Subj : Riddle
To   : alexander koryagin
From : Ardith Hinton
Date : Thu Nov 02 2017 23:52:25

Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

 AH>  Q.  What do you call a big lizard with an extensive
 AH>      vocabulary?

 AH>  A.  Thesaurus rex.


 ak>  I wonder who had invented Thesaurus Rex?


           Dunno.  Perhaps I should have guessed... but I hadn't realized such 
creatures actually exist, i.e. on the Internet at least.  :-))



 ak>  I suspect he was a teacher who wanted to attract
 ak>  children to language learning.


           Or a gamer who knew his audience... [chuckle].



 ak>  Children like horrible beasts. :)


           Now that you mention it, I'm reminded of various works for children 
in which potentially scary beasts... like the monster in your citation... turn 
out to be quite harmless when one sees them from a different point of view.  I 
think stories like this may help children learn to deal with their fears.  :-)



 ak>  -----Beginning of the citation-----
 ak>  Thesaurus Rex
 ak>  The Thesaurus Rex is a lonely creature that lurks in
 ak>  abandoned mines. At 20 feet tall, he is a force to be
 ak>  reckoned with. Its name comes from the fact that it
 ak>  evolved from a Tyranosaurus Rex into a more knowledgable
 ak>  being. The monster is now capable of reading, writing
 ak>  and speaking human language. It spends its time expanding
 ak>  its vocabulary in a dim portion of the cave. Like its
 ak>  ancestors, this beast is territorial, so when a hero gets
 ak>  too close, it attacks without mercy.
 ak>  http://wiki.godvillegame.com/Thesaurus_Rex
 ak>  ----- The end of the citation -----


           Hmm.  As a well-known British general once said, "Discretion is the 
better part of valour."  This creature just wants to be left alone while he is 
reading etc.  I know humans like that.  If Our Hero wants to prove his manhood 
to *me* he won't do it by invading others' personal space & destroying what he 
doesn't understand.  Kids often feel small & vulnerable.  But a lot of stories 
in English seem to illustrate the triumph of Brain over Brawn as well....  ;-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

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