Jezebel
We received an email from Lexico Publishing Group — publishers of Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com — regarding the reader tip about Thesaurus.com's sexist entries for the word "weaker"; Lexico has let us know that it has responded to the problem via its blog. Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD., editor and compiler of Roget's New Millennium Thesaurus, says, "Due to the way our search technology works, a search for weaker appeared to suggest that it was a synonym for female and lady. This was incorrect and has been fixed...we chose to remove 'weaker sex' as a informal/slang synonym from our site. The entries now describe current American English usage more accurately and we feel we're providing more helpful suggestions for those seeking guidance on word choice from us." It's true, it's not there anymore! Thanks for paying attention, Lexico. [Lexico]
9:45 AM on Thu Apr 10 2008
By Slut Machine
1,256 views
64 comments
Comments
Bitches get shit done!
They know better than to fuck with the fucking dykes!
Dude, getting the DICTIONARY changed? POWER.
Oh, good, because my personal boycott of Thesaurus.com was getting burdensome, effortful, onerous.
Looks like the pieces and old maids managed to move an internet mountain. Hard to believe since we're so frail and weak.
One down!
Now, what about "hooker" and "piece"?
Good to see someone listens to teh wimmenz.
Yeah, but what about Roget's? Let's start writing them letters, too.
Damn straight! Hahaha!
@videogoddess: hilarious
this is a good way to start the day.
Progress
(noun)
1. Forward movement: advance, advancement, furtherance, headway, march, progression. See better/worse, forward/backward.
2. A progression from a simple form to a more complex one: development, evolution, evolvement, growth, unfolding.
3. Steady improvement, as of an individual or a society: amelioration, betterment, development, improvement, melioration.
Job well done!
but is Tomato still listed?
Excellent work, ladies!
@CMG with cucumber undertones: Seconded! It's so heartening to see change being made, even baby steps.
@ineffable.me: Aww, I like "tomato."
It actually isn't that big a change. It was incorrectly linking 'weaker' to 'weaker sex', which it shouldn't have been doing anyway. Outside of being ridiculous and offensive.
Wait, wha? There are no synonyms for "weaker"? What the hell does that mean? Yes, there are.
Word to the word experts.
@CMG with cucumber undertones: I agree! I love starting the morning off with some good news...it may be a small change, but it still is something good! If you yell loud enough, someone will listen.
@nellicat: You'd have to search just 'weak'. I know the synonym function on Word is like that.
@hortense:
applause
noun
Definition: clapping
Synonyms: acclaim, acclamation, accolade, approbation, approval, big hand, cheering, cheers, commendation, eulogizing, hand, hand-clapping, hurrahs, laudation, mitt pound, ovation, plaudit(s), praise, rooting, round
@Leiakat: If I understand correctly, they've removed "weaker sex" as a synonym result. Which is pretty fucking awesome.
@LipstickLibrarian: I know, me too. I kinda like being a tomato. The fruit disguised as a vegetable. Delicious with olive oil and mozzarella. And we all now how I feel about olive oil and mozzarella.
Awww, I feel so uplifted and I didn't even do anything. High five to those that did!
@LipstickLibrarian: I like tomato, too. Kind of like broad, it just sounds so Guys and Dolls to me.
@minesbigger: Right, but the complaint was it linked just to 'weaker' as a synonym. It should have not linked to it technically. All the other crap synonyms are still there.
@dosido: "mitt pound"? Weird. Never heard that one. Is that like baseball?
Thank god. Now I can go back to loving them with all the unabashed passion of the serious nerd that I am.
@Leiakat: Point. Baby steps, I suppose. Is still rather cool seeing a complaint addressed!
@blackbirdfly: It's what Ann Romney likes to do. But secretly, and in a very Mormon way.
Dynamism to the multitude!
@LipstickLibrarian: Me too, it makes me think of the sexy tomato I cross stitched using this pattern:
[www.sublimestitching.com]
She was hot!
Awesome for making the "weak"/"woman" connection go away. But I am not quite sure how I feel about this: removing "the weaker sex." I would have prefered if they had KEPT it, but then next to it written "offensive" or "antiquated" they way they do with other obnoxious, socially unacceptable terms. By taking it out, it indicates that the word doesn't exist and you rather remove the history of that phrase as well.
@videogoddess: ha. cute.
Kudos to all you women. This makes me feel great, awesome, happy, joyous and elated.
@videogoddess: *Doffs hat* And a good morning to you.
@Leiakat: Yep, they still include the following synonyms:
babe, broad, chick, chicken, kitten, rib, skirt, spinster, tootsie, virgin
among others.
Years ago I was writing a paper and looked for a synonym for "Arab". The results were "street rat", "dirty", etc. My paper topic and Master's thesis changed right there: linguistic association with public diplomacy in a post 9/11 world. The synonyms are still up there, fyi.
Kick ass! Glad I sent them a note and they actually responded, on to Snapple!
You can leave comments in response to their announcement letting them know how wonderful it is that they took out one of many offensive synonyms [www.lexico.com]
This is the kind of positive change that we need more of in this world.
@Lymed: I forgot my sarcasm disclaimer. Leave them a comment, but don't let them think they are wonderful.
@LaComtesse: I agree with you completely. Otherwise it smacks, to me, of bowlderization.
@Lymed: Should I see how they react to "Thanks you fucking dykes!"?
Wait, Thesaurus.com has a blog?
@dosido: Like, Mitt Peg, perhaps?
@LaComtesse: I agree, "the weaker sex" is historical. 'Antiquated' would have worked well. But yay for fixing the search bug!
@Lisa Frank: Did they at least specify "street rat" and "dirty" as synonyms for "Street Arab," as opposed to "Arab" in general? Because street Arab is a historical term from around the turn of the century, I believe. It, like "weaker sex" should get a note of 'antiquated.'
(Full disclosure: my main knowledge of the existence of the term 'street Arab' comes from the current story line of the comic Runaways. Thanks Joss Whedon!)
@stacyinbean is cold outside of her bag: That was you? You fucking rock my world! And the winner for the Feminazi Bonerkiller Award is...
...stacyinbean!!!!
(And the crowd goes WILD!)
this will make me glad for the rest of the day.
@Political Party Girl: I get this picture of a teensy lucite cock drooping forlornly on a silver pedestal, and it makes me grin. Srsly, is there anything cuter than a flaccid ween? I THINK NOT.
Right, so for our next challenge lets target ...
@weedie: Damn, I mean "let's"
awww yeah!
@Lymed: Virgin? Spinster? Either these words mean something other than what I think or "synonym" means something other than what I think.
The sexist glitch on Google seems appropriate to remember today...
[www.10e20.com]
Feminazi boner-killers saving the world, one search engine at a time.
@ LaComtesse: I absolutely agree with this. Why not keep it and let people know just how offensive it is?
It is not their job to be prescriptive. They should (now I'm being prescriptive) record word-usage in the proper contexts. Even if people find certain words offensive, it should still be noted, only with a multitude of footnotes.
@stacyinbean is cold outside of her bag: i read your new name as "cold outside of her vag"
it was weird.
@ineffable.me: hmmm, I should change it to 'cold outside of her catbag'... I just didn't want anyone to worry not that I appear to have fallen out of my bag....
so "weaker" no longer means anything? i feel this is somehow still discriminat-ey...
i don't know how to bitch but i want to!
Wow. That really makes me happy. Sometimes writing emails really *does* work...