Chapter I (2)

A wise tolerance

An acute observer

A splendid fellow

A very mercenary person

A trustworthy friend

A fond mother

A good listener

An excellent musician

An exceptional man

A character worth knowing

A mind of penetrating keenness

A scholar of considerable eminence

(Of Things)

A lovely landscape

A quiet nook

A crimson rosebud

A fertile region

A drowsy drone

A snug farm

A dainty flower

The blissful skies

Serene weather

The most perfect night possible

In very picturesque surroundings

A charming aspect

A rugged background

A high-crested crag

A pool of transparent clearness

The kindly fruits of the earth

The most appetizing confection

The pleasing odor of good food

A delicious condiment

A deadly contagion

A munificent gift

Snowy table-linen

The boundless beauty of springtime

A rattling good story

A savory odor

A quaint old house

Of a make quite metropolitan

A suit of faultless cut

Delicate traceries

A facile pen

The larger mood

A gala night

A marvel of detail

DESERVING

Worthy Meritorious

Nor can we be too warm in our grateful appreciation of the——

Posterity will give its proper meed of praise to——

He has done a real service

He proved himself worthy of the confidence reposed in him

It is the highest tribute to his sincerity

He commands the entire respect of the community

He is by all odds the best

He has earned the right to be regarded as——

It was a severe test and he came off victorious

They deserve the cordial thanks of——

DESIRE

Wish Crave

I have often cast a thought but now I begin to cast an eye towards——

A thirst after more from the same spring

A praiseworthy desire

With a feverish desire to——

To this end it is hoped that——

A secret fondness for——

He has a genuine hankering for——

From my very heart I desire——

’Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.
_Hamlet_, III., 1

I covet for myself——

What we want is——

I have a burning desire to——

I am profoundly anxious to——

It is our earnest hope and most fervent prayer that——

It would be the culmination of my fondest hopes to——

I am ardently wishing for it

An insatiable thirst for——

Legitimate desires

An irrepressible desire for——

I am not very strong for——

DETERMINATION

Grit Resolution

Perseverance and pluck triumphed

He held stoutly to the creed that——

Quenchless zeal

A fixed and unalterable determination to——

Where there is a will there is a way

No, not if I work my fingers to the bone

With the determination of a born fighter

The vow is registered in heaven that——

Facing life with resolute purpose

With indomitable zeal

No one need ever say he cannot make good

A relentless determination to continue

Invincible in determination

Resolute in will

Well defined in purpose

Dauntless purpose

An inspiration amounting to a fixed resolve

Nothing can faze him

He delights to smite his enemies hip and thigh

Dyed-in-the-wool conservatives

Dauntless perseverance

We had already steeled our hearts for it

With an air of stolid desperation

With unflinching determination

Not to be tempted into foolhardiness

He held on with grim determination

With determined perseverance

Gently but firmly

A vigorous determination

With stoical fortitude

With all the energy of one’s soul

With redoubled energy

Consumed by the intensity of a passion for——

A quiet determination to do their part nobly

A grim endurance

Struggling with circumstances

With indomitable patience

He has a phenomenal capacity for pegging away

Not swerved from his position by a hair’s breadth

In proportion to the strength and persistency of an intelligent effort

Pretty persistently

He is disputing the crown of his profession with his neighbor

He gave us a clear and vigorous presentation of his own position

With indomitable spirit

With unremitting assiduity

Unsubdued in spirit and undepressed in mind

A grim hold upon

An obtuse human

A persistent tendency to

The resolute kind

There is no earthly likelihood of his complying

I was resolute

I would not give in

It admits of no extenuation

With splendid purpose in his eyes

DIFFICULT

Arduous Hard

It is a hard school

With drawbacks of its own

A fight against great odds

A hard nut to crack

I had a pretty stiff time

He had to face an arduous task

Hard work ahead and plenty of it

Ay, there’s the rub.
_Hamlet_, III., 1

Not easy of accomplishment

Hard facts against which we chafe and fret

Not an easy task

It is easy to preach to the converted

It was rather a trying ordeal

The goal is far more remote than we had supposed it to be

It is difficult enough under the most favorable circumstances

It is difficult to possess one’s soul in patience when——

The situation was very badly complicated by——

He is up against a tough proposition

The way is not wholly smooth

It may seem a hard doctrine to preach at such a moment

We live in no soft and easy days

I find the medicine worse than the malady

As tangled as a hank of yarn that runs into knots continually

Processes which defy analysis

A great inertia which must be overcome

DISCERNMENT

Insight Penetration

He has eyes that see to the very heart of things

His mind is all daylight

It lets us into the soul of things

A remarkably acute dissection of——

Distinguished by candor and insight

Discriminating insight

It testifies to his farsightedness that——

He knows the ins and the outs of it

He put his finger on the nerve

A very delicate discernment

A shrewd, acute man of the world

A fine discernment of the issue

A penetrating declaration that——

With keen discriminating insight

He fully appreciated the potentialities of——

He awoke to a vivid realization of——

With the discerning eye of faith

A complete revelation of the inner life

Face to face with the purposes for which we were created

A fire which consumes the dross

Foregleams of the mercy that would save the blackest sinner

A deep knowledge of the things of God

The delicate hand of a discerning nurse

Submitted to the arbitrament of merciless justice

DISCRIMINATING

Accurate Particular

As accurate as a time-table

With the most painstaking care

Meticulously careful

With discriminating nicety

A monument of minutia

A distinction without a difference

A vital lack of discrimination

A new orientation of——

Drawing a line of demarcation between——

Nice distinctions

Fine discriminations

It is a nice point whether——

With close scrutiny

With a constantly vigilant eye

Under strict and precise supervision

Every statement carefully weighed and checked

By careful discrimination

He took cognizance of——

A work of discriminating selection

DISGUST

Aversion Repugnance

The game is not worth the candle

Most vexatious blunders

Profoundly distasteful

This is wretched business

It makes one shiver to think of——

It is not very pleasant to contemplate

How often have I been in a passion with him

Disgustingly enough

I have a deep-seated repugnance to——

Disgusted with fatuous pretensions

I had the disagreeable task of——

For which he has the most ardent disdain

I consider the action most reprehensible

Particularly approbrious

Nearsighted expediency

They were anathema to him

DOMINATE

Control Rule

There is a certain high-handedness about the way of going at the——

Savored too much of the arbitrary

In the saddle

They will brook no trifling

Conquer everything

The will to power

Prepared to lay on the mailed fist

The policy of a harsh aggressive paternalism

It must adapt itself to conditions not of its own making

Stop-watch methods

A yoke upon the necks of others

An effort to dragoon the——

Bound in the straitest bonds

Under the sense of stern compulsion

It has become the guiding principle of his life

Arbitrary procedure

Under the lash of——

The lure of despotic power

DOUBT

Misgiving Question

It will provoke a challenge in many minds

There seems to be a cloud of doubt about the matter

I very much question whether——

We doubt the expediency of going farther

The statement is so sweeping in scope as to require very close scrutiny

It will not bear the test of exact criticism

Its excellence has caused suspicion of its reality

All that can be said with assurance is that——

Full of misgivings

The best experience we have makes us skeptical of——

I am far from feeling sure that the——

It cannot be regarded as conclusive that——

It is now exceedingly doubtful whether——

Of very doubtful wisdom

The whole scheme is in the air

The matter has been wrapped in doubt

Harried by uncertainties

It was accepted with reluctance and misgivings

We have been secretly cherishing the suspicion that——

With the shadows of uncertainty hanging over us

Of that we are even unprepared to guess

It is an open question whether——

Little hope is cherished that——

A frail hope

Not sure, though hoping.
_King Lear_, V., 3

Our doubts are traitors.
_Measure for Measure_, I., 4

Right down in my heart of hearts I cannot say that——

We can hardly take his _ipse dixit_ for a decision

DULL

Uninteresting Tiresome

As dry as desert dust

Ineffably dull

Devoid of interest

An intolerable tedium

Without conscious appreciation of the meaning of——

With all the virility taken out

A gray day

The gray drab of life

No one could accuse him of any inspiration

It is almost impossible to strike any fire in him

The embodiment of stupidity

It needs the infusion of new blood

As tedious as a twice-told tale

As tedious as a tired horse

Unutterably wearisome

In the usual humdrum way

A dull and tedious statement

EFFECTUAL

Efficacious Operative

It turns wheels and grinds corn

In the way that will count

To achieve the maximum result with the minimum expenditure of effort

In a far more powerful and effective way

There can be no denying the effectiveness of——

The work brought out certain fine qualities in——

One of his most telling strokes

Well begun is half done

Weighed in the balances and not found wanting

It represents the very acme of——

Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well

It fulfills the expectation of——

It dispels the fear of——

The lance which unhorses everyone is——

The only sure deterrent of——

With inspiring cogency

Highly beneficial

EFFICIENCY

Ability Aptitude

Efficient in the highest degree

A man of large resourcefulness

He will have no loose ends

The matter is in capable hands

Well qualified for the tasks assigned

He is versed in all the intricacies of——

He has a singular aptitude for——

He knows how to get things done

He is past master in the art of——

The masters of circumstance

He is able to cope with the——

He is making good

The brains of progress

One cannot do these things off-hand

He is quite capable of——

He has great aptitude

We have the invincible weapons with which to put to rout the——

There are some who go instinctively to the bottom of any matter

With consummate skill

A typical example of efficiency

Quite able to meet all emergencies

In a broadly capable way

I have not head enough to——

Masterly execution

EFFORT

Zeal Work

A zeal which one cannot but admire

With all the arduous duties he has to perform

The result of downright hard work

Many hands make quick work

Engaged in gainful occupations

He has done much to redeem the——

It is better to wear out than to rust out

Arduous study

There were strenuous attempts to——

He made a prodigious effort

No tree falls at the first stroke

Beating at the bars of circumstance

Hotly competing with one another

A great inertia which must be overcome

Puissant efforts

A brave endeavor to deal with the——

A desperate effort to keep afloat

In the sweat of the fray

Laboring with honest zeal

EMERGENCY

Exigency Urgency

He took the bull by the horns

He took matters into his own hands

He decided upon his own initiative

Any port in a storm

It will not do to refer it to some remote futurity

The urge underlying our efforts

He took the bit in his teeth and ran away with——

EMPHASIZE

Stress Insistence

The expression is not too strong

I wish to stress the fact that——

It only served to accentuate the——

A praiseworthy insistence upon——

This is specially and emphatically so if——

This fact throws into a high light the——

Much stress has rightly been laid on the——

I want to say with all possible emphasis that——

It is inconceivable that——

There is a persistent rumor that——

We must ever insist upon the point that——

He attached the utmost importance to——

Express and repeated mention of——

ENGLISH

Language Rhetoric

That expresses it beautifully

Gifted with the power of words

Clear and lofty speech

A clean-cut expression

The gift of lucid expression

Replete with literary charm

He wields a facile pen

Master of the use of virile and nervous English

He has the gift of clothing his opinions in piquant dress

A clean phrase and no frills

Happy expressions

Swift phrase

With adroit felicity of speech

A wealth of picturesque language

Gifted with rare powers of speech

In such neat and elegant language

Transparency of expression

A graceful letter-writer

A pleasing knack of expression

The princes of literature

The phrase brims over with melody and loveliness

He has talent for rhetorical expression

Neat phrases

Phrases of delightful aptness

A crystalline lucidity of style

Of felicitous fluency

The art of graceful expression

In popular parlance

Unique literary charm

In exquisite literary form

Ever ready in repartee

With all the energy of diction

A desire to excel in speech and expression

Unable to express himself with any degree of force or fluency in
conversation

A good converser

A condensed verbal statement

The art of conversation

The luxury of talk

An eloquent, fascinating talker

A man whose genius shone in conversation

He charmed everybody he met by his talk

He fused the thoughts of others into his own

A suggestive talker

The charm of conversation

Brilliant conversation

A felicitous talker

New beauties of verbal effect

Striking forms of expression

Phrases which cling

ENJOYMENT

Complacency Satisfaction

Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
_I Tim._ VI., 17

He will ever be mindful of his covenant.
_Ps._ CXI., 5

He filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.
_Ps._ CXLVII., 14

He satisfieth the longing soul.
_Ps._ CVII., 9

He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
_Zech._ II., 8

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd.
_Isa._ XL., 11

As the heaven is high above the earth so great is his mercy toward them
that fear him.
_Ps._ CIII., 11

He filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
_Ps._ CVII., 9

He healeth the broken in heart.
_Ps._ CXLVII., 3

He is kind to the unthankful.
_Luke_ VI., 35

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
_II Cor._ IX., 15

As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
_Isa._ XXXII., 2

The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.
_Isa._ XXXV., 1

The God of truth.
_Isa._ LXV., 16

The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with
it.
_Prov._ X., 22

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.
_Ps._ XXXVII., 23

Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
_Deut._ XXVIII., 5

In every thing give thanks.
_I Thess._ V., 18

I have a goodly heritage.
_Ps._ XVI., 6

A feast of fat things.
_Isa._ XXV., 6

The promise of eternal inheritance.
_Heb._ IX., 15

His soul shall dwell at ease.
_Ps._ XXV., 13

Thy sleep shall be sweet.
_Prov._ III., 24

More precious than rubies.
_Prov._ III., 15

The peace of God which passeth all understanding.
_Phil._ IV., 7

With joy unspeakable and full of glory.
_I Pet._ I., 8

Underneath are the everlasting arms.
_Deut._ XXXIII., 27

Let us put on the armour of light.
Rom. XIII., 12

More than heart could wish.
_Ps._ LXXIII., 7

ENTHUSIASM

Fervor Energy

They made the welkin ring

The military fires of youth

It stirred us like a blast from a bugle

A vigorous element of young blood

Strong in the advocacy of——

Working whole-heartedly

Always abreast of the times

In fine fettle

Shot through with——

Zest for the fray

Promptly upon the heels of——

Very much alive

Seizing every available occasion

When he tackles a job he tackles it vigorously

Unaging vitality

Fired with enthusiasm for——

With fervent aspiration after——

A dash of recklessness

With tremendous earnestness

A mighty dynamic

A fountain of boundless energy

Hot for the fray

A brimming tide of energy

Ginger and go

Never relaxing

Fine enthusiasm

It is very tonic to me

In high feather

He gave himself without stint

A strenuous life

An eye of fire

Throbbing with life

Full tilt

ENTREAT

Appeal Urge

Let me plead without ceasing

The cause must be kept at flood tide

I call upon you to——

Why not keep the same steadfast eye on realities

I am addressing your understanding

I am setting forth the rationale of things

I am pleading with you to——

I am trying to exhort you to an unwavering belief

It is not enough for us to say that——

I want to press the thought with all the earnestness I have

Pledge me your word that you will——

I beseech you that——

With loving urgency

Passionate earnestness

Would that I could persuade some who are halting between two opinions

ERROR

Mistake Blunder

Very far afield

Utterly wide of the mark

He will have to guess again

An absurdly distorted view

I was shown how erroneous was my preconception

We shall make a great mistake if we allow an easy optimism to encourage
the belief that——

Sincere but mistaken

Woefully mistaken

A ridiculous contradiction in terms

An erroneous notion

A self-evident falsity

Misleading in appearance

Not conforming exactly to the truth

Not in accordance with the facts

He is laboring under the false notion that——

He put the saddle on the wrong horse

He is out in his reckoning

The report was unfounded

The most culpable blundering

He would kill the goose that lays the golden egg

On the wrong scent

Manifestly incorrect

ESTEEM

Admiration Regard

He is a man of rare personal qualities

A delightful man to do business with

An altogether delightful companion

I always entertained the very highest regard for——

I was full of admiration for the way in which——

He is winning golden opinions from all sides

A high-class man

A nine days’ wonder

Absolutely matchless

Held in high esteem

If I were a Pagan I would raise altars to him

Everybody was proud of him

We give our admiration without reserve

EVASIVE

Double-minded Shifting

He evades the point at issue

Warped out of the true meaning

Veering to the other extreme

The futility of such double-dealing was seen in——

Ye cannot serve God and Mammon

He cannot worship at two shrines at once

He skirted the edges of——

He is infected with the disease of indirection

A dozen different exigencies

A responsibility he is in no way prepared to assume

The trick of turning a blind eye on the shortcomings of——

I feel myself forced to feign a particular interest in——

I am thankful to be furnished with so good a pretense

Excuse enough for any extravagances

He has apparently lost his grip by wobbling

One can kiss it away by——

That is neither here nor there

I haven’t sufficient information to pass judgment upon it

That is not one of my accomplishments

It is very difficult to say

It is hardly the language of strict propriety

EVIDENCE

Proof Attestation

It has the hall-marks of——

I have such lamentable proofs every day before my eyes of the——

Prima facie evidence of——

Indisputable and overwhelming evidence

The proofs are plentiful that——

It was abundantly proved that——

Substantial evidence

Signs are multiplying that——

The facts bear sufficient witness

The incontrovertible evidences are——

It is pretty good evidence that——

It has been proved that——

A substantial evidence of——

I am always telling that to——

I have no less authority for the statement than——

It seems to prove conclusively that——

Tangible evidence

Conclusive evidence

EVIL

Wicked Corrupt

The seat of vice

The throne of iniquity

The brood of the serpent

The pit of perdition

Another sinister symptom of——

Blacker than Egypt’s night

As black as the pit

He has dealings with the prince of darkness

An inspiration coming otherwheres than from heaven

Incurably asinine

From the harshest brutality to the lowest shade of petty meanness

In wanton defiance of every law of God and man

Manifold iniquities

The sum of all villainies

The deeps of degradation

The tents of wickedness

An unsanctified dream

EXACT

Accurate Correct

Mapped out with rigid precision

It will bear the test of exact criticism

He is capable of accurate estimate

As accurate as a time-table

No loose ends

No slipshod work

No unfortified assertions

Master of every detail

Severe exactitude

Faultily faultless

To be precise——

EXAGGERATE

Overstate Overdo

He who proves too much proves nothing

Violence of statement

Stronger language than the facts justify

It is altogether too extravagant a fancy

Made out of whole cloth

He makes a mountain out of a mole-hill

He quite overshot the mark

A gross exaggeration

Extravagant promises

He made as much of his facts as they would carry

He went to the limit

He has shot his bolt

He sees a glow-worm and thinks it a conflagration

A difficulty we are apt to overrate

EXCEPTIONAL

Excellent Choice

Second to none in importance

A star of the first magnitude

Of capital importance

The finest asset

A step of prime moment

The high-water mark of——

It calls for talents of rather an unusual order

A notable exception

On an unprecedented scale

How very unusual to find that——

Of a rather unusual sort

Its finest flower and fulfillment

The height of elegance

Of rare talent

It will not be easy to match

100% capacity men

Scarcely to be paralleled

EXPECTANT

Hopeful Anticipatory

I am living in the fond hope that——

It bodes well for the future

A most reassuring phase

He hopes to ride safely into the harbor of——

The net effort seems to warrant the hope that——

There is a bare possibility that——

What a gleam of hope in——

We set out under happier stars

A promise of the future

I think we may indulge the hope that——

As hopeful as the dawn

We are enabled to look beyond the mists which fill the valley

Full of splendid promise

In the happy and beautiful millennial time when——

Rich in promise

Big with possibilities

A star in blackest night

I nurse a lingering hope that——

In all probability I——

It is the expression of a glorious fact that——

EXPERIENCE

Knowledge Proof

The burnt child dreads the fire

A momentous experience

I have tasted all the consequences of——

There is no hunting but with old hounds

Experience is the best teacher

It is the consensus of experience that——

I can tell where my own shoe pinches

A word that has no meaning to him

Tried experience

I soon had occasion to know better

Of value to those who have eyes to see its significance

He is utterly heedless of the teachings of experience

This has been convincingly demonstrated in the past

Proof has been furnished with painful frequency

A testimony which is conclusive to all fair-minded men

An exemplification of——

The crucible of experience

Tested in the fires of experience

FAILURE

Ill-success Shortcoming

He is headed straight for the auctioneer’s block

They have lost not only the meat from the bone but the bone itself

He beat the bushes and another caught the birds

He has fallen outside the breastworks

The wick in the lamp is already beginning to flicker

He has not made out a case for it

It is a fatuity

He was broken at the wheel in the attempt

An end of all that pleasing vision

My hand has lost its cunning

The tragedy of unfulfillment

In the vain hope that——

Many signs of hereditary degeneration

It has gone stale

Was there ever a maxim that proved so false

We have seen all the hopes snapped

Not functioning with satisfactory efficiency

After vain endeavors upon my part

The big fish ate the little ones

With few results and most of them not worth tabulating

In a bad way

It will collapse like a house of cards

At a low ebb

It is a prophecy that will sleep in a pigeon-hole

The keystone has fallen out of the arch

The idol is off his pedestal

Feeding on the swine-husks of——

Gone by the board

Dropped away like autumn leaves

FANCIFUL

Visionary Capricious

It was a gallant dream

Based on ephemeral conditions

A mirage of iridescent tints

A dreamer of vain and impossible dreams

An illusion born of vanity

Nothing is more visionary than trying——

A rose-buddy sort of——

Purely fantastic

Idle dreams

Capricious ways

Various foibles

Ghostly recitals of——

The enticing illusions of——

Building castles in the air

FICKLE

Wavering Changeable

Tossed about by every wind of doctrine

He is a creature of moods and moments

He is as whimsical as a butterfly

He is without anchor and without port

The mood of the moment

Conquered by every passing whim

The very sport of adverse winds

The caprice of the moment

No one can blow and swallow at the same time

Like a butterfly driven aimlessly before the breeze

An inspiration not amounting to a fixed resolve

An impractical sort of dreamer

The refinement of speculation

He flits from scheme to scheme

As changeable as the moon

Drifting like an idle straw at the mercy of the wind

Like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed

Fickle and irresolute

I am a feather for each wind that blows.
_The Winter’s Tale_, II., 3

FINAL

End Last Resort

Dead without hope of resurrection

With an atmosphere of finality

I agree that you have spoken the decisive word

Reduced to barest terms

The irreducible minimum

In the final analysis

The court of final appeal

Ere the curtain is rung down on the drama

In his heart of hearts he——

The ultimate solution of the problem

It’s all over

We want no inconclusive settlement

Wellnigh snuffed out

The last sad estate

The ultimate goal

FIRM

Resolute Steadfast

Proof against all propaganda

As impregnable as Gibraltar

We stuck to our guns

Courteously but firmly expressed

The time for laying on a vigorous hand

I was utterly inexorable

He stands four-square to all the winds that blow

The same unyielding quality

With moral fixity of purpose

He resolutely declared his intention of——

In the unalterable decision that——

With implacable purpose

An impregnable bulwark against the——

In no uncertain terms

Master of the situation

The resolute kind

We have to be as unbending as truth

Hearts of oak

With unswerving fidelity

By strict adherence to——

As unalterable as the Laws of the Medes and Persians

A resolute decision

FIRST

Foremost Vital

It is of first consequence that——

It is a red-letter day in——

It is enormously important

It is highly significant that——

The vital thing now is——

Besides this everything pales

First things first

Their wishes are paramount

The ruling considerations were——

There is a cardinal place in the scheme of things for——

The outstanding features of the——

Matters of primary importance

It was the first and foremost consideration

For the present the significant thing is——

It is a notable circumstance that——

It is worthy of chronicle that——

The prime reason for——

FIT

Appropriate Suitable

Exquisite fitness

The eternal fitness of things

Fruits ripening to their full value

A sense of the fitness of things

Most appropriate

As the hand fits the glove

FLIMSY

Weak Superficial

There is very little wheat in that chaff

Your defenses will crumble at the assault

A faint kind of policy

Lack of recuperative power

What wretched dilettante business it all is

To what degree is this a fair-weather enterprise

Like the flimsy fortification of a cobweb

Little better than sound and foam

Without rhyme or reason

As frail and as fleeting as a bubble

It will make ludicrous the flimsy assertion that——

With rudimentary notions of——

The weak spot in the——

He may swim boldly who is held up by the chin

In a cheap and bizarre fashion

FORCIBLE

Weighty Trenchant

In words of trenchancy

The driving wheel of the——

Presented in a striking and strong light

A very growing influence

The argument is irresistible

A formidable man with an idea

A crescendo of power

Of wonderful fortitude

Every ounce of strength and vitality

A power to be reckoned with

A telling argument

There is great potency in——

Clear-cut and convincing

In no measured terms

A compelling reason

FORTUNATE

Lucky Favored

I could not help felicitating myself that——

I feel very grand at this issue of things

I thank my good star that——

I am thankful that Providence managed otherwise

It was uncommon luck that——

I was certainly fortunate in that——

By a turn of good fortune, I——

FRATERNAL

Brotherly Social

The foundations of a stable order of brotherly helpfulness

Efficient social citizenship

A perfect social order

A well developed social consciousness

A burning zeal for service

In the way of noble endeavor

The stewardship of wealth

A heart-warming fellowship

FRENCH

_À la mode_, according to the style

_À outrance_, without mercy

_Au fait_, up to the mark

_Au reste_, besides

_Au revoir_, adieu until we meet again

_Beau monde_, the fashionable world

_Bête noire_, a pet aversion

_Bonhomie_, good nature

_Bon jour_, good morning

_Bonne bouche_, a delicate morsel

_Bon soir_, good evening

_Chapeaux bas_, hats off

_Chef de cuisine_, head cook

_Contretemps_, an awkward situation

_Coup d’état_, a stroke of policy

_Croix de guerre_, cross of war

_De trop_, superfluous

_Edition de luxe_, a splendid edition

_En déshabillé_, in undress

_Enfin_, finally

_En masse_, in a body

_En rapport_, in harmony

_En route_, on the way

_Entre nous_, between ourselves

_Esprit de corps_, the animating spirit of a collective body

_Faux pas_, a mistake

_Hors de combat_, down and out

_Laissez faire_, let things take their natural course

_Lèse-majesté_, high treason

_Ma chère_, my dear

_Ma foi_, on my honor

_Mal à propos_, ill-timed

_Mal de mer_, seasickness

_Mon ami_, my friend

_Noblesse oblige_, rank imposes obligations

_On dit_, they say

_Par excellence_, preëminently

_Peu a peu_, by degrees

_Raison à état_, a reason of state

_Raison d’étre_, reason for existence

_Robe de chambre_, a morning gown

_Sans souci_, free from care

_Tout ensemble_, the general effect

FUNDAMENTAL

Basal Permanent

It is well to have a few well established limitations and restrictions

The solid fact behind it all is——

The one indispensable qualification for——

A settled principle as old as the hills

Of permanent significance

One of the root reasons

My own irrefragable argument for——

The old simplicities of faith

A faith centered in the everlasting

Subject to the eternal things or perish

A guiding principle which admits of no exceptions

Thinking things through to their final and logical outcome

The elemental realities

The eternal verities

As old as the evening star

A basis of enduring justice and right

The established states of human society

Like deep calling unto deep

At the root of things

It makes for the permanent stability of——

The ultimate fact is——

As well founded as the law of gravitation

Long-cherished opinions

A solid underpinning

A very vital equation in the problem is——

Strong and deep-rooted beliefs

The underlying reasons

Solid reasons

One of its fundamental tenets

They have gone down beneath superfluities to bedrock

The fundamental principle is irrefutable

The abiding significance of——

So solid in principle that it has resisted every shock

At the bottom of all

FUTILE

Useless Unavailing

The protest was of no avail

The proposition is equally _aliunde_ and futile

I might as hopefully have entreated the wind

He would dig a well with a needle

He catches the wind with a net

Scanty prospects

It is a hopeless proposition

It is futile to——

I am afraid he is indulging in a futile hope

The matter will never be consummated

Their hope is without foundation

He is on a fruitless errand

It will result in the inevitable breakdown of——

But in spite of all our optimism the evidence is overwhelming that——

That has been tried before but with no distinct success

The game is not worth the candle

It has cooled my resolutions

It may be something of a damper to be told that——

GENEROUS

Liberal Magnanimous

A man of generous disposition

Built on a generous scale

Not the least mite stingy

Kindly disposed

A revelation of tenderness which is very reassuring

With noticeable consideration

His kindness knew no bounds

A generous view of life

No man of breadth cares one whit whether——

Large minded men with liberal views

A breadth of outlook

Broad tolerance

A magnanimous man

In the most generous fashion

A people known for their warm hearts

Kinder than the kindest

GIFTED

Talented Extraordinary

He is a capable fellow

He is my beau ideal in every respect

He has a genuine aptitude for business

He has considerable colloquial talents

He is finely qualified by exceptional advantages

Of rare powers

Of no ordinary faculties

He is a man of many fascinations

He is one who can think for a commonwealth

You can leave it to him for being clever

He is a man of real ability and fitness

One of the most fascinating persons I——

He rendered brilliant service in——

Few men have rendered more conspicuous service

He possesses in an unusual degree the power of——

He shakes the pillars of the temple

He presided with rare dignity

He is the organizer of victory

He could not fail to delight a cultivated public

He plays with wonderful expression

He passes things through the alembic of his own mind

With the suavity of conscious power

A man of consequence

He creates confidence

He carries conviction

He has the qualities of triumphant leadership

GOOD-HUMORED

Good-natured Cheerful

He is anointed above his fellows with the oil of good-feeling

In his happiest mood

The era of good feeling

A bit of good-humored chaff

The friendly relations so happily subsisting between——

He did not think it in any way demeaning to his dignity——

Put the best construction upon every action

Like a boy before a holiday

Grumpiness is no feature of his nature

An irrepressible youthfulness of heart

Beaming with good humor

His nature is all sunshine

As full of happiness as a hive is full of bees

As merry as a child

Happy as an angel

A real delight to me

A source of æsthetic pleasure

Those were halcyon days

His good humor was so infectious

A breezy good-humor

The era of good feeling

The happiest moods which can fill the soul

GROUCHY

Petulant Irritable

As sullen as an ill-tempered boy

The impression of pure pique

Skulking in his tent

As impatient as the wind

In a huff

Symptoms of an attack of nerves

He could brook no delay

Sullen silence

Tears of vexation

One in whom the milk of human kindness had turned sour

One of those people who make themselves wretched and pass on their
misery to those near them

A man with a hair-trigger constitution

He does not suffer fools gladly

So provoking

I shall be right glad when——

Solemn as the day of judgment

He took umbrage at what I said

Not in a particularly genial frame of mind

As acid as vinegar

As gloomy as an old man by a fireless hearth

I’m afraid he started the day in a contradictory mood

A censorious attitude toward one’s fellowmen

GULLIBLE

Ignorant Stupid

Given out for gospel to the ignorant

An easy mark

The optimism of ignorance

The prey of profiteers

I am afraid he will be taught by many a sore and scalding lesson

The easy prey of——

He fell into the trap

He nibbled at the bait

The unsuspecting victim of——

HABITUAL

Customary Usual

He had become habituated to——

Of frequent iteration

An inveterate habit

Of immemorial usage

Over a well-beaten path

Addicted to the habit of——

He moves in a rut

Custom calls me to ’t.
_Coriolanus_, II., 3

Until it shall become an indispensable and delightful habit

HASTE

Rapidity Hurry

A high-pressure haste

With all practical speed

As quick as a wink

A concession to the requirements of brevity

HASTY

Premature Rash

A little premature

Crossing the bridge before we come to it

We need not say good morrow to the devil until we meet him

Unseemly haste

The more haste the worst speed

He shocked the proprieties

It would be premature to forecast the——

He ran before he was sent

It is too early at this time to state the——

Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.
_Romeo and Juliet_, II., 6

The letting down of restraint

The loosening of bonds

HESITANT

Reluctant Indecisive

I should hate like sixty to——

His heart was not exactly set upon the matter

In a mixed mood

This shilly-shallying with the question is absurd

With perceptible hesitation

A certain disinclination to——

He was unwilling to go the full length

For a moment I was at fault——

One almost feels reluctant to——

It may make us hesitate in making our dictum too positive

I had little inclination to do so

The paralyzing hesitation of self-consciousness

After a sufficient show of reluctance

I confess it is not without trepidation that——

I am duly sensible of my own limitations

It is not without reluctance that——

HINDERED

Hampered Straits

Hard pressed by the cohorts of——

At a distinct disadvantage

Attended with many inconveniences

A series of singular perplexities

Certain unforeseen emergencies

Entangled in technicalities

As helpless as a sick child

As helpless as animals driven to slaughter

Helplessly caught in the meshes of——

They will doubtless do their worst to bring about a——

Many plans disrupted

It slackens resolution

Impaired its usefulness

Eking out an all too small living

A man who wants bread is ready for anything

Necessity is the mother of invention

The greatest drawback to my comfort is——

For every new method a counter-method

HONORED

Noted Acclaimed

Recipient of most unusual attentions

The thought of him doth breed in us perpetual benediction

A man of splendid merit

His star is in the ascendant

Treated with great consideration

One of nature’s noblemen

No man is a hero in the eyes of his valet

There is none so poor to do him reverence

A name which stands very high on the scroll of fame

A tribute of reverence and love

He reaps golden sheaves who——

A high compliment to——

Whom to have known was a great pleasure

He is easily the foremost man in——

A man whose life is rich in unselfish service

His attitude wins universal admiration

HOPE

Promise Encouragement

Prisoners of hope.
_Zech._ IX., 12

Heir of all things.
_Heb._ I., 2

We are saved by hope.
_Rom._ VIII., 24

The eye of the Lord is upon them that hope in his mercy.
_Ps._ XXXIII., 18

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast.
_Heb._ VI., 19

We are perplexed, but not in despair.
_II Cor._ IV., 8

Thou shalt be secure because there is hope.
_Job_ XI., 18

The children of promise.
_Gal._ IV., 28

He hath given everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.
_II Thess._ II., 16

Hope to the end.
_I Pet._ I., 13

From strength to strength.
_Ps._ LXXXIV., 7

He staggered not at the promise of God.
_Rom._ IV., 20

When the human heart sings with rejoicing hope

When smiles begin to chase the tears

A real breath of heaven

With radiant face

A draught of heavenly pleasure

A triumphant hour

A lively sense of exultation

The dove of peace sings in our hearts

I begin to discover somewhat of His beauty

Transported with joy

A current of pure and hallowed joys flowing through the channels of the
heart

An intense inner happiness

A most happy glimpse into the things of God

Secret essences which turn life into a garden of unspeakable delights

HUMOROUS

Ludicrous Funny

A candidate for the psychotherapeutic clinic

This is one of the consequences of getting into good society

Isn’t that a sad state of affairs

It was excruciatingly funny

I threatened him with unspeakable things if——

Less mobile than I could wish

You are appointed the official——

Can you imagine anything more ludicrous than——

My roseate expectations have recently suffered a very severe setback

A strong spice of Irish wit

Bonds for your good behavior will be required

Irresistibly droll

A fusillade of laughter

An awful illustration of——

I was in stitches

I’m in a pickle

Now will you be good

He has a whimsical way of expressing himself

IMPARTIAL

Just Unbiased

Every man has a deep seated instinct for fair play

The thing must be done decently and in order

Strictly impartial

If we are to make both sides balance we must——

Let us not revert to old animosities

IMPECUNIOSITY

Penniless Involved

In a state of habitual impecuniosity

A hand-to-mouth existence

No woman marries an old man for God’s sake

He has seen better days

In desperate circumstances

The futility of riches

In more affluent days

In reduced circumstances

Deeply involved

In embarrassed circumstances

IMPORTANT

Significant Momentous

It was a high day in the——

It is noteworthy that——

A work of paramount importance

Each man has a vital part to perform

This is no small problem

Of transcendent moment

It is imperative that——

One of the great outstanding features of——

One of the most significant items was——

It is a fact of tremendous significance that——

The notable feature of it all is——

Great days

The crucial question is——

Profoundly significant

Of no little moment

There is the fact and it is one of cardinal importance

The one outstanding reason for——

Back of it lies one fact yet more primal

This is the one thing needful

The dominant note of——

It must weigh sensibly with every one

It is high time that——

It has momentous importance

It is worth making note of that——

I dare not abate my vigilance

IMPOSSIBLE

Hopeless Impracticable

As easily as one could mend a spider’s web

As impossible as to count the stars

It is virtually impossible to——

There is no getting blood from a turnip

A practical impossibility

No more than one can sail past the north star

It is simply out of the question

It is not in the least degree likely that——

INDEPENDENT

Flippant Uncontrolled

With an air of injured innocency

He cares not a fig

It matters not a straw

It matters not a whit whether the——

He cares little for conventionalities

It is not worth shucks

It is not a matter of the slightest consequence

He brushed the matter aside as a vagary

With smug complacency

He held himself perfectly aloof from——

Without blush or tremor

INDICATIVE

Evidential Disclosing

It is a straw pointing with evidential import

Where there is so much smoke there is some fire

Straws show which way the current is set

What an apocalypse that will be when——

There are not wanting signs that——

A most infallible indication of——

INDICTMENT

Arraignment Accusation

None the worse for a spark of decent indignation

The hollow shams and conventionalities of our day

No adequate sense of His holiness

Baser than a beast

No keen and poignant perception of sin

The lessening sense of sin

His own heart as cold as frost

Sad and sinful days

Our hearts hot with wrath and indignation against sin

Evil to its core

The devil’s signet

Of decidedly earthly passions

All dried up in one’s soul

Lust was kindled in his heart

Base, mean, prudential, paying no tribute to the Divine excellence

The parching blight of sin

Beware of artful, designing persons

Sins come in groups, in battalions

Like the frosts of sin which blight the sweet blossoms of youth

And taste the tang of the bitter cup

The hundred and one enemies of our peace, comfort, and efficiency

The burning poison in his veins

There is nothing more likely to betray a man into absurdity than

It vexes, grieves, thwarts, repels, drives off the Spirit of God

Beware of the beginnings of sin

Over head and ears in debt and drink

The peril of riches

A coronet of shame

The secret beginnings of sin

An eternal arraignment of all who——

By so doing, he is sowing the seed of a fatal infection

Trifling with great spiritual realities

Lest it might lead to things undesirable

The horror of a bottomless pit

Habits which quietly sap the foundations of life

Words which will shock some dainty soul

A sickening devotion to the pursuit of wealth

The evils of unrighteousness in civic life

It seems to contradict the designs of Providence

A narrowing effect on the conscience of those who have embraced it

Care lest one be inveigled into perdition

Words which ought to make us twinge

Words of worldly wisdom

A brewing storm of hostility

The world’s hardest battlefields of sin and sorrow

In their hearts the feuds of ages

A wretched, dejected, sin-blasted soul

Carnality in the heart

The great enemy of mankind

The black enormity of sin

A miserable grudge in your heart

The spawn of the evil one

A heritage of hate

A dauntless worldling

From whose very touch one’s delicacies shrink

The fires of a sensitive religious experience no longer glow

The grip of evil forces

All alarming, all hateful, all detestable

A gnawing sense of condemnation in the heart

Those who abuse God’s great gift of speech

Some of these enormities put to blush heathenism itself

No deeply seated opinions of right and wrong

A state of lazy indifference

Apparently destitute of ambition

Worthy neither of respect nor honor

Soft and easy days

Mean, petty, social prejudices

The temptation to fritter away life in interests that are small and
mean

Everlasting confusion

The enemy shall come in like a flood

The man that speaketh froward things

The resurrection of damnation

A rebellious house

God resisteth the proud

The works of darkness

Unstable as water

Spreading himself like a green bay-tree

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter but war was in his
heart

Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool
than of him

An unprofitable servant

His mouth is full of deceit and fraud

The wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire

A sad vocation

A heart of adamant

A hardened cynic

The vain things

The enormity of sin

A scoffing world

A defeated one

Tenements of dust

The jealous eye

The everlasting burning

The hell of hate

A despicable heart

A sullen silence

A disdainful glance

A brittle promise

A sorry specimen

INDIFFERENCE

Disregard Apathy

It is not worth a moment’s regard

Let “by-gones” be “by-gones”

It is a matter of no importance

Cast it to the winds

What is past shall go for nothing

Of it I really make no account

Let it pass

Quite apathetic

The exceptions are so few as to be negligible

Extremely trivial

In one ear and out at the other

The edge of my inclination is much taken off

A half-hearted interest at best

INFLUENCE

Control Sway

In the hollow of his hand

What he says has great force

It gripped like steel bands

His words touched me most profoundly

He dominates the situation by the sheer force of his personality

A bright beacon shedding light

The creative influences of——

He succeeded in making his presence felt

One cannot get within gunshot of——

It roused the last smouldering spark of——

It may have far greater consequences than——

In the seats of the mighty

Far reaching in its consequences

It does not have a feather’s weight with practical men

Leaven that is gradually purifying the world

Salt that keeps civilization from decay

INGENIOUS

Shrewd Adroit

A situation that requires artful handling

He understands the fine art of the omission of unessentials

He is temperamentally gaited to do things

It was cleverly done

He carries the torch of his genius into——

Taxing the acutest ingenuity of——

With the intuitive sense of affairs

Shrewdness of perception

A masterly exhibition of adroitness and skill

A first-rate master of affairs

He has conceived the happy idea of——

By hook or by crook

A surprising way of——

They will have to do a lot of political tight-rope walking to——

It must put him to his trumps

A fertility of resource that——

INTERESTING

Fascinating Impressive

On tiptoe with expectation

As eager-hearted as a boy

My eyes have been wide open for——

I am mightily concerned to think out how——

It is a matter in which I have a most heartfelt concern

It is highly interesting to note that——

I was fascinated by——

It has all the fascination of an adventure

Life would be very dull without it

An element of excitement in it

Everything to fascinate the imagination

A fine touch of romance in it

He was very keen to gain possession of——

With unflagging interest

Every man rides his own hobby

What is new is always fine

The signs are multiplying that——

The circumstance which gave it such a thrilling interest is the fact
that——

It was decidedly impressive

We are not indifferent to——

Fascinating as a Romance

I read with quickened attention the——

This was his meat and drink

There is a growing disposition among——

You have quite excited my curiosity

As fascinating as a romance

It holds the interest with a good grasp

A fascination for many minds

Of enthralling interest

I know the nicest little secret

I have news for you