A thesaurus costume is a "-saurus" pun: a dinosaur that is also a book of synonyms. The easy version is a green dinosaur onesie covered in index cards that each list a word and its synonyms. It costs very little and takes about ten minutes to make. It's also one of the few pun costumes that works as a couple's or group look.
How to Make a Thesaurus Costume
Green Dinosaur OnesieWhite Index CardsBlack Fine-Tip MarkerSafety PinsRoget's ThesaurusSaveTap any item in the photo to shop itClick any item in the photo to shop it
| # | Item | Description | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Green Dinosaur Onesie | A dark green one-piece with a hood, spikes down the back and a tail. It is the "saurus" half of the joke, so go for a plain, clearly dinosaur green. Choose your size, since it's a loose fit. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 2 | White Index Cards | These are your "pages". One 3 x 5 pack is far more than you need. Use the plain side for the words. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 3 | Black Fine-Tip Marker | Write one word pair per card in big block capitals so people can read it across a room. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 4 | Safety Pins | Pin a card through the fleece at each corner or at the top edge. Large pins hold better on thick fleece than small ones. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
| 5 | Roget's Thesaurus | Carry a real thesaurus under your arm. It makes the joke obvious to anyone who doesn't catch the cards. | 🛒 Check on Amazon |
Keep the cards readable and the pairs obvious. Good ones are BIG / HUGE, FAST / QUICK, SCARY / FRIGHTENING, ANGRY / FURIOUS and LOUD / NOISY. Dinosaur-themed pairs such as ENORMOUS / GIGANTIC or ANCIENT / PREHISTORIC get an extra laugh. Put the cards across the chest, one on each sleeve and a couple on the legs. Add a hand-lettered sign reading "THESAURUS" or "ROGET'S THESAURUS" if you want to spell it out.
Ways to Change It Up
- Cardboard book cover: Cut a large piece of cardboard, paint it like a book cover titled "Thesaurus", and wear it over the onesie like the sleeve in our bookworm costume.
- Alternatives: If you want a big, funny dinosaur instead of a cozy one, an inflatable T-rex suit works with the same cards pinned on, though the air-filled fabric needs tape rather than pins.
- Synonym a day: Swap new cards in for a party. Guests can add their own synonyms to your costume.
- Group idea: Pair up with a friend as a dictionary or a bookworm. A thesaurus and a dictionary make a fun matched set.
- Kids: The same onesie idea works for a child. Use bigger cards and write the words with them.
About Thesaurus
"Thesaurus" comes from a Greek word meaning "treasury". A thesaurus is a reference book that groups words with similar meanings. English speakers know it best from Roget's Thesaurus, first published by the physician Peter Mark Roget in 1852. The costume joke works because the word ends in "-saurus", the same ending as Tyrannosaurus and Brontosaurus, which is why people say a thesaurus is the dinosaur of books.
