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
INTRODUCTION
(Of Speakers)
I have the esteemed privilege of presenting——
I feel highly honored to have the opportunity to present——
I have the great honor of asking you to welcome——
I esteem myself fortunate to have the privilege of presenting——
I count myself happy in being permitted to——
We have with us to-night ————. It is my very great pleasure to present
him
It is my good fortune to be called upon to introduce ———— the speaker
of the evening. Let us give him an attentive hearing while he
speaks to us upon the topic——
I have very great pleasure in presenting to you the speaker of the
evening ————. He will address us upon the topic——
It has fallen to my lot to introduce one who is known to many here. I
have great pleasure in presenting ————
INTRODUCTORY
Prefatory Preliminary
(For General Conversation)
It goes without saying that——
I am obliged to confess that——
It was a happy thought which led me to——
I venture to propose that——
We had great fun when——
I indulge the modest hope that——
It must be very gratifying to you to——
I am deeply persuaded that——
Reverting to another matter——
I ought not omit remarking that——
And so it befell that——
After expatiating on the——
It is a very curious circumstance to see how——
I frankly confess that——
It is really disconcerting to find that——
I am revealing no secret in saying that——
I must not leave you under misapprehensions so——
I am rather inclined to the opinion that——
I do not find anything in the tenets of my religion which requires me
to——
I have a peculiar tenderness for——
As I am continually saying——
In a very humble way, I——
My impression is that——
The upshot of it all was——
Far be it from me to——
It is hardly necessary to add that——
You will be very much pleased to hear that——
I will venture to express a hope that——
I have but one rule to guide my conduct and that is——
I have been strongly tempted to——
Besides this there is to be said——
There is but a thousand-to-one chance that——
It is an open secret that——
I have an impression that——
I informed you wrongly when I said that——
If I mistake not, I believe that——
If I may use the expression I think that——
Quite regardless of my remark, you——
I had the inexpressible comfort of knowing that——
He made a touching proof of his regard by——
I flatter myself that——
Is it not a great mercy to have such a helper
Again and again, I——
Inadvertently, I——
I felt like uttering a mild disclaimer when——
I have little predilection for——
I had the rare satisfaction of——
I was strangely moved when I heard that——
There is a certain distinctive advantage in——
I was amazed to find that——
In my poor judgment, I——
I hold in all seriousness that——
Has the tide of victory set in your favor
By what magic have you found out the secrets of——
We have plumed ourselves upon our ability to——
As luck would have it, I——
To be candid, I——
It seems a positive calamity that——
Do you seriously imagine that——
No one could be so rash as to assert that——
I am satisfied that——
I strongly suspect that——
I fancy that——
Further than this——
Paradoxical as it may seem——
I dare say that——
It is with great pleasure that——
It would ill become me to remark that——
For instance,——
The redeeming feature of it all is——
Quite by chance, I——
I have been wondering whether——
In all probability we——
It is not likely that——
Luckily I——
It is a singular coincidence that——
I took particular pains to notice whether——
It is with problems such as these that——
How very fortunate it is that——
It is a particular piece of good fortune that he——
As a matter of fact, I——
None the less, I——
It can be admitted too that——
Certain it is that——
In some quarters it is believed that——
If that be the case, I——
I confess I look with some alarm at——
I have the great good fortune to have heard that——
I realize afresh that——
The art of arts is——
I flatter myself that——
It is from the heart that I can request that——
I am perfectly convinced that——
The full gravity of the situation is seen in the fact that——
Regardless of anything I said——
I am painfully conscious that——
I wasn’t by any means sure I——
It dawned upon him gradually that——
It is seldom that——
We may be quite sure that——
I have repeatedly said that——
It cannot but carry with it instant conviction that——
By some mischance, I——
Prior to this, we——
I was greatly elated to find that——
I am heartily glad that——
I had a happy thought to-day which I——
I cannot but realize that——
It is scarcely conceivable that——
Frankly, I——
It is intellectually unthinkable that——
On the other hand——
I appreciate most deeply the——
I am devoutly thankful for——
At all events——
I rather apprehend that——
I have sometimes thought that——
It must be owned too, that——
I scarcely feel as if I——
I rather imagine that——
To this day I hardly know whether I——
A very striking proof of the fact is——
I will hazard the observation that——
On the other hand——
May I give you an instance
It is quite indifferent to me whether I——
He used frequently to observe that——
Now that I am a little seasoned, I——
I have heard him often lament that——
You may guess what luck——
I regret extremely that——
It would have been quite out of the question for us to——
Recently I came across this——
I was about to inquire what you thought of——
I have the deepest veneration for——
I suppose the inference we are expected to draw is——
I am confident of one thing that——
My principal motive for acting thus was——
I am fully aware that——
I perceive, moreover, that——
It is surely true that——
I marvel that——
I sometimes fancy that——
I humbly conceive that——
I apprehend that——
Of course, I am perfectly aware that——
I presume that——
There are pretty certain indications that
It often amazes me that——
It seems hardly probable that——
I affirm that——
I have the consolation to hope that——
It is still permitted us to hope that——
It would be futile to deny that——
It is reasonable to assume that——
There is no prospect that——
In these circumstances it——
I suppose that——
I warrant that——
I confess I am not indifferent to——
I shrink instinctively from——
I confess a less and less relish for——
I am impatient and querulous under——
It is a sort of presumption to expect that——
I cannot imagine to myself——
I have a kindly yearning toward——
I heartily approve of——
I do not advert to——
I have long believed that——
It has long been the fashion to——
I have been falsely assuring everybody that——
One cannot help noticing that——
There are plenty of evidences that——
The difference, I take it, is this——
The fact of the matter is——
If I rightly remember——
It is a just cause for praise that——
It was a happy circumstance for me that——
I wish with all my heart that——
I am grateful to find that——
I devoutly wish it may prove to be that he——
It is not to be supposed that——
My attention has been directed to the——
I have a mental reservation with regard to——
A very affecting circumstance happened yesterday
I have a story worth telling
I had the rare distinction of——
I had a very civil note from——
If I may hazard a conjecture, I should rather think that——
It was unusual for me to——
He seems to be obsessed with the idea that——
JOY
Gladness Bliss
The nameless responsive thrill of something deep within us
A treasure better than gold
Pleasures pure and lasting
Heaven’s eternal spring
The song lifting its pæan out of the night
In the sweetest fellowship
Strains that sweetly soothe
The exquisite little joys of life
An atmosphere of tranquillity
A new-found joy
Tears of joy and gratitude
Joy which flows like a river
In joyful anticipation
With joyful enthusiasm
Possibilities of which we hardly dreamed
The sweet melodies of heaven
The great glad tidings
The glory of his grace
The sweetest name on earth
The blissful refuge
A balm for the weary
The very friend you need
The priceless gems of God’s book
A joy divine
Songs of sweetest praise
A triumphant hope
Thrones of love
A heaven of love
The kingdom of light
The fullness of his blessing
The life-giving stream
The best of our delights
A world of happy memories
The reckless joy of the Lord
Our gladness of the world
The ultimate source of real happiness
An eternal weight of glory
JUSTICE
Judgment Indignation
He must be brought sharply to book
Brought to the bar of justice
Impartial justice
A noble contempt for deliberate wrong-doers
Fired by righteous indignation
The eternal principles of justice
The foe of tyranny
The well-established right of every citizen
Very intolerant of sin, but not vindictive
A life strictly legal
KEEN
Foxy Cunning
With a special axe to grind
He caught you napping
A piece of sharp practice
A shrewd surmise
A bit of keen reasoning
Too ingenious by half
Neutrals think to tread on eggs and break none
As cunning as a weasel
A mind like a steel-trap
Bait the hook well; the fish will bite.
_Much Ado about Nothing_, II., 3
Reared in the school of diplomacy
A discipleship with mental reservations
He turns a blow with a jest
KINDNESS
Sympathy Gentleness
Sympathies as wide as the world
A sensibility as tender as it is refreshing
Wider sympathy
Of cosmopolitan sympathies
Poverty-stricken in his sympathies
World-wide sympathies
A great soul
The very heart of kindness
Diffusing the gospel of kindliness
The employments of active benevolence
Full of kindly deeds
The milk of human kindness
A stray word of kindness
Kinder than the kindest
With utmost gentleness
Of gentlest sympathy
Of a kind and forgiving disposition
They exchanged mutual assurances of continued good-will
The secret of contented and fruitful living
The staple interests and occupations of the common life
Heaven and earth brought into strange accord
An unembittered disposition
The sign of God-like charity
Slow to speak ill of any one
Beautiful in the eyes of fond affection
A heaven of love in your heart
A wonderfully kind heart
Members of a forgiving family
Sweet in disposition
Glorifying God in the common round
The gracious inclination of the will
The outcome of a rich experience
The spirit of brotherly kindness and concord
An attitude of brotherly helpfulness
A genuine concern for——
Many calls upon one’s generous impulses
A kindly soul
I could not find it in my heart to——
It pulls upon our heartstrings
Cherishing a cordial good-will to all men
I cannot find it in my heart to——
LATIN
_Ab extra_, from without
_Ab initio_, from the beginning
_Ad captandum vulgus_, for the sake of pleasing the crowd
_Ad infinitum_, endlessly
_Ad interim_, in the meanwhile
_Ad libitum_, at pleasure
_Ad nauseam_, to the point of disgust
_Ad rem_, to the matter in hand
_Ad valorem_, according to the value
_A fortiori_, all the more surely
_Alma mater_, fostering mother
_Alter idem_, another precisely similar
_Anno Domini_, in the year of our Lord
_A posteriori_, from facts back to principles
_A priori_, from principles to facts
_Argumentum ad hominem_, an appeal to interests rather than to reason
_Bona fide_, in good faith
_Cui bono_, who benefits by it
_De facto_, on the basis of facts
_De novo_, anew
_Deo gratias_, thanks to God
_Deo volente_, with God’s consent
_De profundis_, out of the depths
_Dramatis personæ_, the actors in a play
_Ecce homo_, behold the man
_E pluribus unum_, one composed of many
_Ergo_, therefore
_Esto perpetua_, let it endure forever
_Et cetera_, and so on
_Ex cathedra_, with high authority
_Ex officio_, by virtue of his office
_Ex parte_, partisan
_Ex post facto_, after the deed is done
_Ex tempore_, on the impulse of the moment
_Gloria in excelsis_, Glory in the highest
_Ibid_, in the same place
_Id est_, that is
_Idem_, the same
_Item_, also
_In articulo mortis_, at the point of death
_In extenso_, at full length
_In extremis_, in the last extremity
_In loco_, in the proper place
_In medias res_, in the midst of things
_In memoriam_, to the memory of
_In perpetuum_, forever
_In re_, in the matter of
_In statu quo_, in the former state
_In toto_, completely
_In transitu_, in passing
_Ipsissima verba_, the very words
_Ipso facto_, by virtue of that very fact
_Jubilate Deo_, rejoice in the Lord
_Jus gentium_, the law of nations
_Labor omnia vincit_, labor overcomes every difficulty
_Lapsus linguæ_, a slip of the tongue
_Lis pendens_, the pending suit
_Magnum opus_, a great work
_Mala fide_, in an underhanded way
_Meum et tuum_, mine and thine
_Mirabile dictu_, wonderful to be told
_Modus operandi_, manner of operation
_Multum in parvo_, much in little
_Ne plus ultra_, nothing better
_Nil desperandum_, no need to despair
_Nolens volens_, whether he will or not
_Non sequitur_, it does not follow
_Nota bene_, mark well
_Omnes_, all
_Paterfamilias_, the head of a household
_Pater noster_, Our Father
_Particeps criminis_, a sharer in the crime
_Peccavi_, I have erred
_Per annum_, by the year
_Per capita_, by the head
_Per centum_, by the hundred
_Per contra_, contrariwise
_Per diem_, by the day
_Per se_, intrinsically
_Pro bono publico_, for the public good
_Pro et con_, for and against
_Pro rata_, an equal division
_Pro tanto_, to a certain extent
_Pro tempore_, for the time being
_Quantum libet_, as much as you please
_Quid pro quo_, an equivalent
_Quod vide_, which see
_Requiescat in pace_, peace to his spirit
_Scripsit_, he wrote it
_Semper felix_, always fortunate
_Semper fidelis_, always faithful
_Semper eadem_, always the same
_Seriatim_, in sequence
_Serus in cœlum redeas_, after living for a long time may you enter
heaven
_Sine cura_, without care
_Sine die_, without a day appointed
_Sine qua non_, an indispensable prerequisite
_Status quo_, the current situation the existing condition
_Sub rosa_, secretly, confidentially
_Sui generis_, unique
_Summum bonum_, the highest good
_Tempus fugit_, time flies
_Terra firma_, the solid earth
_Tuum est_, it is your own
_Una voce_, unanimously
_Ut infra_, as stated below
_Ut supra_, as stated above
_Verbatim_, word for word
_Versus_, against
_Via_, by the way of
_Vice versa_, the terms being exchanged
_Vi et armis_, by main force
_Viva voce_, by the living voice
_Vox populi est vox Dei_, the voice of the people is the voice of God
LAZY
Lackadaisical Dawdling
Altogether disinclined to the effort of exercise
Dawdling over duties
A profitless frame of mind
A strong disposition to inactivity
With folded arms
The tragedy of ease
The picture of placid content
Sleeping in a fool’s paradise
Luxury that unfits the soul
Never stirred by noble ambitions
As motionless as a tombstone
A little flaccid
A lazy ox is little better for the goad
As sleepy as a ground-hog in winter
Nothing is had for nothing
In a half-hearted manner
While away the time
Free from all care
He suffers from acute laziness
He wants to be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease
He treads the path of least resistance
His mind cankers
Predisposed to loiter
LETTERS
(GENERAL PHRASES)
For Letters of Acceptance
I thank you for your very kind invitation which I am happy to accept
It will give me great pleasure to——
I accept with much pleasure your kind invitation to——
I accept with pleasure and will——
It is most kind of you to include me in——
Many thanks for your thoughtfulness in inviting me
I shall be pleased to comply with your request
It was most kind of you to remember me
Thank you so much for your kindness in remembering me
How very thoughtful of you to——
For Letters of Apology
I trust you will pardon me for——
I write to apologize for my failure to——
I hope you will forgive me when I tell you that——
I am sorry I could not do as I had promised to do
I am very much mortified to find that——
Trusting you will forgive my great carelessness
I hope you have not suffered any inconvenience from——
Hoping you will pardon the——
I am afraid you will accuse me of rudeness, but I——
I hasten to repair my apparent neglect of——
You must have felt almost slighted to notice that I——
I am sure you will acquit me of any rudeness when——
For Letters of Condolence
Be assured of my deep sympathy with you in this time of great sorrow
I know too well that words cannot comfort you
Trusting that you will see the bright side of the dark cloud——I am with
deep sympathy your friend
How can I attempt to comfort you in the bitter affliction which has
befallen you
Would there were more like——
I regret to hear of your continued indisposition and hope that before
long you may return to your wonted good health
A sweet and uncomplaining spirit
I should rejoice if I could be with you
I can only send my sympathy and best wishes for your speedy and
complete recovery
Courage——hope remains
Time will heal many heartaches
May the Father of Mercies give you the rich consolation of His grace
and preserve and strengthen you for your family
May you be sustained in this most bitter trial
The grateful sense of your kindness will never be erased from my mind
If my services can in any way assist you do not hesitate to ask for
them
I am sincerely sorry to hear of your loss
He carried the riches of God within himself
He was a royal-hearted man
We are greatly afflicted by the melancholy intelligence which reached
us that——
I knew the sterling integrity of his character
May God breathe into your heart peace and cheerful resignation
My mind is filled with very grateful memories
He was greatly beloved
I fall back upon a very delightful verse of Scripture: “He is able to
subdue all things unto himself”
My heart is filled with the deepest gratitude as I think of ————
We send our earnest wishes for your speedy recovery
My most affectionate regards to ————
You seem to have your full share of human vicissitudes
He had such a fund of courage and good cheer
Dear, sweet, loving mother
A letter replete with tenderness and affection
All things work together for good to them that love God
A bruised reed shall he not break
Many daughters have done virtuously but thou excellest them all
It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of
feasting
He giveth his beloved sleep
A very present help in trouble
We took sweet counsel together
God will take us into their goodly company some glad day
Glimpses of the reality which we instinctively feel will sometime be
ours
The unmeasured things of hope which God has prepared for men
Our lives we must humbly commit to the guiding hand whose blessing we
adore
Filled with strong consolation
There are many avenues by which God would come in and richly bless us
He had the secret of keeping the sacred fires aglow
He knew the deep principles of experimental religion
Ordinary consolations do not avail us
He knew the secret of beautiful living
He was a silent witness of right living
Many admiring friends
One who ministered so carefully and tenderly
All the more tragic because——
And this thought will be our comfort that——
Of gentle presence
All the gentle virtues came into full blossom
Looking forward with a Christian’s bright anticipation of a glad
reunion
Persisted in keeping mind and spirit on the sunny side of life however
hard the trials and difficulties
Mother’s fortitude and hopefulness is a lesson to us all
We send our united and sincere condolences
The news of your painful loss has been a great surprise to me
I have read of your bereavement with the deepest sorrow
You, who have so often comforted others, are now to be comforted
May you live in the confidence that ———— is in the enjoyment of
everlasting happiness
It is a great comfort to us that
Words are inadequate to express my feelings
There are times when one cannot express himself in written words
The pen refuses to express adequately my sympathy to you
I sympathize keenly with you in the loss of your excellent ————
They are not lost to us
God will surely give you a kindly guidance in this hour of trial
The intimations of a future life shall some day be realized and we
shall see and know again those whom we have “loved, and lost
awhile”
Many beautiful traits made up his character
I join with you and his other friends in mourning his death most
sincerely
It shocked me very much
I have heard with the greatest distress of——
I had learned to have a very warm feeling for ————