There was one word she always used, like a life preserver. It was kind of an emergency word, for times when conversations tool a turn for the terrible or someone dared to doubt her. Mother’s emergency word was “synonymous.” She could always count on this word to catch a new dog off guard and make him speechless. For example, if some curious dog asked Mother what something meant and she didn’t want to tell him exactly, she would instead reply, “It’s synonymous with supererogation.” I don’t know what it means, either