Chapter VI: Introduction: (Of Speakers) (3)

Capital sport

Gracious thoughts

Refined perceptions

Filial reverence

Grateful acknowledgments

Pleasant trivialities

Genuine joy

Most effective

Richly suggestive

Nicely married

Graphic descriptions

Due consideration

Well bred

Kind designs

Mutual burdens

Pure delight

Rich scholarship

Loyal attachment

Scrupulous veracity

Invincible logic

Well connected

High principles

Plausible reasons

Genteel society

Amicable relations

Noble words

Distinctive gifts

High intelligence

Moral dignity

Boon companions

Tender sensibilities

Substantial benefits

Conspicuous examples

Highly creditable

Unquestioning faith

Mutual fidelity

Fine qualities

Implicit confidence

Ample opportunity

Deep-rooted convictions

Homely simplicity

Altered circumstances

Atrociously bad

Serious complications

Sound economics

Splendid enterprise

Spiritual penetration

Ready response

Colossal undertakings

Delicate negotiations

Far-reaching policies

Sorry specimens

Dismal reminiscences

Rigidly orthodox

Cold facts

Artistic fineness

False sentimentality

True satisfaction

Aptly designated

Long confabulations

Absolutely inconclusive

Signally conspicuous

Amiable accomplishments

Nice distinctions

THANKS

Gratitude Acknowledgment

In great recognition of——

Overflowing with gratitude

The will is taken for the deed

I am immensely indebted to you

I am under many obligations to you

It is very nice of you to——

I am grateful for your good opinion

I feel very grateful to you for your kindness

It was a memorable ride

I am deeply indebted to you

A debt of gratitude

Not the least of our mercies

What a blessing it is to be quit of——

I am not unmindful of——

I hope to return the compliment

TROUBLE

Trial Adversity

A bad time of it

I have had some very trying days

In the full clutch of circumstance

As ill-luck would have it, I——

Tried in the crucible of sacrifice and suffering

It is a tragedy rather than an epic

In these turbulent days

An adverse wind blowing from an unexpected quarter

I have had an affecting business on my hands

A child of hard circumstances

Sorely vexed by——

I am in a very pretty pickle

I would gladly see an end to bickering

Swept with the besom of destruction

A troubled and precarious existence

Hard hit

A fact of great and sinister import

Bad news has wings

He must tread the wine-press alone

An ill-advised and unfortunate attempt to stir up strife

His heart as heavy as lead

A fountain of trouble

A series of heart-burnings

Turbulent times

The hour of misfortune

Acquainted with the painful problems of life

Painful vicissitudes

Tasting the bitterness of life

UNAWARE

Unconsciously Thoughtlessly

All the while I was living in blissful ignorance of——

I was sweetly oblivious to the fact that——

In happy ignorance

Crass ignorance

He has plainly a lot to learn about——

The idea never occurred to them so far as any evidence goes to show

A model of blameless mediocrity

There is a dearth of knowledge about——

One half the world knows not how the other half lives

UNITY

Concord Harmony

It will not do to further exalt our differences

All indissolubly linked together

A unity of effort

Too many cooks spoil the broth

He that hunts two hares will catch neither

Everybody’s business is nobody’s business

A long pull, a strong pull, and a pull all together

One and inseparable

Without the slightest friction

Pretty well in line with accustomed principles

Knit up with it

In perfect accordance with——

A happy blending of——

It is perfectly compatible with——

It is not until one has entered sympathetically into the conception
of——

The result was a harmonious whole

We get on charmingly together

Into the scheme of things

Harmonious adjustment

UNSATISFACTORY

Unreliable Undesirable

He fixed his faith on an idol with feet of clay

A weak reed to lean upon

Of a less desirable kind

He does not cut a very good figure

It does but scant justice to——

I cannot settle my spirits to it

Not altogether prepossessing

There is an element of danger in it

It was sown in weakness

Efforts which were mere flashes in the pan

Wide of the mark

A sign of pusillanimity and cowardice

Not content with——

Who shall decide when doctors disagree

The inadequacy of certain features of the——

A crude business

A certain coarseness of fiber

Out of kilter

It did not have the desired effect

A plea to throw into the discard every sacrifice

A case in which back-stairs gossip figures as sober truth

It will not pass muster

It has many shortcomings

The argument is not so convincing to the modern mind

Notoriously unreliable

Utterly ineffective

No more backbone than a jellyfish

With very unpleasant consequences

Yielding to a passing impulse

He is _persona non grata_ with——

VAGUE

Hazy Ambiguous

Extremely vague

Not apparent at first sight

In a shadowy form

A hazy sea of memories

He left us quite uncertain as to his meaning

His meaning was at low visibility

A very vague and perfectly unconvincing answer

Words whose ambiguity have been used to throw doubt upon——

VALUE

Worth Excellence

The salt of the earth

It has become a precious memory

An important adjunct

Indispensable qualities

Lasting acquisitions

Of inestimable value

Intrinsic worth

Ill blows the wind that profits nobody.
_III. King Henry VI._, II., 5

Of exceptional value

In every way calculated to insure the——

Decidedly worth while

Of high quality

Of unique and abiding value

A possession of transcendent value

Not measured by figures

Of the very first magnitude

Every man thinks his own copper gold

Whatever comes to his mill is grist

He is rich beyond all telling who——

It will be no inconsiderable acquisition to——

Of transcendent value

Than whom there could be no better

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

He who prizes little things is worthy of great ones

Would you know what money is? Go borrow some

A thing too much seen is little prized

As valuable as a Brazilian diamond

It is supremely worth while

A mine of wealth in itself

Of unusual value

Not to be underestimated

A tremendous asset

With sterling qualities

He is a man of solid acquirements

The most precious of all blessings

It merits serious attention

Of exceptional qualifications

Of no common sort

Appraised highly

A superior brand of——

VALUELESS

Useless Inconsequential

It cumbers the ground

Of no particular moment

Reduced to a nullity

What is of no use is too dear as a gift

Ammunition which does not explode

It serves no useful purpose

It vanished into thin air

Cheap and tawdry

Arid and unfruitful

An inconsequential detail

Of only relative and temporary worth

My day has been horribly dispersive

A mere dilettante

Utterly repudiated

A matter of secondary moment

Of small consequence

That proves next to nothing

Like a cipher

It is a matter of small consequence.
_King Richard II._, V., 2

A trifle, some eight-penny matter.
_I. King Henry IV._, III., 3

A deal of skimble-skamble stuff.
_I. King Henry IV._, III., 1

It is idle to speculate on the outcome of——

It vanished like snow falling in the river

Unworthy of consideration

A dead issue

It matters not

It is immaterial

A seemingly inconsiderable circumstance

It is quite superfluous to——

Of no particular moment

It is idle to ask whether——

Of distinctly subordinate worth

Shrunk into insignificance

A petty matter of detail

Quite needless

Among the outworn things

VERIFICATION

Assurance Authentication

Verified by all human experience

A fact obvious to any student of history

We have every assurance that——

We can disabuse our minds of the——

I would make assurance doubly sure

It may be safely asserted that——

Surely there can be no reasonable doubt that——

We can all be more patient in the assurance that——

The best possible testimony to the soundness of the method is that——

We are always ready to give an answer for the faith that is in us

There will not be the smallest impropriety in it

Men want to know beyond a doubt or cavil that——

It must be accompanied by irrevocable guarantees

From highly responsible sources assurances are given that——

We gave him every possible assurance

Make yourself perfectly easy about——

Pawn to me this your honor.
_Timon of Athens_, I., 1

VEXATION

Impatience Exasperation

A fit of nervous exasperation

Evidences of a reckless temper

An unpleasant passage of words

Impatient of delay

Exasperated beyond expression

Much piqued

Acting with the petulance of a child

Irritably self-conscious

Angry at the most minute provocation

Driven into nervous prostration

Thin-skinned in the presence of annoyances

Enough to imperil the habit of studied moderation of statement

The most exasperating of all nuisances

I was in the worst possible temper with——

Irritability that has some justification

I never before have known anything so provoking

He used most vigorous terms in referring to——

She hides all her vexation in her bosom

An error of the most exasperating sort

He is easily irritated

With the most astonishing perverseness

A weight of nerves without a mind

A few hot and bitter words

In utter exasperation

Petulant resentment

Sorely tired

A sore trial to his temper

It frets my soul to see——

A silly bit of petulance

A sulphurous state of mind

Exposed to petty tribulations

Exceedingly tantalizing

A suggestion of nervous tears

Very disconcerting

How uncomfortable is such an apprehension of——

VIRILE

Clean-cut Expressive

Ugly weather

A great mercy

The mildewed hand of famine

The loss of prestige

The famine of the heart

The terrors of uncertainty

A glory divine

A tinge of irony

Squirming over it

Atrophy of will-power

An ox-like stolidity

Back to prodigal ways

A lesson in moderation

Business capacity

Straining at the leash of——

Very acutely said

A coign of vantage

The horror of sin

A flattering tale

No waster of words

In the very pits of tragic life

The germinal ideal

The strategic opportunity

The dew of youth

The passion of hate

A law unto itself

The sequence of events

In a state of siege

A narcotic to the mind

A realizable aim

WARNING

Alarming Awakening

Wise in their own eyes.
_Isa._ V., 21

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.
_Isa._ LIV., 17

The way that leadeth to destruction.
_Matt._ VII., 13

Punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.
_II Thess._ I., 9

The last state of that man is worse than the first.
_Luke_ XI., 26

The wages of sin is death.
_Rom._ VI., 23

Outer darkness.
_Matt._ VIII., 12

Be sure your sin will find you out.
_Num._ XXXII., 23

The unfruitful works of darkness.
_Eph._ V., 11

For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
_II Cor._ XIII., 8

Past feeling.
_Eph._ IV., 19

Admonish him as a brother.
_II Thess._ III., 15

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.
_Jude_ 23

Eternal judgment.
_Heb._ VI., 2

That ye may consume it upon your lusts.
_Jas._ IV., 3

A great gulf fixed.
_Luke_ XVI., 26

In the bond of iniquity.
_Acts_ VIII., 23

Whited sepulchres.
_Matt._ XXIII., 27

When I begin, I will also make an end.
_I Sam._ III., 12

The lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
_I John_ II., 16

The tents of wickedness.
_Ps._ LXXXIV., 10

Abomination to the Lord.
_Prov._ XI., 20

Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
_Gal._ VI., 7

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts.
_Isa._ LV., 7

His enemies shall lick the dust.
_Ps._ LXXII., 9

The way of transgressors is hard.
_Prov._ XIII., 15

Fools make a mock at sin.
_Prov._ XIV., 9

By thy wrath are we troubled.
_Ps._ XC., 7

At their wit’s end.
_Ps._ CVII., 27

A perpetual reproach.
_Ps._ LXXVIII., 66

Blind guides which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
_Matt._ XXIII., 24

He that hath ears to hear let him hear.
_Luke_ XIV., 35

Yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.
_Jer._ XLVI., 28

The wicked are like the troubled sea.
_Isa._ LVII., 20

The axe is laid unto the root of the tree.
_Luke_ III., 9

Lewd fellows of the baser sort.
_Acts_ XVII., 5

They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.
_Hosea_ VIII., 7

Worse than an infidel.
_I Tim._ V., 8

A man of unclean lips.
_Isa._ VI., 5

As he thinketh in his heart so is he.
_Prov._ XXIII., 7

Terrible as an army with banners.
_Solomon’s Song_ VI., 4

WEALTHY

Opulent Rich

Financially quite at ease

He has ample means

He is well supplied with worldly goods

He has no straitened income

He has a bottomless purse

Able to liquidate all just debts

He is rich enough who owes nothing

WHOLLY

Completely Entirely

From the cradle to the grave

From first to last

From alpha to omega

Until the last gun is fired

From the beginning to the end of time

WILLFUL

Selfish Mercenary

Intent upon amassing things for himself

For the self-aggrandizement of——

Impatient of any advice

An entire lack of reverence for authority

In spite of remonstrances he——

Intoxicated with pride

A heart buried in the task of money-getting

WISE

Able Sound

He passes everything through the alembic of his own mind

He is a man of his own mind

He is a formidable man with ideas

He grasps the subject in all its bearings

His calculations are sound

He makes singularly few false steps

He is far too astute for that

A man of thoroughly democratic sympathies

It is one of his wise and cardinal rules that——

He is eminently sane

He is a man of rare sagacity

Justified by common sense

With some sense of the fitness of things

Full of sterling sense

He has an eye for essentials

We can show the rationale of——

WORSHIPFUL

Devotional Prayerful

We bless thee for all uplifting ministries

Unite us all by the bonds of tender sympathy

Thou hast done great things for us, whereof we are glad

In thy great love do thou nourish the hearts that are given over to
sore trial

With thine own gentle hand dry the tears of sorrow

Heal with balm from heaven the wounded spirit

Our days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle

Thou only hast the keys of all power

Send sweet messages of hope and love to all for whom we ought to pray

Pity those who have no pity on themselves

Out of the fullness of thy grace send us answers that shall make us
glad

Raise again every buried hope

Give life again to all our noblest ambitions

Behold what manner of love thou hast bestowed upon us that we should be
called the sons of God

Thou art able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think

Be thou with our dear ones——building up their homes and blessing their
firesides

Unite us in the indissoluble fellowship of sympathy with the heart of
Christ

Do thou speak comfortably to anxious hearts

Our days are a continuance of thy favor

We are living to praise thee

Inspire every soul with unusual gladness

Comfort those that mourn, may they be richer for their tears

Grant unto us the tender solaces of thy gospel, the sweet comfort of
thy grace

We would make mention of thy loving kindness

Until we take our place in the city whose hills are light

Enable us to meet with gentleness and forbearance any opposition to our
wishes

And when we shall have fulfilled thy purposes concerning us on earth
may we be received into the everlasting mansions revealed to us
through Jesus Christ our Lord

Fortify us by thy spirit against the temptations that await us

May the sweet influences of the Gospel gladden and redeem many hearts

Rule thou in our hearts

Fill us with holy thoughts and noble desires

May we be warned of sin and its dreadful consequences

We thank thee for the rich promises and precious hopes of the Gospel of
thy Son

We would breathe into thine ear our gratitude for mercies so free

May our hearts glow with a renewed sense of thy love

(Fulfill in us Thy gracious promises)

Help us to cherish the heavenly disposition of Jesus Christ our Lord

Scatter the darkness from our minds by the beam of thy heavenly truth

Teach us how to attain that holiness which will make us holy like thee

Clothe us with all social and domestic graces

Help us to discharge our debt to the world

Daily we would supplicate thy mercy and protection

Make our duties plain before us

May we be inflexible in every good purpose

Unseal our spiritual vision

We pray for those who are languishing on beds of sickness and have
wearisome days and nights assigned them

We are sorry that we are so fondly attached to the things that perish

Encompass our minds this day with thoughts of heaven

Wilt thou take us unto thy keeping this day

Pity our frailties

Inspire us with an abiding gratitude

In the defenseless hours of sleep thou hast preserved us

With the light of another morning we would lift our hearts to thee in
grateful acknowledgment of thy goodness

Suffer not our ears to become dull to the cry of misery

May no day pass without thy blessing

May our hearts be open to the glad tidings

Keep us from distrustful thoughts

Give us a cheerful and unfailing confidence that Thou art at the heart
of affairs

May our trials be borne with Christian meekness

May our difficulties work out for us some spiritual good

Encourage us in every right endeavor

May the thought that thou seest us check every wrong motive and evil
impulse

Give us calmness and self-control under every disappointment and
provocation

Fill our hearts with thy rich grace

Soften our sorrows

Grant us thy reviving grace

Fill us with thy perfect love

Cheer saddened hearts

In our spirits sweetly move

Sanctify our deep distress

ZEALOUS

Eager Ardent

Zealous of good works.
_Titus_ II., 14

Labor of love.
_I Thess._ I., 3

Rich in good works.
_I Tim._ VI., 18

Fellow helpers to the truth.
_III John_, 8

Doing the will of God from the heart.
_Eph._ VI., 6

That with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
_I Pet._ II., 15

Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to
come.
_I Tim._ VI., 19

The laborer is worthy of his hire.
_Luke_ X., 7

A pattern of good works.
_Titus_ II., 7

We are laborers together with God.
_I Cor._ III., 9

I will very gladly spend and be spent for you.
_II Cor._ XII., 15

Let all things be done decently and in order.
_I Cor._ XIV., 40

The sleep of a laboring man is sweet.
_Eccl._ V., 12

Their nobles put not their necks to the work.
_Neh._ III., 5