The review: “It is very long, rather old-fashioned, and in our opinion not deserving of the reputation which it seems to enjoy.”

The book: Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville

Suddenly I have to drop my thesaurus on the floor in order to make anything out? Last night I squinted my way through a few choice adjectives for Dear Reader to consider:

Scathing: belittling, brutal, biting, burning, caustic, cruel, cutting, harsh, searing, severe, sulphurous, trenchant, withering.

“Sulphurous” is my personal favourite, so I shall now use it in a sentence:

Arrived today a sulphurous review of Harbour View.

Ouch.

Now I must pick up my thesaurus off the floor and book an eye examination.