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