violenc... : “between 1969 and 2001” is the Troubles time frame adopted.

The other reason why totals can differ is the decisions that have been made regarding which deaths are to be attributed to the Troubles. For example, a heart attack victim who died because he witnessed a murder or was close to a bombing; deaths which are “accidental” in some obvious sense, but clearly would not have happened if a violent event had not occurred in the vicinity.

Basic statistics

Wikipedia (following CAIN) gives a total of 3529 Trouble related deaths. The average number of deaths per year is 3529/33 = 107, with a median value of 81. Additional deaths are shown on the CAIN site for the years 2002-2012 (a total of attributed to various paramilitary organizations, plus another 18 which are possibly related to the Troubles).

The reason that the median value of deaths per years differs significantly from the average is that the total is very heavily weighted towards five years in the early 1970s. Almost 50% occurred in the years 1971-1976, with a high of 479 deaths in 1972, and a total of 547 over the next two years combined. After 1976 there were five years in which slightly over 100 people were killed: 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1988. Most years up to 1993 the totals were in the range 75-100; after 1993 the violence began to lessen, with the fatalities in the years 1994-2001 in the range 9-55, with an average of about 25.

The following page provides graphic and tabular representations of various ways of looking at the casualties. The first chart that comes up here is a map of Northern Ireland with graphical representations of the number of casualties in 11 different areas: Belfast, Derry, the six counties of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Britain, and Europe. The attendant table also breaks out the casualties for four separate section of Dublin.
http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/i...

The casualty statistics in the Wiki Troubles article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trou... ), as well as material on the above web site, show casualties both caused and suffered by four main groups: Republican paramilitaries, Loyalist paramilitaries, Security forces, and Civilians. From the tables provided I calculated a figure for each of these groups much as I imagine the American military might have calculated in Vietnam. I call this “net body count”, and it is simply the number of casualties inflicted by the group, minus the number of casualties inflicted on the group. So, to put it crudely, a positive net body count means the group did well: they killed more than they lost. (I am by no means making light of these deaths. I am trying to get my hands around a way of reducing multiple tables and numbers to a single number.)

The net body counts for these four groups are as follows.

Republican paramilitaries: 2057 – 394 = 1663
Loyalist paramilitaries: 1019 – 151 = 868
Security forces: 363 – 1123 = (-760)
Civilians: 0 – 1855 = (-1855)

The paramilitary groups of both sides obviously “won”. Of course they were the only groups whose objective was often simply that of inflicting casualties, though at other times the latter was no doubt viewed as a means to a higher goal. The security forces’ objective was to prevent casualties (in theory; usually), and (the biggest losers) the civilian’s objective was simply to stay alive. Way too many of them failed.


Belfast caualties

The number of casualties killed in the four areas of Belfast (from the link in the previous section) is as follows:
East Belfast – 128
South Belfast – 213
North Belfast – 563
West Belfast – 617

These “jurisdictions” (whatever they are) thus averaged over the 33 years about 45 casualties per year among them.

The following map can be used to obtain interactive information about the locations of casualties in Belfast (or indeed for any other area of Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland). At the top of the map, click on the blue NOTE link for an introduction on how to use the map. There are four Quick Zoom tabs, one of which (select it) is Belfast. Then go to the Status and Organization menus at the bottom, and select one or more from each column. The Status selection determines the category of victim; the Organization selection determines the responsible group. Returning your attention to the map, you will now see locations of the selected victim/organization casualties. Rolling the mouse over any of these will display details; further details can be obtained by clicking the flag, or a name on locations where multiple deaths occurred. The map can be zoomed in or out like any Google map.

Be patient with this map. It takes a few seconds to download all the data that supports the interactive features.

http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/victims/gis/go...

This can become pretty depressing after awhile.

[Audrin B]

bit of a slog

[Owen Timmerman]

This book would be an interesting book to read because it gives you different ways of saying common words. Kind of like how Dawn and Morning mean the same thing. It also makes you feel smarter because not very many people read the Thesaurus. It's a pretty interesting book if you want to talk in your own slang. I highly recommend this book

[Dylan Smith]

This was good. This was also good and pretty good.

[Clay Davis]

The idioms and contrast words are very helpful.

[Jessica Shubert]

I found this book practical, applicable, functional, and useful. A definite page-turner. I just hope they don't ruin it by turning it into a movie.

[fayre]

something in the static by cloudings

Draco x Harry
8th year
Draco is being threatened and has an aurora assigned to him
Harry hates the auror and insists on taking over
They took together
Spend Christmas at the burrow
8th parties in the room of requirement

[laurentiu]

0

[Joomi Lee]

I own the January 1980 paperback version but it is not the most complete thesaurus that I own.

[Sophie]

you wont belive how many synonyms there are for toilet

[Camille M]

I don't know, there's just something utterly comforting about this thesaurus. I won't say more tho, don't want to spoil anything.

[Dev Y]

loves it

[Clare O'Beara]

I won this in a three-book set as part of a writing competition.

[Kt Baldassaro]

Wish I had the words to describe what a powerful read this is.

[jacky]

These are the thesauruses (thesauri?) that were in my classroom. Can't say that I personally used them very often, as I prefer the thesaurus write in my word processing program, but some of my students did. Using a thesaurus is probably a writing mini-lesson I should have taught, but I only had about six of them to use for a whole class. Usually the same handful of students would use them a lot, but every once and a while a student would ask for one as if the idea of a thesaurus just came to him, and then use it in an inspired fashion for several minutes.

[Amy]

Unfortunately Merrium and Webster were unconcerned about character development (I couldn't find any at all) and there was not much of a plot here. On a more dexterous note, these two authors very adeptly elucidate the many words proffered by the English language. For example, I did learn that supplementary words for "Drunk" include (but are not limited to): overcome, pie-eyed, sloshed, gassed, fuddled, and laced.

Good to be cognizant of.

[Jay]

My dad bought this book, along with the quick speller and dictionary edition (I won't list those but do have them) when I was accepted at K-State. I use the Thesaraus when working on my Resume.

[Sam]

This particular thesaurus will enhance your vocabulary immensely.

[Peter]

Do I need top own this many Thesauri? Do I?

[Robert]

This is the thesaurus I used throughout high school and college. It was fine for then, but it is hardly a modern day resource.

[Vincent Ribaya]

Small and light in content, but the perfect thesaurus for school/office use. Makes a perfect quick-reference. Personally, it comes really handy when writing papers.

[priority_ceiling]

Very handy

[Bookish]

must own the bigger version. too handy. a must have for professionals like me. who reviews.

[Rachel]

I think that it's hilarious that this is on here. (I read the Thesaurus, guys!)

[Danielle The Book Huntress]

It's already paying for itself. I have found I tend to use the same words over and over again.