Can any one view that prospect with complacency when——
It is bad form to——
It is of doubtful propriety at best
It is a delicate and dangerous thing to do
It will sink beyond hope of salvage
A very precarious situation for obvious reasons
It is a perilous thing to do
He is a real man who should affirm that——
A bold stroke
A tendency to attribute undue importance to——
It never seems to give him pause that——
He laid himself open to attack when——
A delicate sort of performance
An awkward doctrine to preach now
A source of alarm
An evidence of sinister plot
A deadly menace to——
It will add fuel to the flame
A bit of fine-spun fallacious reasoning
A supremely critical hour
A danger of mistaking the eddy for the full current
A crisis in the affairs of——
DECEIT
Duplicity Guile
Calculated to deceive the very elect
Hoodwinked by chicanery
It lacked every mark of authenticity
To play fast and loose with
Fair words have stolen away your heart
Birds of prey do not sing
Words which mislead and deceive the unthinking
A whole web of intrigue
An illusion born of vanity
It is a gigantic hoax
A man given to sharp practice
It was a mean decoy
He made a feint of going——
A cowardly subterfuge
As slippery as an eel
DEFEAT
Frustrate Thwart
His last state is worse than his first
He is waiting for an excuse to climb down gracefully
Out of the frying-pan into the fire
It made serious inroads upon the——
His plans suffered an eclipse
From bad to worse
The plot thickens
It cost the pangs of keenest misery
They have been adversely affected by it
A sort of dehumanizing effect
An adept in getting into hot water
An omen of evil significance
We nipped it in the bud
DEFEND
Shield Protect
In my humble judgment he did right
I should defend that with real verve
He should not be consigned to execration simply because——
There is not one jot nor tittle nor scintilla of evidence to show
that——
The matter should not be permitted to go by default
We must place safeguards against further occurrences of the same kind
He does not do so perversely
I am going to defend him from the animadversions of——
He is above any such intractable position
He is a jealous defender of——
Truly it is not meet and just that——
One in order to maintain his self-respect must——
In spite of all that has been said to the contrary, I——
It is all very well for——
DENY
Disavow Disclaim
I wish to disclaim any responsibility for——
Nothing could be farther from the facts than——
He is wholly mistaken
I emphatically deny it without fear of contradiction
There was never a greater mistake
Quite the contrary
I am far from saying that——
It is a contradiction of terms
It is absurd to suppose that——
Far from it
It is a pure invention of mischief-making spite
We wish to disclaim any purpose of that nature
If any such idea found lodgment it should be dismissed forthwith as
contrary to——
It is without a vestige of truth in it
It will be met by a flat refusal
It is too much of an extravagance to assert that——
We are not justified in making unqualified assertions
It is deliberately false
An absurd proposition hardly worth contradiction
No more false charge was ever brought
The thing was absurd and incredible on the face of it
Relegated to the limbo of——
DEPENDABLE
Trustworthy Reliable
Something more than mere vaporings of the imagination
Unalterable principles of rectitude
It always has a strict business basis
Stable as the hills
As steady as a clock
No mere makeshift policy
Not swerving from the path of duty
Painstaking and faithful in the performance of duty
Of most rare fidelity
With unswerving fidelity to each and every trust
He does not play fast and loose
DESCRIPTIVE
(Of Persons)
A matchless eye
A winning smile
With feminine ease and grace
A very pretty manner
A finely molded chin
A great lubberly boy
A maid of winning charm
A most winsome expression
A dainty little miss
A mere slip of a girl
Nimbly moving hands
In robust health
A husky youngster
A tar of the jolly old sort
A son frightfully dissipated
An officer immensely officious
The habit of gentle speech
The habit of accurate observation
The pink of perfection
A vast amount of good sense
A superior man
An obliging person
A magnanimous soul
A pleasing countenance
A voice delightfully musical
Of graceful deportment
His person was commanding
Elegant propriety of attire
A jaunty demeanor
A good-natured fellow
A most agreeable creature
A natural sweetness of disposition
A charmingly simple person
A quiet unassuming person
A man of sound sense
A man of immovable convictions
A lawyer of marked ability
A discriminating eye
A countenance which beautifully expressed a deep interest in all things
good
A well-governed mind
With the intuitive perceptions of a lover
Many charming qualities
A heart alive to all the beauties of nature
With the most fastidious punctilio
Fond of dwelling on the scenes of other days
So frankly and innocently happy
Skilled in the graces of conversation
An unsympathetic reader
A man of dignity, force, and ease of manner
A decent pride
A clear brain
A flash of intelligence
A quick sympathy
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——