IS MY HANDWRITING TOO SLOPPY FOR YOUR EYEBALLS? HERE'S THE TEXT OF THE ABOVE CARD ... JOHN MORSE, PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER / MERRIAM-WEBSTER, INC. / 47 FEDERAL STREET / P.O. BOX 281 / SPRINGFIELD, MA 01102 / JOHNNY BOY! FELIX HAS JUST INFORMED ME OF YOU PLANS TO COMPLETELY REMOVE THE WORD "THE" FROM THE DICTIONARY. HE SAID THAT YOU SAID (TO FRED ... MISH, YOUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HELLO?) THAT STRIKING THE "THE'S" WOULD CONDENSE THE DICTIONARY BY 12% AND MAKE ALL COMMUNICATIONS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ZIPPY-FAST. I SAY NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND. YOU CAN'T JUST GO AROUND DROPPING WORDS WILLY-NILLY JUST BECAUSE YOU OWN THE DICTIONARY. THIS WOULD HAVE US ALL JABBERING BACK & FORTH LIKE PENELOPE! (SINCE THE CABBAGE ACCIDENT.) INSTEAD, WHY NOT SIMPLY AD THE WORD "TERRIFITASTIC"! (A CROSS BETWEEN "TERRIFIC" AND "ELASTIC", OBVIOUSLY.) NEVER AGAIN WILL YOU HAVE TO SAY "MAN, THAT'S TERRIFIC ELASTIC!" JUST SAY "TERRIFITASTIC!"