(dinky: small, insignificant) in learning the meaning of words small dictionaries are very often a greater
liability than they are a
help. The meanings they give are often circular. Like "
CAT: an
animal." "
ANIMAL: a
cat." They do not give enough meaning to escape the circle. The meanings
given are often inadequate to get a real
concept of the
word. The words are too few and even common words are often missing.
(HCOB 19 Jun 72)