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Putnam’s Phrase Book
An Aid to Social Letter Writing and to Ready and Effective Conversation, with Over 100 Model Social Letters and 6000 of the World’s Best English Phrases
Compiled and Arranged by
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
New York and London
The Knickerbocker Press
1921
Copyright, 1919
BY
EDWIN HAMLIN CARR
Printed in the United States of America
FOREWORD
Since we talk in phrases as well as in words every home needs a phrase book as well as a dictionary.
This book has been prepared to meet that need, and contains a dictionary of six thousand choice phrases arranged synonymously for general use; many polite expressions, phrases of charm and courtesy, for use in letter writing; one hundred sample social letters, including instruction concerning the method of their preparation by the use of the dictionary of phrases; a guide to choice phrases for social letter writing; and finally, a handy index, very helpful, even though the phrases have been arranged in dictionary form.
I have made an effort to emphasize phrases of commendation, optimism, and courtesy. Also many for use in letter writing——especially phrases suitable for letters of condolence. There is perhaps no more difficult letter to write than one of condolence, hence a considerable number under this designation in order to assist in this necessary and yet most blessed task.
The primary purpose of this book is that it may serve as a synonymous phrase dictionary, yet I have so planned it that it can also be used[iv] as a social letter writer. The dictionary of phrases is to be used in letter writing in connection with the sample letters. In case the sample letters are not desirable, the instructions and guide, upon pp. 275-81 will show how to use the book when one desires to write his own social letters.
Some of the social letters were written by using the phrases in the dictionary section of the book; others were suggested by the perusal of the same.
The very fact that one keeps his eyes open for new expressions tends to make him more careful of his own phraseology, and to encourage the constant improvement of his own style either by the addition of old phrases, new to him, or by the coining of new ones.
Whenever and wherever I have found in any volume, magazine, newspaper, or in conversation, a usable phrase I have made note of it. This method has given me the material for the book. As far as possible I have endeavored to collect phrases which are the common speech of all, phrases which are not quotations, and are the property of all.
I am very greatly indebted to all I have heard and read, especially to the standard authors.
I have included and located a goodly number of phrases from Shakespeare and the Bible.
E. H. C.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
|---|---|
| I.—A Dictionary of Six Thousand Expressions and General Phrases for Use in Conversation, Social Letter Writing, and Public Speaking | 1 |
| II.—A Sample Letter Showing how this Book may be Used in Preparation of Social Letters | 275 |
| III.—A Guide to Phrases for Use in Preparing One’s Own Letters if the Sample Letters are not Satisfactory | 279 |
| IV.—One Hundred Social Letters | 283 |
| Of Condolence | 285 |
| Of Congratulation | 298 |
| Of Friendly Appreciation | 300 |
| With Gifts | 301 |
| Of Introduction | 301 |
| Of Invitation | 302 |
| Of Recommendation | 304 |
| Of Resignation | 305 |
| Of Thanks | 306 |
| Replies | 308 |
| V.—Index | 313 |
I
DICTIONARY OF 6000 EXPRESSIONS AND GENERAL PHRASES FOR USE IN CONVERSATION, SOCIAL LETTER WRITING, AND PUBLIC SPEAKING
ACTIVE
As full of fight as ever
Eager for the fray
Full of business
Teeming with life
Alive as never before
Working like mad
Full of high spirits
Up and doing
As lively as a thrush
Step lively
Quick in every part
Keenly alive to——
Ready in a trice
With a fine swinging step
With more than a languid interest
On a furious march with sealed orders
Nobody wants to be caught napping
No whit behind——
A project tinglingly alive
ADMONITION
The only wise course to follow
No intelligent man can afford to disregard the——
No pains should be spared to avert this eventuality
If this thing occurs the fat will be in the fire
There is food for abundant thinking in——
He had warning to set his house in order
He talked to him like a Dutch uncle
Keep a strong curb chain on
To some it will seem like the touch of a profane hand upon the ark of the Lord
The thought is one to sober all responsible men
Little foxes among the tender vines
It seems like going out of one’s way to face a hazard
Better alone than in bad company
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Hamlet, I., 3
AFFIRMATION
Unreservedly, unequivocally, and absolutely right
I feel called upon to asseverate that——
I shall prove to a demonstration that——
I shall not die happy unless I——
Of one thing there can be no doubt
I assert without fear of successful contradiction that——
I am living in the irresistible conviction that——
I am told by persons considering themselves sagacious in business that——
Nothing is more certified than that——
There is no vain assumption in saying that——
I lack words to express the full extent of my conviction that——
Let me say as strongly as I can that——
It is as certain as anything in human calculation can be made certain that——
The fact is irrefutable that——
The explicit dictum upon——
It has been avouched again and again that——
I would say so in the presence of an Apostle
They were making unusual asseverations
Few events are better attested than——
From that result there will be no dissent
I am confidently persuaded that——
It leads to the inevitable conclusion that——
I am absolutely sure that——
It may be safely asserted that——
Beyond question the——
I asseverate that——
I am bold to aver that——
I need not scruple to repeat my assertion
AGREEMENT
I am perfectly of that opinion
I quite agree with you
It fits exactly with my notions
I concur entirely with you
I am heartily of your opinion
It is agreed by the vast majority of students that——
We are all in agreement with the thought that——
My own reading sustains the same view
I give my word gladly
I thoroughly agree with you
I am most heartily in favor of——
The opinion is widely held that——
The tacit admission is made that——
Your plan is quite to my mind
AID
Ready to go to all lengths
I am trying to help him compose his difficulties
I am thankful to have been the means of——
With fine helpfulness
He would go through fire and water for——
A friend in need is a friend indeed
An awkward corner is turned by——
A positive service to——
He takes a solicitous interest in——
Leaving no stone unturned
The stars in their courses fought for——
Substantial benefits
A mission of mercy
A salutary restraint
A clear instance of a gracious Providence
He would have fared badly had it not been that——
An ardent champion in——
He took his stand squarely with——
He aligns himself with——
By full and hearty coöperation
A high allegiancy
In a charmingly cordial way
A very signal interposition of——
He did his best to fan the fires of——
The best that is in me is to——
ANXIETY
I shall be extremely distressed if——
It caused me a thousand apprehensions
A miserable victim of anxiety
I was quite apprehensive about——
It is like a nightmare for me to think of——
On the anxious seat
The paralysing fear of——
Foolishly apprehensive of the future
As frightened as a child in the dark
A cause for much anxiety
Harried by uncertainties
He betrays a most suspicious anxiety lest——
With unwarrantable concern
Robbed of tranquillity
A growing fear of consequences
It haunted me like a ghost
I am apprehensive that——
A perfect paroxysm of restlessness
I note with concern the tendency of——
APOLOGY
I should not have intruded on you at this hour
In an unguarded moment, I——
In an evil hour, I——
Owing to a foolish error, I——
In the exasperation of the moment——
It was purely a Pagan impulse
There was no intention to discriminate against——
I offer my humblest apologies
Your forgiveness for all these offences is very penitently and humbly invoked
He did not feel that he was committing an indiscretion when he——
I am hardly presentable for polite society
I am far from being as well informed as you suppose me to be——
Forgive me all my delinquencies
The horrible consciousness has just dawned upon me that——
I find my tongue is too foolhardy.
All’s Well that Ends Well, IX., 1
I did play a lamentable part.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, IV., 4
If hearty sorrow be a sufficient ransom for offence, I tender’t here.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, V., 4
APPRECIATIVE
With a beautiful sense of the fitting
A very delicate appreciation of——
It was perfectly charming to see how——
I shall be happy to recall the fact that we——
A nice sense of appreciation
The beautiful thing about it is——
With the inevitable grace that is French
Than this there is none other
He has a mind acutely responsive to——
He has a nice regard for——
You did it in the way that will count
It is a capital piece of work
That was splendid of you
It would do him a world of good
I am keenly interested in what you say
Thoroughly imbued with respect for——
I admire your foresight
I compliment you on your good sense
I have contracted a most religious veneration for——
Let us give him a hearty word of appreciation
Sensitive to every nicety of——
With a swift apprehension of——
I have a very high regard for your——
APPROBATION
I wish to give my hearty endorsement to——
It was a proposal which met with unanimous approbation
It is highly desirable
It is perfectly proper
It will promote instead of hinder
It is a wholesome and heartening conviction that——
It is a salutary and successful work
It was the conduct of splendid magnanimity
I felt I could leave it to your generous consideration
You have my unqualified approval
On that issue he is splendidly right
They cannot fail of producing the happiest effects
He was generous in his approbation
Unmixed approbation
This lends confirmation to——
ASTONISHING
It takes away one’s breath
A man can but rub his eyes in amazement when he sees that——
I was never so astonished
It is incredible that——
The thing fell like a thunder-clap
This is passing strange
Without having any previous inkling of——
The most amazing thing about it all is——
I was quite overcome
I was struck dumb by——
It completely surpasses my comprehension
What you tell me is simply astounding
Doubly striking
I flamed amazement.
The Tempest, I., 2
It was like a bombshell in our midst
Challenging even the stupid to consideration
AUDACIOUS
In unblushing impudence
Guilty of high-handed procedure
He was never accused of exaggerated modesty
In unctuous fashion
In a tone of virtuous superiority
A piece of ridiculous conceit
Nobody takes such precious advantage of it as he
An attempt to be smart
He had the nerve to——
It was a case of sheer audacity
He made peremptory demand that——
He is full of all kinds of sure prophecies
BEAUTIFUL
Beautiful to look at
The land of the beautiful
A potent charm
A perfect riot of color
The cult of the beautiful
Through an Eden of beauty
As beautiful as any poem
Winsome in appearance
With a certain fascination
Singularly attractive
Exquisitely dainty
Extremely prepossessing
The charm of the beautiful
Exquisitely shaped
BLUFF
He who threatens is afraid
I cannot abide swaggerers.
II. King Henry IV., II., 4
We consider him a huge joke
He has parted company with the facts
He makes unqualified assertions
Farcical pretensions
With a great assumption of dignity
A sham so thin that it requires but one test to puncture it
By smooth words he can gloze over the fact that——
Very far adrift for explanations of——
Where there is no wind every man is a pilot
It was rather tall talk upon my part
The worst wheel always creaks most
He is camouflaging
He is certainly not making a reputation for accuracy by some of his statements
Too affected to be real
It is not an explanation, it is only an excuse
Too transparently foolish to fool anybody
Adroit excuses
The whole proceeding was theatrical
He played up the bogey of——
He is not playing the game as a sport
CALM
I am very tranquil about it
I am not at all solicitous about it
He generally takes things with equanimity
He kept a calm exterior in emergencies
Magnificent reserve
You could scarcely observe any of the evidences of inward perturbation
With the utmost composure
With stoical calm
With remarkable equanimity
No harm can come from stating calmly the reasons that——
He wears an unruffled front
Without the flick of an eyelid
An air of quiet, unaffected assurance
CAUTIOUS
I am not going to leap in the dark
It must be handled with gloves
It is a work of eternal vigilance
Ordinary prudence would suggest that——
It is well within the bounds of conservative statement to say that——
We must keep a sharp lookout for——
That is the part of the sane caution
In spite of the most scrupulous precautions
Prudential regulations
Pull gently at a weak rope
He has infinite capacity for taking care
Haste onward with caution
Things done well, and with a care, exempt themselves from fear.
Henry VIII., I., 2
After adding the necessary salt of incredulity, it is to be concluded that——
It should receive careful consideration
It is worthy of attentive study
A conclusion not to be accepted without long deliberation
It is the part of rational protection for all concerned
We must wait for a propitious moment
On sober second thought, I——
We have to be as severe as justice
He seldom speaks without carefully considering what he is to say and the probable effects
He is prudence itself
The dictum must be taken with reserve
He took time for careful deliberation
He took every precaution to——
I have carefully inquired into——
The precaution necessary to insure safety
For prudential reasons
Without any undue haste
CLEAR
As clear as daylight
The issue was clearly drawn
It makes forever clear that——
Left with no misapprehensions
It is self-evident that——
An axiomatic truth
Give me ocular proof.
Othello, III., 3
The apparently inevitable conclusion is that——
It is a matter of the simplest demonstration that——
A lucid explanation
It is a vivid portrayal of——
The results are everywhere apparent
Plain to every eye
I have a very clear conviction that——
I am perfectly clear in my mind as to——
There is nothing ambiguous about it
As significant as raised letters to the blind
With admirable clarity of mind
Open, aboveboard, and explicit
That clears the air
I see it
That simplifies everything enormously
It needs no great play of imagination to see that——
The plain unvarnished fact is——
It can be demonstrated to a mathematical nicety that——
It requires no extraordinary perception to discern that——
It has become perfectly evident that——
A mere cursory examination will make it clear that——
It casts an informing light upon——
As simple and as matter-of-fact as a fever chart
COMMENDATION
(Shakespeare)
Second to none.
The Comedy of Errors, V., 1
There’s nothing ill can dwell in such a temple.
The Tempest, I., 2
A lovelier gentleman——the spacious world cannot again afford.
King Richard III., I., 2
He’s the rock, the oak not to be wind-shaken.
Coriolanus, V., 2
He reads much; he is a great observer, and he looks quite through the deeds of men.
Julius Cæsar, I., 2
Julius Cæsar, II., 1
This comes off well and excellent.
Timon of Athens, I., 1
That stirs good thoughts in my breast.
King John, II., 1
He should have a volume of farewells.
King Richard II., I., 4
My man’s as true as steel.
Romeo and Juliet, II., 4
A kinder gentleman treads not the earth.
The Merchant of Venice, II., 8
Ay, every inch a King.
King Lear, IV., 6
I remember him well, and I remember him worthy of thy praise.
The Merchant of Venice, I., 2
He has done nobly.
Coriolanus, II., 3
Happy the parents of so fair a child.
The Taming of the Shrew, IV., 5
The kindest man, the best-condition’d and unwearied spirit in doing courtesies.
The Merchant of Venice, III., 2
Sing again: mine ear is much enamour’d of thy note.
A Midsummer-Night’s Dream, III., 1
Her voice was ever soft, gentle, and low, an excellent thing in woman.
King Lear, V., 3
Your fair discourse hath been as sugar, making the hard way sweet and delectable.
King Richard II., II., 3
You know the very road into his kindness, and cannot lose your way.
Coriolanus, V., 1
Neat, trimly dressed, fresh as a bridegroom.
I. King Henry IV., I., 3
They say, best men are moulded out of faults.
Measure for Measure, V., 1
Not meanly proud of two such boys.
The Comedy of Errors, I., 1
Your worth is very dear in my regard.
The Merchant of Venice, I., 1
A countryman of yours that has done worthy service.
All’s Well that Ends Well, III., 5
I have heard of the lady, and good words went with her name.
Measure for Measure, III., 1
We lack’d your counsel and your help.
Othello, I., 3
Thy charge exactly is performed.
The Tempest, I., 2
Thy counsel’s sound.
The Taming of the Shrew, I., 1
He was a scholar, and a ripe and good one; exceeding wise, fair-spoken, and persuading.
King Henry VIII., IV., 2
The very thought of this fair company clapp’d wings to me.
King Henry VIII., I., 4
This was the noblest Roman of them all.
Julius Cæsar, V., 5
I do applaud thy spirit.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, V., 4
Good phrases are surely, and ever were, very commendable.
II. King Henry IV., III., 2
Gallants, lads, boys, hearts of gold, all the titles of good fellowship.
I. King Henry IV., II., 4
Here is everything advantageous to life.
The Tempest, II., 1
It hath done meritorious service.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, IV., 2
Upon such sacrifices——the gods themselves throw incense.
King Lear, V., 3
A good heart’s worth gold.
II. King Henry IV., II., 4
My father’s honours live in me.
Titus Andronicus, I., 1
Never man sigh’d truer breath.
Coriolanus, IV., 5
O, this boy lends mettle to us all.
I. King Henry IV., V., 4
One of the prettiest touches of all.
The Winter’s Tale, V., 2
COMMENDATORY
(Of Persons)
He treated me very handsomely
When you speak to him you are sure of a civil reply
He is not swayed by any such considerations
He has a humor that keeps the vision true and the mind sweet
The whole record of his life was that of unselfish generosity
He is entirely free from all personal bitterness
He has a good word for every one
He is gifted with the power of expressing his knowledge
He has a very pleasing manner
I should have to think long if I were asked to name one who had done more valuable service
He strikes a splendid average
Everybody is proud of him
He was kindness itself
He has lovable qualities
He carries sunshine
He is free from ill-speaking
It was a pretty instance of——
The place has attractive features
High tribute has been generously paid to——
A very attractive girl
Decidedly handsome
I am wealthy in my friends.
Timon of Athens, II., 2
An exceptionally fine man
We regard him highly
A beautiful character
A genuine human being
One of the most agreeable men
A most attractive talker
A most agreeable companion
A man of high probity
A man of splendid merit
A most delightful personality
He deserves great praise
He played a worthy part
He is great fun
They all behaved very handsomely
I have great regard for him
He speaks in the highest terms of——
A feather in any man’s cap
It is to the credit of all concerned that——
It is a mark of public esteem when——
No one ever displayed a sweeter spirit
A fine example of self-forgetfulness
It comes from one whose praise is an honor
A strong as well as lovely character
One of the most amiable of men
He wins golden opinions
In the good graces of——
Very agreeable people
She is a very tender and indulgent mother
He is full of generous sympathies
He has a sunny temperament
He is quite an adroit flatterer
He seems to have an inexhaustible supply of affection
His modesty is worthy of wide imitation
He is brimming over with new ideas
He gives you a jolly shake of the hand
He has a wonderful gift of making friends
He has a circle of interesting friends
There is something very likable about him
He is truly regardful of the interests of others
He cultivates the amenities and civilities
He understands the art of making allowances
He would shun to break the bounds of courtesy
His polite best
He is above the meanness of tale-bearing
He spoke in language clear and expressive in the highest degree
He spoke with his accustomed felicity of language
It was a very neat and appropriate expression
He labored in a simple and straightforward manner to——
He possesses nerves that seem to be of iron
He is a perpetual surprise even to those who know him best
She is a charming person to set people at their ease
He is a noble character
She talked beautifully
He has a fine face full of vigor
He is very patient and very brave
We have beautiful neighbors
I never have seen you looking in better health
They form a delightful group
With him there is little seeking after effect
It is an evidence of good breeding
He possesses the rare faculty of——
She is without a shadow of affectation
He is incapable of hurting any one’s feelings
He possesses a masterly understanding of the subject
He is irresistibly funny
He is uncommonly quick
A man whose merit equals his reputation
He acquitted himself admirably
He possesses a good deal of homely dignity
He has the talent of dispensing pleasure
You have great reason to congratulate yourself on——
His name was never mentioned by us without the most tender regard
He has a character of sterling excellence
He is of consequence in the world
She is a model of propriety
There is an indefinable charm about her
He has an air of businesslike decisiveness
He is a facile talker
He is a plain frugal man
He is untinged by prejudice
He has a taste for polite conversation
He discharged his difficult task admirably
He was actuated by the most laudable motives
He never fumbles
He is always in such perfect good humor
He behaved very handsomely
He has calm good sense
He did it with good grace
He fitted his environment perfectly
You could not apply to any one better able than he
He made a most delightful impression
He is chock-full of fine sentiment
My heart warms towards him
He is a person whom I always recall with pleasure
His letters are full of heartiness
He has such a kindly and sympathetic spirit
No one ever displayed a sweeter spirit than he
He is every whit a man’s man
He has fine manners
He acted as one to the manor born
May his tribe increase
He impressed me prodigiously
He has the highest ideals of fine, clean, strong manhood
She is possessed with the most delicate intuitions
He possesses a certain suavity of manner
She is of exceptional personal beauty
He is above the average in point of conversation
He took the hugest pains to accommodate us
There is no more noble and beautiful character than she
There was something captivating in his manner
He was eloquent without being declamatory
You will go a long way before you find a better man
COMMENDATORY
(Of Things)
It is rather a fascinating theme
A message worthy of the widest attention
There is a certain quaint charm about the——
Free from fulsome adulation
A work replete with charm
It was a palpable hit
A favorable impression
Whole-hearted praise
Giving due meed of praise to——
Good to look upon
Beyond praise
Worthy of all praise
Isn’t it fine
I have nothing but praise for it
It was magnificent
Of great charm
Of superlative excellence
Exceptionally good
It is highly desirable
Truly admirable
Remarkably fine
A very handsome appearance
A masterly effort
Deserving high approval
In a very commendable manner
It is superb
I think it is charming
Without parallel
A neat stroke
It was a grand sight
A very rare trait
Most charming manners
Well worthy of a place in our remembrance
A most desirable outcome
Fitting words of felicitation
The loveliest and most endearing memories of life
Not the least interesting part of the——
Exquisitely dainty
In a truly elegant manner
The occasion went off beautifully
In a very handsome manner
With singular appropriateness
We shall take new pride in it
One of the most beautiful things that ever happened to us
A counsel of perfection
The never ending charm of——
A matter of surpassing interest
It has been well said that——
It is a high tribute to the——
A tribute of praise
Little short of perfect
A full meed of praise
In the most handsome terms
Handsome is that handsome does
Singularly attractive
It has the notable merit of——
It is uncommonly good
It is quite in keeping with the best traditions
It is the fashion to talk with pride of——
I think there is nothing more fascinating than——
We feel a special pride in——
It would be all the more delightful if——
It has novelty and is refreshing
It is perfectly justifiable
It is a magnificent achievement
I know no pleasanter fact than——
A rare combination of——
Beyond cavil and criticism
A fine example of——
A very signal example of——
On a fine scale
Beyond all imagination
Of exquisite taste
A most entertaining presentation of——
Surpassingly fine
It could not have been improved
The occasion was very propitious for——
An exquisite picture
It is worthy of a world of praise
It is worthy of high praise
It bears the stamp of excellence
A very promising beginning
A delight to all right-minded people
A work of unique value
The finest thought the human mind can cherish
A master-stroke of policy
A task of immense interest
Big with promise
A most excellent speculation
It is the ideal method of solving the problem
An asset of incomparable value
With new and increased capacities
A very pretty problem in——
An experiment of absorbing interest
In the most fetching style
It has much to commend it to the sober judgment of thinking men
COMMENT
A not unfair inference is——
The clear upshot of it all is——
It remains to be seen whether——
I feel confident that——
In any event
There is a phase of the discussion going on which says——
I candidly think that——
I notice a very widespread tendency to——
I am never carried to any great lengths of reflection by——
It is a matter of common knowledge that——
My idea of it is quite the reverse
One thing struck my unskilled eye
At first sight it seems——
It is altogether probable that——
Have you considered that possibly the——
And it is worth remembering that——
All competent evidence points to the fact that——
It is highly probable that——
I am more than convinced every day that——
This is the short and the long of it.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, II., 2
And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges.
Twelfth Night, V., 1
It seems reasonably certain that——
A reasonable inference is that——
I feel myself scarcely competent to judge
COMPLIMENT
It was so charming of you to——
As handsome as a picture
I am perfectly fascinated by that idea of yours
It is so kind of you to——
Well done, accept congratulations
That is certainly ideal
A very creditable performance
I think you have summed it up perfectly
It is surpassingly fine
Whom to have known was a great pleasure
I fancy you are of a good temperament for
Here is diplomacy of the highest order
Your views are most satisfactory
Cheerful company shortens the miles
Cold hand, a warm heart
How nicely you put that
Those friends of yours are delightful people
Permit me to compliment you
He is able to extract comfort out of hard experiences
You are looking as lovely as usual
I always thought the hour struck sooner in your home than anywhere else
You have a very helpful suggestion
I greatly like what you say about——
I offer my congratulations on your taste
I am not given to making compliments, but I would like to say that——
CONCEITED
The one and only man who knows what to do and how to do it
Hypnotized by his own visions
A self-satisfied, confident attitude
He has an overweening opinion of himself
He had the hardihood to assert that——
Conscious of his own worth
A complacent indifference to evidence
He who tickles himself laughs when he likes
Complacently egotistical
With pedantic exactitude
It irked him to be in second place
A touch of the will to survive on the ruin of others
He is inflexible in any resolution formed in his own interest
He takes zealous care of a fancied dignity
They also plumed themselves on the——
He has a well-developed case of self-importance
The incarnation of self-importance
Opinionated self-esteem
Overweening self-love
Of narrow-minded complacency
A certain haughty inaccessibility
With overbearing arrogance
With pride of singularity
He has a very high opinion of himself
Naturally self-contained
His vanity was delicately tickled
He is captivated by a sense of his own importance
She came in with insufferable condescension
With a sort of bravado
In a very supercilious manner
With a surly grunt of recognition
A few curt remarks
All the grist must be ground through his mill
He proceeded with the greatest gusto to——
With sulky acquiescence
Reticent and self-contained
An affected civility
CONCERN
Taking a living loving interest in men
A self-restraint which refuses to make capital of the faults of others
No selfish purpose to serve
There is something beautifully touching in the——
He has the deepest veneration for the——
A mind teeming with tender concern for human happiness
It is impossible to look with insensibility of feeling upon the——
He entertains a very adequate respect for——
He has a fellow feeling for——
Frequent expressions of solicitude for——
It is not until one has entered sympathetically into——
I am not unmindful of——
With a motherly tenderness
CONDEMN
No message but the message of anathema and excommunication
One aspect of it should be assigned to oblivion
Atrociously bad
The worst of irresponsibles
Ripe for merited destruction
In utter defiance of the rights of others and common decency
A gross miscarriage of justice
A wretched state of affairs
Such methods are incapable of defense
You can make your own mental deductions
Destroyed in the fires of its own presumption
Those who report such things are equally culpable
It digs its own grave
He stultifies his own soul who——
It is but a conspiracy to thwart justice
It is hard to say just what maledictions should be pronounced upon one who——
One finds it difficult to measure his epithet when——
Stirred to unmeasured wrath
They are all tarred with the same stick
He should come in for some rather rough handling
The mere thought of it fills me with disgust
It is empty talk to speak of——
It is a shortsighted policy
The indictment might be lengthened
An attitude morally impossible
Certainly not inviting
Reduced to plain language, the——
Such conduct seems unjustifiable
A rather bold innovation
Certainly injudicious and ill-timed
It is crude stuff
Foolish and pernicious talk
Most reprehensible
Utterly futile as well as mischievous
Gross injustice
CONDONE
We all have our little vanities
There are always two sides to a story
All this is water which long since flowed over the mill
It is time to bury the hatchet
That was not necessarily to his discredit
It is human nature to ignore the——
Not quite so radical as the description would seem to indicate
Undoubtedly there are times when——
Guilty of occasional indiscretions
We must endeavor to establish amicable relations
That is a thing of the past
There is another plausible side to it
Of course there are mitigating circumstances
Extenuating nothing of the enormity of the offence charged it may be asked what——
We are all willing to condone but not to forget
I can only plead in extenuation that——
There will be extenuating circumstances
No doubt he was in a playful mood when he spoke it
He did it all in good faith
The trouble with us poor mortals is——
It must in fairness be added that——
Very likely the explanation lies in the fact that——
That is far from being the whole truth
We must be willing to make the best of a bad affair
After all he possesses some fine qualities
No hard and fast line can be drawn between——
There is a view which palliates our case a little
And it is fair to remember that——
There is a certain truth in the criticism that——
The best of us make mistakes
Softening the asperities of life
Apparently he has done all he can to placate the ire of——
It is a great mercy that——
We attempted to smother down some very harsh asperities
I will give you absolution from——
Progressive thinkers would fain ameliorate the harsher aspects of——
Please say something nice to him
A tendency to conciliate those who oppose
Their efforts smoothed away many asperities
One of the chronic frailties of human nature
Things past redress are now with me past care.
King Richard II., II., 3
CONSECRATION
All there is of us for God
Willing to take a lowly place anywhere to serve God
There is a constancy of spirit that beats like the pulse of God
A heart full of longing to live in a larger way
The hardships and joys of a life of toil
My heart is set to do all the will of God
A fervent and vigilant life in the service of God
Men and women who are living beautiful lives of sanctified service
A work in which every man may bear a share
The depth and fervor of our belief
To lay our tribute at the feet of one who is nobler than the noblest
Perfect abandon unto the will of God
Not much engaged in cumbering affairs
Into spheres of sublime service
In harmony with His character
The free-will offering of our lips and purses
Men who tried to stem the flood-tide of sin
In fearless pioneering
In plucky unyielding struggle with evil
In unapplauded toil among the poor
A path of whole-hearted consecration to God
CONSIDERATE
Given to the niceties of deportment
He has the courtesy of the old school
In manner he was deferential
The flower of courtesy.
Romeo and Juliet, II., 5
Always time for the considerate word
Positive claims to consideration
Kindly and considerately
Every consideration should be shown to——
I very much doubt whether others will be equally considerate
CONTENTED
I am in a very happy state of mind
I have not had one melancholy hour
I think it is a settled temper of my soul that I——
I lived melodious days with——
He loves the sunny side of the road
An air of moderation and sweet reasonableness
Not one minute’s uneasiness
I want the satisfactions and complacencies of——
To every bird its nest seems fair
He may well be content
It pleased me greatly to find that——
It is a very great satisfaction to know that——
I am rejoiced to find that——
That was one of the pleasantest experiences of my life
It was hailed with unmixed joy
Every cat loves its own garret
I am perfectly comfortable about it
It is with the liveliest satisfaction that——
One of the few true delights of——
A very pleasing sort of experience
It is a source of inexpressible comfort to find that——
It is the panacea for all ills
It was heavenly
It was concluded in the most gratifying way
It is a matter of great gratification to me to find that——
There is no use blowing a fire that burns well
Quite in keeping with the best traditions
It will pass muster
An arrangement to our mutual advantage
We had no reason to complain of——
It must be a very confirmed pessimist who would refuse a smile of satisfaction at——
Snug as a bug in a rug
It was a great find
A perfectly proper proceeding
Elegant ease
Snugly ensconced
COURAGE
Always unafraid
Unshakable resolution in the face of adversity
Through the ordeal unflinchingly
As bold as a hawk
A recklessness that snatches victory out of the jaws of danger
There is no such word as compromise in his vocabulary
He has the courage of his convictions
Fighting for imperishable moral treasures
Fortune aids the bold
With the splendid heroism of a man sure of life
Certain fearless minds
He had the fortitude to resist the——
Faint heart never won a fair lady
Look danger in the face
Upholding the finest traditions of——
A fighting heart
Our staying power is sure to be well tested
It takes a very daring man to——
As a test of the mettle of——
Unmoved by fear
The stuff of a hero in him
With red blood in his veins
Facing the problem squarely
With a bold disregard for danger
The daring mood
Not afraid to tackle big things
COURTESY
(Conventional——Apology)
I am afraid I am trespassing on your time
I beg your pardon for intruding
I hope my coming will not put you to any inconvenience
I offer my most sincere apology
I beg you will excuse me
I regret it more than I can express
Excuse me for having detained you so long
I warmly regret being unable to oblige you
I must apologize for my stupidity
This is quite unforgivable, I fear
I am very awkward, pray forgive me
I regret that I cannot assist you
It is with no small regret that——
I am exceedingly sorry that your request comes to me at a time when I am so pressed by my own affairs, that I cannot, with any convenience, comply with it
Pardon my indiscretion
(Conventional——Assistance)
I shall be very happy to assist you
I have had great pleasure in being useful to you
Permit me to serve you in any way I can
May I give you some assistance
If you can assist me I shall take it as an extraordinary kindness
(Conventional——At Weddings)
I wish you much joy
Let me wish you every happiness
I wish to offer you my heartiest congratulations
I congratulate you heartily on the good fortune that is yours to-day
Kindly accept my sincerest good wishes
It is impossible to wish you any greater good fortune than you have had to-day
Please accept my congratulations
Hearty congratulations
(Conventional——Condolence)
Kindly accept my sincere esteem and sympathy
I beg to offer my profound sympathy
We all share in your loss, and you have my deepest sympathy
I sympathize with you in your great affliction
I wish to assure you of my heartfelt sympathy
I could not refrain from assuring you in person of my sincerest sympathy
We can all splendidly trust God in life, no matter what its vicissitudes, if we but feel that we are drawn nearer to Him
Please accept my sincere condolences
(Conventional——Congratulatory)
I cannot refrain from expressing my admiring appreciation of——
You are to be congratulated upon the——
I wish to congratulate you, and express my appreciation of——
Will you permit me to make an acknowledgment of appreciation to you for——
Permit me to make appreciative acknowledgments of——
Please accept my congratulations upon your——
Since the news of the joy that has happened to you reached me, I have been anxious to write you a word of congratulation
I congratulate you on the very fortunate opportunity which presents itself
I had the great pleasure of hearing that——
I take this opportunity of assuring you that——
It is with great pleasure I hear of your safe arrival
(Conventional——Greeting)
It is a great pleasure to me to welcome you
I am delighted to see you here
I am delighted to make your acquaintance though indeed I seem to know a great deal about you through——
I am mightily glad to see you
I am so pleased to see you
How happy we are to see you
Welcome once more
This is a most unexpected pleasure
(Conventional——On Leaving)
This has been a delightful occasion
This has been a most enjoyable evening
I want to make my parting compliments
Many thanks for your kind hospitality
I will not forget this agreeable day
I am under the greatest obligation to you for a charming evening
I have enjoyed this little glimpse of you very much
This has been a most agreeable experience
It has been delightful to have you with us
I hope you may be persuaded to come again
I wish you were not going quite so soon
Come to see us again before you leave town
I trust you will repeat this experience at some future date
(Conventional——On Being Introduced)
I am very happy to meet you
It is a great pleasure to meet you
I am delighted to know you
I am sure the pleasure is mine also
You are most kind
It is a great pleasure
I was not clever enough to catch your name
(Conventional——Parting, On Chance Meeting)
It is a very great pleasure to have met you
I hope we may meet again
I hope to see you again soon
I must wish you good morning
I want to cultivate your acquaintance
I beg to present my compliments to all your family
I hope you will favor us with a call
I wish you a pleasant journey
Kindly convey my warmest regards to——
Be so good as to present my most respectful compliments to——
It has given me great pleasure to have this chat with you
Present my remembrances to——
Remember me very kindly to——
I hope we shall meet under happier circumstances
(Conventional——Request)
Could I interrupt you for a minute
I shall be glad if you will join me
I wish you would take it into serious consideration
Would you be good enough to give him a message for me
Please do not give yourself that trouble
Please accept this as a slight token of my gratitude
Will you not do me the favor to tell me——
I beg you to excuse me
If you don’t mind, I——
Let us have the pleasure of hearing you——
(Conventional——Request to Accompany Another and Response)
May I have the pleasure of your company
May I accompany you
I like good company, may I go with you
May I go along with you
With very great pleasure
Most assuredly
With pleasure
I shall feel highly honored
I shall be very happy of your company
(Conventional——Response to Compliment)
I am delighted to hear you say so
I am delighted to have your approbation
That is very gracious
Thank you, I appreciate your kindly thought of me
It is good of you to say so
(Conventional——Thanks)
I trust I shall have an opportunity of returning your kindness
You anticipate my wishes
Many thanks for doing me the honor to inquire
This is extremely kind of you
My best thanks are due to you for——
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it
I thank you very cordially
You are very obliging
I am deeply indebted to you for your kindness
I beg your acceptance of my very hearty thanks for——
Permit me to thank you
(Conventional——Shakespeare)
Apology
Excuse my manners, that so neglected you.
Othello, V., 1
Pardon, my haste made me unmannerly.
King Henry VIII., IV., 2
I am heartily sorry that——
All’s Well that Ends Well, IV., 3
Congratulatory
Many years of sunshine days.
King Richard II., IV., 1
Take from my mouth the wish of happy years.
Prosperous life, long and ever happy.
King Henry VIII., V., 5
I wish thee happiness.
Pericles, I., 1
Many, many, merry days.
Greeting
You are very welcome.
Cymbeline, I., 6
I am very glad to see you.
As You Like It, III., 3
A hundred thousand welcomes.
Our old and faithful friend, we are glad to see you.
Measure for Measure, V., 1
Your presence makes us rich.
King Richard II., II., 3
Although the last, not least.
Happily met.
The Taming of the Shrew, IV., 5
Good morrow to this fair assembly.
Much Ado about Nothing, V., 4
Heartily well met, and most glad of your company.
Coriolanus, IV., 3
Inquiry
Whither bound?
Cymbeline, III., 6
Why did you stir so early?
Pericles, III., 2
Are you the lady of the house?
Twelfth Night, I., 5
How goes the world?
Timon of Athens, I., 1
Parting
I thank you for your company.
As You Like It, III., 2
I am heartily glad I came.
As You Like It, I., 1
We leave you now with better company.
The Merchant of Venice, I., 1
I take leave with many thousand thanks.
III. King Henry VI., III., 2
Fair thoughts and happy hours attend on you.
The Merchant of Venice, III., 4
Bear my greetings to——
Julius Cæsar, II., 2
Let us take ceremonious leave——of our several friends.
King Richard II., I., 3
The heavens give safety to your purposes,
Lead forth and bring you back in happiness.
Measure for Measure, I., 1
I desire more acquaintance of you.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, II., 2
Request
Bear me company.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, IV., 3
Will you dine with me?
Julius Cæsar, I., 2
Let me have audience for a word or two.
As You Like It, V., 4
Commend me to him.
Timon of Athens, I., 1
Trouble yourself no further.
Othello, IV., 3
Which is the readiest way to the house of——
The Taming of the Shrew, I., 2
If along with us, we shall be joyful of thy company.
The Taming of the Shrew, IV., 5
Come home with me to supper; and I’ll lay a plot shall show us all a merry day.
King Richard II., IV., 1
Go on before——I’ll presently attend you.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, II., 4
Will not your honours bear me company?
I. King Henry VI., II., 2
I’ll keep you company.
Coriolanus, II., 3
Response
What your pleasure is, shall satisfy me.
III. King Henry VI., III., 2
I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul remembering my good friends.
King Richard II., II., 3
I’ll eat nothing; I thank you as much as though I did.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, I., 1
Of much less value is my company than your good words.
King Richard II., II., 3
I enjoyed the golden dew of sleep.
King Richard III., IV., 1
Tell him this from me, I count it one of my greatest afflictions that I cannot pleasure such an honourable gentleman.
Timon of Athens, III., 2
Thanks
For your many courtesies I thank you.
Much Ado about Nothing, V., 1
I can no other answer make but thanks and thanks.
Twelfth Night, III., 3
It is an honour that I dream not of.
Romeo and Juliet, I., 3
I thank you for your wish, and am well pleased to wish it back on you.
The Merchant of Venice, III., 4
I thank thee for thy care and honest pains.
Much Ado about Nothing, V., 1
With more than common thanks I will receive it.
Timon of Athens, I., 2
I humbly thank him, and thank you all.
Titus Andronicus, V., 1
A thousand thanks.
The Taming of the Shrew, II., 1
Many and hearty thankings to you.
Measure for Measure, V., 1
Hearty thanks.
King Lear, IV., 6
I thank you, you are always my good friend.
King Henry VIII., V., 3
CRITICISM
We are not all of that ilk
He is not able to get the right perspective
We are quite reluctant to follow his lead
He has no ground of complaint
He is in no small degree responsible for——
He shall be condemned in no uncertain terms
He cuts a sorry figure
He has no sense of the fitness of things
His conclusions are hopelessly detached from his premises
The theory has gone into bankruptcy
He is over-quick in reproof
He richly deserves his fate
I will not use terms of endearment
He takes himself too seriously
He has the unhappy knack of saying things that are not so
He should be the last man in the world to——
He is desperately in earnest but terribly mistaken
A purely professional cheeriness of manner
A most inexcusable breach of confidence
That sort of thing not only wearies but disgusts sensible men
It is a case of mean yielding in places of responsibility
Such a course is eternally alien to us
No one with any polite breeding can possibly sympathize with——
Too clever by half
I cannot resist taking him down a peg or two
Which is more than a figure of speech
A clumsy attempt
Not beyond just criticism
Little to charm the eye
An unfortunate notion
It is a situation to be lamented
Not altogether a wise thing to do
Not the most reassuring thing in the world
It presents an ugly aspect
Pure cussedness
The revival of an old humbug
A suggestion to be taken with reserve
It is but the legitimate offspring of his policy
A theory which has sins enough of its own to answer for
A little top-heavy
DANGEROUS
Steering a wobbling course
Skating over thin ice
The risk is too plain to be blinked
Things which snuff the light out of life
The mischief is easier to do than to undo
A warning which we dare not ignore
It is to light a fuse
Most sedulously to be avoided
A shining mark for the attacks of——
A menace to true faith
Subversive of all social order
Nothing is more inimical to society than——
A standing menace to——
Risks it would be madness to take
It may easily become a bogey
It contains the muffled accents of compromise
The consequences of which it is exceedingly difficult to foresee
A concession which the future will deplore
It is a condition which destroys the morale
It is a fear which cuts the nerve
It has obvious risks
The perilous undertow of——
The blighting effects of pride
It seems a mere flying in the face of notorious facts to maintain that——
Taking all sorts of daring little liberties
The fatal folly of——
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
[55]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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
A high-pressure haste
With all practical speed
As quick as a wink
A concession to the requirements of brevity
HASTY
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
(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
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
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
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
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
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 ————
I had been intimately enough associated with him to feel that I knew him very well
Cast thy burden upon the Lord
Thou hast known my soul in adversities
I know their sorrows
A refuge from the storm
A shadow from the heat
In the furnace of affliction
I will hedge up thy way with thorns
Tribulation worketh patience
Our light affliction
In all their affliction he was afflicted
He healeth the broken in heart
For a small moment have I forgotten thee but with great mercies will I gather thee
God that comforteth those that are cast down comfort you
We shall have to bear our crosses with meekness and patience
So good a friend is capable of making any calamity light
The great loss you have sustained has caused me much uneasiness
I know not how to express my sorrow at the news which I have just received
That God may give you great consolation under this heavy burden is my fervent prayer
I should be glad if I could suggest anything to lighten your trouble and make your path a little more smooth and easy
Such a sad circumstance has come to you
Your sorrow’s night
When one’s heart is unspeakably tender
We extend our heartfelt sympathy
In your hour of trial
She was such a beautiful character, loved by every one
In these lonely hours you must not be cast down for there is help from God
His Word says that they that wait upon Him shall renew their strength
She was God’s good angel in your home
Grief that saps the heart
I account you mine
His name will long linger in our household
We must be brave in the face of trying circumstances
Of gracious memory
She bears up with the utmost fortitude
I received the melancholy intelligence last evening that——
He was the kindest, and most generous of men
The sweet remembrance of the just
A workman that needeth not to be ashamed
If God be for us who can be against us
Of whom the world was not worthy
Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth
Let not your heart be troubled
I know that your heart must be sorely grieved
God shall overcome this King of terrors
It is written, “As thy days so shall thy strength be”
We expect to see our loved ones in happier, brighter worlds above
God is able to soothe and sustain the distressed soul
May God’s love shine more and more in our hearts until the day breaks and the shadows flee away
He careth for you
A stronghold in the day of trouble
A covert from the storm
We unite in sending our love and sympathy
With warm regards
We beg you to accept our commiseration
Our hearts sorrow with you
He is such a very great comfort to us
We are uplifted by the assurance that——
A light which sorrow cannot quench
We must all wait the call of God with a calm trust
Let me have the comfort of hearing from you
The hand of God has been heavy
His sterling qualities of character will leave an indelible impress on those with whom he associated
His good life will live on
Dying in the triumphs of faith
Securely anchored in the never failing promises of God
A life of good-will, kindliness of spirit, and firm character
The benediction of his brotherly heart will bless many who knew him
We must live in the blessed anticipation of the glory that is to come
Do not fear, for God knows what is in your heart
Your path seems full of thorns
Your weather is bleak, but the storms will cease
Your sky is dark, but the sun shines
May the everlasting arms sustain you in the flood of sorrow
May God comfort you
Out of the thorn springeth the rose
I know you are in grief and heaviness
We commend you to the mercy and grace of God
The bitterness of affliction
The present floods of sorrow
You will have to cast your anchor in the dark
May your heart be constant
The Lord will surely give you rest from the days of adversity
I would that you should always have the sweet experience of the consolations of God
We all have the good-will of Him who dwelt in the bush
My heart is heavy for you
We must wait till the fair morning of the resurrection
I write my blessing, earnest prayers, the love of God, and the sweet presence of Christ to you and yours
You have suffered a grief which no human friend can assuage
I feel deeply your misfortune
I am grieved to hear that——
We are greatly concerned about——
We are sometimes called to sow in tears, but the harvest will be a series of everlasting joys. This blessed hope softens the trials of life
My times are in the Lord’s hands
I hope it may please God to endue us with a proper temper, and quiet perseverance, and that these trials may help us to purify our motives
One of the severest and most trying dispensations of Providence
Yours is indeed deep sorrow
You have the blessed reflection of having done all that could possibly be done
You have my earnest prayers that the Almighty may graciously support you
That the Almighty may bless, support, and comfort you, is the hearty prayer of——
Be assured of our cordial esteem and fervent prayers
May every consolation and blessing be granted to you
As long as I shall remember anything, I shall remember her virtues and her kindness
I hope I need not tell you how anxious I have been since I first heard of your great loss
May I share with you the deep sorrow you are called upon to bear at the loss of your——
Please accept for yourself my assurance of deep sympathy
Allow me to express my very sincere sympathy for you in the death of your——
Permit me to express on behalf of ———— and myself our deepest sympathy
May I express to you my sincere condolence in your hour of sorrow
Mrs. ———— and I offer you our most sincere sympathy in your great sorrow
Please accept my heartfelt sympathy in your bereavement
I hope you will find some consolation in the tribute of affection and esteem which——
I sympathize deeply with you
I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
II Tim. I., 12
The resurrection of life.
John V., 29
Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
I Cor. II., 9
In my father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John XIV., 2
There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
II Tim. IV., 8
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb. IV., 9
We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
II Pet. III., 13
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Rev. II., 10
They shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.
Rev. III., 4
There shall be no night there.
Rev. XXII., 5
The Lord shall be thy everlasting light and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Isa. LX., 20
He is able to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.
Jude, 24
The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom. VIII., 18
Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
II Cor. IV., 17
The riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
Eph. I., 18
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.
I Pet. I., 4
So shall we ever be with the Lord.
I Thess. IV., 17
They shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Rev. XXII., 4
The righteous shall go away into life eternal.
Matt. XXV., 46
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.
Ps. XXVII., 14
The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
Ps. XXXIV., 22
The Lord knoweth them that trust in him.
Nah. I., 7
Casting all your care upon him for he careth for you.
I Pet. V., 7
As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from hence forth even for ever.
Ps. CXXV., 2
The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
Ps. CXII., 6
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Ps. XXX., 5
Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
Ps. XXXIV., 19
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Ps. CXXVI., 5-6
Their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more.
Jer. XXXI., 12
I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
Jer. XXXI., 13
A refuge in times of trouble.
Ps. IX., 9
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John XVI., 33
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
Ps. LXVIII., 5
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
Ps. CXVI., 15
My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
II Cor. XII., 9
I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.
Gen. XV., 1
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
Deut. XXXIII., 27
The promise of life which is in Christ Jesus.
II Tim. I., 1
A bruised reed shall he not break.
Isa. XLII., 3
For Letters of Congratulation
I take great pleasure in sending hearty congratulations and best wishes
It is with heartfelt pleasure I——
I cannot refrain from sending a few words of congratulation that——
We offer you our cordial congratulations and best wishes
My most sincere congratulations are yours
I hope in a few days to be able to offer my congratulations in person
Accept hearty congratulations
With most sincere congratulations
I write to offer my heartfelt congratulations
You will receive many hearty congratulations but none more sincere than mine
It must have been a great joy to you. I heartily congratulate you
I applaud you
For Letters of Introduction
It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you ————
I take this opportunity of presenting to you ————
I take great pleasure in making known to you ————
This letter is presented by my friend ————
I shall regard it as a kindness to myself if——
Any courtesy you can extend to ————
I shall appreciate any assistance you may give to ————
I shall regard any attention you can pay ———— as a personal favor
I shall warmly appreciate any attention you may pay to ————
For Letters of Invitation
Will you give us the pleasure of your company to——
I am asking a few friends to——
It would be a pleasure to have you——
Will you join us in——
The pleasure of your company is requested to——
Hoping that your engagements will permit
In anticipation of seeing you next——
———— requests the presence of ————
———— requests the pleasure of your presence at——
For Letters of Regret
I write at once to thank you, regretting most sincerely that——
I very much regret that I cannot accept your kind invitation to——
I regret that a previous engagement will prevent my acceptance of your very kind invitation to——
I very much regret that I cannot avail myself of the opportunity to——
I am grateful to you for your kind invitation, but——
I regret that I am unable to comply with your request because——
I regret extremely that——
For Letters of Thanks
Please accept my grateful acknowledgments for——
I will ever cherish your beautiful gift
My compliments and thanks to ————
Thank you most heartily for the——
Many thanks for the——
With hearty thanks for your kind thought of me
Best of thanks for your kind thought of me
I cannot express my thanks for the kindness which prompted you to——
Many thanks for the kind remembrance
With grateful appreciation for——
Thank you most heartily for——
How can I ever hope to repay you for——
I am extremely grateful to you for——
I am sending this letter as the silent messenger of my thanks and good wishes to you
I must find some way to make due acknowledgment of your goodness to me
I trust I may be able to do you some service, that I may be worthy of your kind approbation
I will not write more but wait until a better opportunity enables me to more fully express myself
Please allow me to send my most thankful acknowledgments for the favor you have conferred upon me
I know not how to express my grateful thanks for your——
The grateful sense I have of your kindness will never be erased from my mind
I take this first opportunity to send you my thanks for——
You have exceedingly obliged me by——
I beg to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of——
I am grateful to you for your kind expression of sympathy
Though your kind letter has waited so long for a reply, you may be assured that I was not unmindful of its messages of sympathy
Please accept my warmest thanks for your kindness
I am deeply indebted to you for——
I received your very agreeable letter, and hasten to give you my most hearty thanks for your——
I thank you for your hospitality
We had a most delightful time while with you
For Letters with Gifts
Please accept this little memento of our regard
Please accept this ———— as a token of high esteem and regard
Please accept as an evidence of unchanging friendship this ————
Please accept this token with my best wishes for many happy returns of your birthday
Will you be so kind as to accept the enclosed ————
I am sending to you a little token of my high regard
(CONCLUDING ASSURANCES)
For Christmas Letters
I send you tender tidings of regard this Christmas Day
I hope you will lack nothing to make a Merry Christmas
On this day I think of you, and wish you happiness without limit
May all joys combine to give you a happy Christmas Day
With best wishes and heartiest greetings for Christmas
I wish you a joyful Christmas from the bottom of my heart
With kind remembrances and all good wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Bright New Year
With best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a New Year of health and happiness
The best of good wishes for a happy Christmas
May Christmas bring you plenteous store of happiness and joy
Heaps of Christmas wishes
With the kindest thoughts and the best of good wishes for a happy Christmas
I heartily send all good Christmas wishes to you and yours
For Letters of Condolence
My prayer is that you may be wonderfully sustained by Him who hath said, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Most sincerely yours,
I commend you to Him who hath said, “There shall be no more death, neither sorrow.”
Affectionately yours,
May you have great comfort in the presence of Him who hath said, “I will not leave you destitute.”
Your friend,
Ever remember the good word which tells us that “He shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
Faithfully yours,
Though we pass through the valley and the darkness of death let us fear no evil since He is with us.
Ever your friend,
God gives us a fine assurance concerning the future in the word which says, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Most sincerely yours,
With a prayer for every blessing on your self,
Affectionately, your friend,
Be assured of our cordial esteem and fervent prayers.
Very sincerely yours,
May God that comforteth those that are cast down comfort you in this trial is the prayer of
Your friend,
We can meet the trials of life in the comforting conviction that this mortal must put on immortality.
With warmest regards,
No doubt you are inclined to say that all is vanity and vexation of spirit, but do not do so for He knoweth the way that we take.
Faithfully yours,
Now that the time has come that you are “Like Niobe, all tears” also the rather remember the word which says that “God shall wipe away all tears.”
Most sincerely yours,
We send our love and commend you to Him who hath said He will “Swallow up death in victory.”
Most sincerely yours,
While your heart is heavy, and one feel quite deserted, yet we can be much comforted in remembering that “He knoweth our frame.” and is ever mindful of us.With sincere sympathy,
Your friend,
For New Year Letters
May this New Year turn out to be the happiest and the best
With best New Year wishes
May all your plans and wishes come true in this New Year
May the New Year be a happy year for you
A joyous New Year
With all best wishes for a splendid New Year
With all the kindest wishes for good health and good fortune throughout the year
With my most hearty greetings and sincere good wishes for you for all the coming year
With best wishes for a year of great blessing
May the New Year be full of the kindliest benedictions
With kind wishes for a year of the brightest prospects
For General Letters
I am ever, with sincerest regard,
Your friend,
Remember me very kindly to ————
Sincerely,
I beg to be most kindly remembered to ————
With cordial regard,
Accept the sincerest esteem of
Your friend,
My compliments to your ————
Very sincerely,
With sincere regard,
With kindest respects to your whole family,
Yours affectionately,
I beg you will give my affectionate respects to all.
Most cordially yours,
———— best and kindest wishes accompany mine.
Most sincerely,
With truest regard,
With my best wishes for your recovery, and kindest regard to ————
I remain, affectionately yours,
———— joins me in kindest regards and best wishes.
Sincerely yours,
Kind remembrance to all, and doubly to ————.
As ever,
If you are at ————, remember me kindly to——
Yours ever,
Give my kind respects to ————
Very sincerely yours,
We join in affectionate regards to ————
Sincerely,
———— present their respects, with those of
Yours truly,
———— desire me to add their kind regards to mine,
Your affectionate friend,
With truest good wishes.
As ever,
When you see ———— assure ———— of my kind remembrance.
Sincerely yours,
With my best regards to ————
I remain your friend,
With our joint regards to ————, I am ever,
Yours sincerely,
My most affectionate respects to ————
Yours sincerely,
With kindest regards of my family and myself,
I am sincerely yours,
Yours ever, my dear and honored friend, with true regard,
———— desires particularly to be remembered.
Yours ever,
With every sentiment of regard.
Your greatly obliged friend,
With truest sentiments of affectionate esteem.
Your friend,
———— sends her best love.
Yours ever most affectionately,
———— joins in every kind wish and remembrance.
Yours ever,
With cordial wishes for your health,
I am,
Yours very sincerely,
My best respects to ————
Very faithfully yours,
———— is away or I should have been charged with ———— kindest regards to you.
Very sincerely,
My best respects and kindest remembrances to the whole family circle at ————
Very sincerely yours,
We unite in kindest remembrance to your family.
Sincerely yours,
———— begs her most affectionate remembrance to you.
Affectionately yours,
(FINAL ASSURANCES)
Conventional
Very sincerely yours,
Yours most sincerely,
Very respectfully,
Sincerely yours,
Respectfully yours,
To Friends
Yours faithfully,
Yours affectionately,
Heartily yours,
Yours in all fellowship,
Warmly your friend,
Your affectionate friend,
Yours ever truly,
Ever warmly yours,
With warmest regards,
Yours in heart,
For Lovers
All yours,
As ever,
Your own,
Yours forever and ever,
Ever with the whole heart yours,
Most devotedly yours,
Yours constantly,
Yours ever,
Ever yours,
Yours, with love,
To Relatives
Your loving ————,
Affectionately your ————,
Your devoted ————,
With much love,
Your ever loving ————,
Devotedly your ————,
With much affection, your ————,
LIKENESS
As like as two peas
A striking parallel
As like as two drops of water
Nearly identical in appearance
The same in essential characteristics
Cast in the same mold
A striking similitude between——
Having a very close resemblance
A speaking likeness
It is somewhat analogous to——
It typifies most perfectly the——
With a very exact resemblance
There is no material difference between——
Terms which will be tantamount to——
Have you been struck with the similarity between——
It bears an evident analogy to——
Cut out of the same cloth
You can make it tally with——
LOSS
This particular milk has been spilt
Incalculable waste and loss will be avoided if——
Doomed to ethical decline
Irreparable loss
Rapidly sapping the strength of——
In the blackness of darkness forever
Where does it end
LOVE
He’s the great heart-maker
Winsomely and lovingly
The sacrifices of love
Matchless kindness
Unwavering love
A redeeming love-energy
A glad service of love
A legacy of love
A flame of sacred love
The sweet kingdom of God’s love
The wondrous story of God’s love
The wonderful words of life
The genial flame of affection
The marvel of His love
The love that conquers
Love divine, all loves excelling
The glorious sense of the Divine right of love
Made beautiful by Divine love
The warm yearning intimacy of God’s love
The sweet and unpolluted flower of love
The richest joys out of heaven
If our bosom burns with the fires of love
Love that translated us from alienation to family favor
Love, pure, warm, and changeless
Songs of redeeming love
An eye of love
A heaven of love
Abounding love
With undiminished love
Love is the universal language
What the world needs is love
MANLY
The sanctifying love of a strong victorious man
A patient, loving, uncomplaining soul
A clear-eyed seer of the things of God
An uncompromising foe of evil
Sagacious in spiritual things
A mind full of vigorous hopeful uplifting thoughts
He has a wonderful experience of grace
He passed through the fires of affliction
He is a graduate of the University of Difficulty
We are resolved to lay no stumbling-blocks in the way of the progress of the redemption of the world
We have the abiding consciousness that we are fundamentally right with God
He is in the apostleship of spiritual beauty
A great lover of mankind
He takes a living, loving interest in men
Moral worth
Resolved not to depart from the channel of truth
Holy in character
A warmth of temperament
Generous impulses
The imposing grace of a noble self-restraint
A chaste refinement of spirit
Splendid reserve power
Well content to go down to the grave unpraised
Taking steps toward the threshold of heaven
Walking in the blessed path of peace, power, and purity
A nobility of life
Worthy of more attention than it has yet received
A worthy friend
Hands full of character and delicacy
With unfaltering lip and heart
Men who love their fellow-men and prove their love by service
He did not once deviate from his principles
He has a profound contempt for show and humbug
Men broad-brained and broad-shouldered for the task
Men of breadth of outlook
Men who foresee great things
Large-hearted and clear-eyed men
Real leaders
Men who keep in the straight path of duty
Every man shall bear his own burden
Men whose fidelity merits the highest praise
Men who would dare hell-heat or Arctic cold
Men whose intentions were never open to honest doubt
A man whose happiness was in serving others
Strong men
Untinged by prejudice
Clouded by no unfriendliness
Without acrimony
With no preconceived theories
In whole-hearted simplicity
Above suspicion
With entire frankness
No feeling of estrangement
A gleam of friendly light
The right mental attitude
The right hand of fellowship
In the sunshine of a genial nature
In the genial glow of the firelight
Of gentle mien
The contagion of noble lives
A rare maturity of judgment
He has an unswerving loyalty to principle
He has an unconquerable purpose to be true
He is unfalteringly devoted to duty
He is inflexible in purpose
He is not paralysed by fear of consequences
He is beautifully loyal to——
He is proof against all blandishments
He sits tight in the saddle
MEMORIES
Among the most haunting memories of——
I treasure the memory of it as one of my most precious recollections
A time full of happy memories
I brought away with me a store of happy memories
Rich in historical memories
It moves me to happy memories
It entitles him to grateful remembrance
There are no disturbing reminders
They can console themselves with the reflection that——
It was reminiscent of——
I have many choice recollections of——
Etched forever by the——
MILITARISTIC
The zone of hostilities
The harmless victims of war
Tactical retreat
Martial enthusiasm
A crack regiment
Universal disarmament
Strict neutrality
The inevitable horrors of war
A military advantage
The ruthlessness of war
The neutrality of nations
The international equivalent of the policeman’s club
The lust of empire
The cruel indignities of war
The long-nurtured passions of a nation
When the thunders of war are heard around the world
The arbitrament of arms
A test of materialism
An age crammed with war
The federation of the world
The policy of military preparedness
The patriotism of the common people
A military tattoo in the streets
The dominant military power in the world
The nightmare menace of war
The crime of Cain multiplied a million fold
The maintenance of peace
A sin against civilization
The stunning sense of some great calamity
The futility of militarism
The theater of hostilities
The allied armies
The pitiful misery of the people
An appalling cost of human life
The diplomatic corps
A compact front
Wanton destruction
The military camarilla at ————
Military necessity
Deliberate and wanton vandalism
With ruthless hand
The guilty madness of war
The inveterate belligerence of ————
A crushing indictment of Twentieth-Century civilization
The city tense with the excitement due to militarism
Imbued with the spirit of war
Prepared for vigorous operations
Under cover of the artillery
The oft-trodden battle-ground of the Low Countries
A warless world
An armed peace
The mailed fist
A religion of valor
The terrorism of military might
MYSTERIOUS
Into those invisible regions where we cannot follow
Clothed in a cloak of mystery
The fascination of the inscrutable
In some incomprehensible way
It seems a Sphinx whose riddle no man can read
Shrouded in mystery
A great deal of hokus-pokus
Hidden under the impenetrable veil of metaphor
Absolutely inexplicable
It was Greek to me.
Julius Cæsar, I., 2
Some enigma, some riddle.
Love’s Labour’s Lost, III., 1
A bottomless sea of speculation
NECESSARILY
The pressure of absolute necessity
I am under the imperative necessity of——
It is absolutely essential that——
It must needs be that——
Infinitely more so now
The imperative necessity of——
The need is urgent that——
Of all the essential cogs in the world’s great machine the——
Of extreme importance
Of vital necessity
Conditions will make it imperative that——
It is of prime importance to——
The first and most important requisite of——
Put to it
The supreme need of the hour is——
It is time for him to come to the scratch and——
All important factors in the case
As much as plants need sunshine
Indispensably necessary
The imperative needs of——
In the vigorous school of necessity
OPPORTUNE
Every door is open
Virgin soil
A work in which every man may bear a share
Seize with avidity this opportunity to——
The time seems ripe to——
The keynote to——
Entrée to all the best
Open sesame
A plain opportunity for——
We must take opportunity by the forelock
Had I been so disposed, I——
The hour of opportunity
Now is the time of all times to——
OPPOSITION
Nothing could go more against the grain with me than——
He set his face like flint against——
There is a decided opposition to——
It is one of the counts in the indictment against him that——
He was debarred from——
With strongly divergent opinion
He should be unhorsed
A man who must be discriminated against
It is sheer nonsense to——
The thinness of that kind of argument is seen in——
Hotly contested
His one weapon of defense is——
He made of this fact a telling answer to those who——
It is common to hear deprecations of——
He would have made a more happy effect if——
All this is in direct contradiction to——
Through flinty opposition
Persistently hostile
It has only one defect——it is not true
I differ from him very widely
It is a cry that is raised in the old senseless spiteful way
It is scarcely worth raising our heads to look at
I assure you such is not the case
I think it would be quite inadvisable to do so
It is a convincing demonstration of the fatuity of the notion that——
The latest and most absurd theory is——
Issues which are poles apart in their true significance
I regret to be compelled to join issue with you
The answer will be a firm and decided negative
I have inly resented the——
I must with all respect demur
It is a wooden-headed scheme
It represents everything repugnant to my convictions
I cannot refrain from expressing my regret that——
It is a manifest absurdity
In which case I should remonstrate
I protested in vain
It is very annoying to me
I fervently hope not
A good stout protest
It is out of the question
A decided negative
It is time to protest and to protest vigorously
I won’t hear it without a protest——
It has not even the saving grace of——
He met with stout opposition
He came out squarely against——
He rubbed the cat the wrong way
They will brook no trifling
A point-blank refusal
There is just ground for objection in the fact that——
It is not exactly fitting that——
There could be no greater fallacy
It was the only rift in a perfect lute
Unless they made a fidget about it
The whole plan is repellent
The suggestion arouses in us only moral disgust
Give it the lie
Such an opinion runs counter to the facts
He delivered a frontal attack upon——
It is playing at cross-purposes
Promptly and vigorously disposed of
It is going to get a short shrift
A railing accusation
A storm of protest
Stubborn resistance
In the face of mighty passions and desires
In the teeth of clenched antagonisms
It is time to protest and to protest vigorously
Not under any circumstances
Too heavily handicapped
A disposition in some to resent
A combination of hindrances
Without flinching
An insuperable barrier
I have the greatest aversion to——
He met with a hot welcome
A defiant note
OPTIMISM
I am very sanguine about it
In a highly gratifying way
It is refreshing to know that——
The uplift of great ideas
All clouds do not rain
No day is so long but has its evening
No news is good news
All is not lost that is delayed
One of the most heartening signs of the days is——
We are with you to the last man and the last dollar
I have a crumb of consolation in the thought that——
We can say with much assurance that——
The plan has attractive features
With unalloyed satisfaction
This is no time to intone funeral ululations
Let us strengthen each other’s hands in God
We need a ringing message to steel the purpose
We are with you from center to outer edge
The news is decidedly reassuring
I was splendidly heartened by——
A word of magnificent promise
A happy confidence
Let’s make the best of it.
Coriolanus, V., 6
A day of great things
One of the bright sides of a dark picture is——
Our lucky star was in the ascendant
In spite of dismal forebodings
In the heyday of confidence
He meets every situation with an inspiration
On the victory side
In the mountains of God
A harbinger of success
Life’s brightest meaning
A bad beginning may make a good ending
No such inept and doleful talk has been coming from——
Cheering in a high degree
In his happiest mood
The outlook is in the highest degree encouraging
We have reason to thank God and take courage
Everything is propitious
The night is long that never finds a day
A pack of blessings
A buoyant optimism
Prospects are very bright for the success of——
The finest game in the world
I have nothing dismal to remember
A happy earnest life
Without grudge or grumbling
A hopeful attitude
An attitude of assurance
An inborn belief in the superiority of——
Always hailed with joy
Quickening and cheerful influences
Assuredly we shall win
Of splendid augury
The habit of expectancy
A hopeful prospect
A promising beginning on intelligent lines
It is bound to accomplish a world of good
A brisk cheerful sense of things present and things to come
Some cheerful hope-laden ideas
No gloomy forebodings
We will have the fun of beginning again
An abiding optimism
With high expectations
Not a lurking doubt or suspicion lingers
The most hopeful sign of the times is
I know nothing more pleasant than to
This is indeed good fortune
How pleasant it is to
I have had a great piece of luck
Let us turn to more pleasant reflections
But, after all, in this as in everything else one must be hopeful
Unquestioned confidence
Without the least misgiving
It is an assured success
Conscious of being able to cope with the situation
Genuine confidence
It is in no wise inimical to your interests
To believe him guilty of deliberate mendacity would be painful
With undiminished confidence
With radiant hopes
We are able for it
A place of peace and unfailing cheeriness
A cheery greeting
In high glee
With many a cheering smile
He manifests a cheerful willingness
Deeply and unfeignedly happy
It is a cheerful sign of progress when
He is capable of taking the highest view which the circumstances of the case may admit
He has the habit of holding an expectant attitude
To attain that will be a supreme delight
He is all the time pressing forward with keen expectancy
There are many hopeful aspects of the situation
The situation is greatly improved
May we have a part in bringing in a new and better day
A happy augury for the future
A happy prospect
Like a sunbeam on a winter’s day
With superb optimism
Let us do it with a shout
A jubilant mood
I am fully prepared for all eventualities
He is quite sure of himself
He has a new and sure grip on the facts
In the full assurance of success
It may be averred with confidence that——
I have every assurance that——
In the result alone will be confidence
I have the certitude of all this
He staked his faith on——
With the easy assurance of——
PARTIAL
A beggarly account of——
The whole truth is not known
That is not the sole question
We have not heard the whole of the facts
He does but scant justice to——
PASSION
Like a fire in the bones
With soul aflame for truth and justice
His one absorbing passion
His whole concern centered in——
The thought was like a raging fever
With a great strain of the eternal in his message
A spiritual passion which would break through all formal proprieties
He seemed obsessed with the desire to——
PATIENCE
What can’t be cured must be endured
A small stock of patience
Time brings everything to those who wait
We must placidly bear the strain of——
You have an infinite deal of patience
With the most angelic patience
Least said, soonest mended
PATRIOTIC
Putting other ambitions aside in order to serve his country
A noble temper of patriotism
The great humane movements of events towards liberty
The accents of democracy
Against the notion that whatever is profitable is right
A passion for ideals
The unspeakable boon of freedom
The foundations of a mighty nation
Aflame with the spirit of opposition against tyrannies
A thorough-going patriot
A magnificent spirit of self-abnegation
In the ardor of self-sacrifice
Hearts afire with love for liberty
Unshakable loyalty
Emblem of everything we hold most dear and desirable
A royal pride of country
Soundly and unimpeachably a loyal citizen
The new patriotism
The golden age of the federation of the world
A world-wide democracy
A United States of the world
A world patriotism
A universal alliance
A league of peace
A glorious future for the nations of the world
International patriotism
A democracy as broad as humanity
International federation
The new prosperity
One of our chief claims to glory is——
Universal democracy
A supreme court of arbitrament
A peace federation
The end of autocracies
The end of secret diplomacy
It is subversive of every principle of our democracy
Pan-Americanism
The menace of military might——
The most far-reaching extensions of freedom and democracy the world has ever known
The unconquerable mind of freemen
As fine soldiers as ever despised death
Shakespeare
This land of such dear souls, this dear-dear land.
King Richard II., II., 1
Let all the ends thou aim’st at be thy country’s, Thy God’s, and truth’s.
King Henry VIII., III., 2
God, for some strong purpose, steel’d the hearts of men.
King Richard II., V., 2
Let men say we be men of good government.
I. King Henry IV., I., 2
Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts, that no dissension hinder government.
III. King Henry VI., IV., 6
I do love my country’s good with a respect more tender, more holy and profound.
Coriolanus, III., 3
I have watch’d the night, ay, night by night, in studying good for England.
II. King Henry VI., III., 1
England never did, nor never shall, lie at the proud foot of a conqueror.
King John, V., 7
In our country’s cause fell bravely.
Cymbeline, V., 4
Good fortune bids us pause, and smooth the frowns of war with peaceful looks.
III. King Henry VI., II., 6
PENALTY
Sent to cool his heels in——
He got what was due to him
He is face to face with the remorseless judgment of his times
He would have been put to it to have gotten into a worse quagmire than——
This will make interesting reading for——
Reaping a dragon-tooth harvest
The direct result of his own unsocial acts
The direful consequences of——
PERPLEXED
Utterly at sea
I am really at the end of my tether
I am mightily at a loss to know what——
This further complicates the problem
And in like quandary I find myself touching the——
It is very vague
I had it inchoately in my mind
We cannot make much of it
His thoughts do not run in the natural order of sequence
An inextricable dilemma
My wits faint.
Romeo and Juliet, II., 4
Involved in inextricable confusion
Left in a mood of perplexity
Utterly inscrutable
The problem is surely perplexing
Full of confusion worse confounded
It would serve only to becloud the issue
A question of sufficient complexity to tax the power of the wisest
PESSIMISTIC
A peddler of pessimism
He has always had a plentiful stock of gloomy ideas
A heart of lead in my breast
It hangs like a dark pall over——
The unpleasant intelligence of——
The most ominous feature of it all was——
Any attempt was foredoomed to failure
No rosy delusions should be permitted to warp our judgment
There is a little of the melancholy element in——
Augured evil
Doleful recollections
Smothered under the wet blanket of——
He indulges in the gloomiest forebodings
A most discouraging frame of mind
Fallen into the Slough of Despond
I found myself under my juniper tree
It is the very mystery of perversity
He is in a woeful state of mind
A sense of desolation
There came upon my heart an intolerable burden of despondency
A dreary conclusion
The unexpected and adverse strokes of fortune
A damper of my hopes
A gloomy consolation
A discouraging moment
Friendless, homeless, hopeless, undone
Impossible of accomplishment
Grave symptoms
A forlorn hope
A nameless foreboding
One has to be optimistic to find anything hopeful in the present outlook
A somber and mournful aspect
A sign of ill omen
He has the habit of dating existence by the memory of its burdens
A sea of trouble
Under the pressure of calamity
A welter of sordid interests
A very flood of wretchedness
A sorry plight
Moments when one grows sick of mankind
Inexpressibly miserable
A very gloomy report
He is etching the black pictures deeper and deeper into his consciousness
By some strange fatality
Hearts bursting with despair
A terrible legacy
With a groan of sickening remorse
With a sense of desolation
Many vicissitudes
All true in a finished civilization
He has seen many a bitter day of sorely tried hopes
The many accessories of evil
Crushed by burdens
The misspent strivings of mankind
Errant human nature
To move in paralyzing dread
Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward
A particularity which converts every trifle into a thorn
A dark and stormy sea
PICTURESQUE
The singing river
The place of wraithing tempests
The mood of poetry
The slow wind crooning among the pines
The dank odor of autumn leaves
The scent of damask roses
A skein of cloud
A star of orange light
A dim blue haze
A gently sloping hill
A shimmer of golden sunlight
A blossom passing fair
Delicious days
A cloud of fire
Lingering lover-wise
A billowy prairie
Nodding grasses
Rugged seas
The merriest voices of the spring
Deathless music
The jargon of the tempest
Lovely, ivy-mantled
Checkered with sunlight and shadow
The distant gloom of foreboding mountains
Bewilderments of beauty
The ermine of the snows
Marble dawns
The first kindling stars of dusk
Pine-grown mountains
En rapport with the earth
A bewildering field of fragrance and delight
A robe of verdure
The inviting air
Lovely clusters
Gracefully pendent
Delicately adorned
The balmy breath of spring
Fair as virgin snows
Grand with imperial purple
The silence of eternity
PLEASED
Sweeter than honey and the honey-comb
I am quite in raptures with——
To my great satisfaction, I——
I do not know a pleasure more appealing than——
You cannot imagine what pleasure it gives me to——
I went on my way with a merry heart
There is a certain undiluted bliss in——
Cheering in a high degree
Could anything be more agreeable than——
As bright as a sunbeam
I am very glad and genuinely pleased that——
I think it admirable and meets the case fully
The most gratifying features of the——
Frank delight
Out of sheer enjoyment of doing it
I dote upon it
It was most gratifying
I enjoyed it prodigiously
Not an inconsequential part
This is indeed a pleasure
I greatly rejoice in the——
We always look back with pleasure to——
It is gratifying to know that——
I was never so proud of it as I am to-day
This is the panacea for all my disabilities
This is the elixir of life
I had the good fortune to——
This is certainly ideal
Enamored of——
Perfectly in raptures over——
To my agreeable disappointment I found that——
Genuinely glad
I am quite delighted
We were delighted beyond measure
To my inexpressible delight
Much to our profit and delight
In the most delightful fashion
A day I still recall with pleasure
It exceeded my greatest expectation
A wonderful time
This is the sort of thing I enjoy
I like the idea very much
That’s simply splendid
There is an unfailing charm in it
A delightful idea truly
I like it prodigiously
Isn’t that jolly
Of first-rate merit
I was highly pleased with it
It was in the best taste
It is a beautiful piece of industrial accomplishment
I call it a delightful spectacle
A capital idea
Altogether a fine thing
A sentiment worthy of emulation
A source of constant pleasure
A very real asset
With none of the slight faults of immaturity
It is an uplifting habit
The sight filled me with admiration
Of no ordinary cleverness
It was perfectly splendid
It is a fine instance of
It called forth unqualified admiration
It was strikingly impressive
The result exceeded my most sanguine expectations
The finest flower that ever blossomed
It is an amiable habit by no means to be discouraged
Genuine gratification
Much to our profit and delight
POINT
Very much to the point
That is the very core of it
There is the milk in the cocoanut
You hit the nail on the head
The crux of the whole matter is——
The paramount issue is——
More truth than fiction
That is where the shoe pinches
It went straight and close to the very heart of——
That is the sum and substance of the whole matter
To the point
Here in a nutshell is the——
The case could not be put more succinctly
An epitome of——
The very quintessence of——
To comprehend it all in a word
POLITICAL
An unworthy piece of legislation
An odious piece of class legislation
A grave indictment of independent citizenship
Names of genuine weight on the roster of delegates
Signs of a genuine awakening in the nation
Deliberate malfeasance in office
A flagrant offense against public opinion
Indulging simply in pure buncombe
Logrolling schemes
A public disgrace
A blaze of popular resentment
Political fakery
Blind partisanship
An unfortunate deadlock
Public apathy
Under the old régime
In the initial days of the campaign
A shifty self-seeking politician
Astute diplomats
A corrupt public sentiment
From long association with politics
The real state of affairs in the nation
The last word of political wisdom
The pressing questions of the hour
Facts officially winked at
Recreant to a solemn trust
A sincere desire to safeguard the public
Refreshing to the people
Close to the heart of affairs
Hesitating at no extravagance
These recriminations go on endlessly
An era of good feeling
For political advantage
Scrupulously avoiding any offense against his party
One of the most prominent and potential among the leaders of his party
One cannot blame him for being resentful when the organ of his party flouts and ridicules him
He is quick to anticipate the veerings of public taste
It is regarded as a mere eczema on the body politic
The engrossing questions of the day
We must set ourselves to hunt out helpful policies
A stroke of diplomacy
Guilty of gross political impropriety
In the throes of an acute political crisis
A diplomatic victory
A new world order
Special interests
Political vicissitudes
Desirable reforms
Certain inalienable rights
Astute leadership
Political prestige
Leaving the individual decision to each man’s enlightened judgment
Upon the firm foundation of liberty, justice, and equality
Conspicuous in public affairs
POSSIBLE
If conditions are favorable
If the Fates smile
It is possible and not by any means improbable that——
The argument is thoroughly convincing if——
The antecedent probability is——
Entirely within the realm of probability
It is highly probable that——
It is by no means unthinkable that——
There is a bare possibility that——
In any event——
If this is an acceptable explanation then——
Were it not for “If” and “But” we should all be rich forever
That is humanly conceivable
Perfectly possible
It might be a very happy means of——
PREJUDICED
A prejudice sevenfold in thickness
Wresting it to suit a preconceived theory
Blind prejudices
It is another case of not being able to see the woods for the trees
The wish the father to the thought
He is crotchety and full of conceits
He is wedded to his opinions
He has no adequate idea of the task
It is a piece of embittered old fogeyism
It is based purely on personal considerations
Arrogantly ignorant
He approaches every problem from a preconceived point of view
He gives his energies to fanning the flame of——
For an unprejudiced mind it is not difficult to admit the reasonableness of the claim of——
Subject to spasmodic deafness
If he doesn’t understand a thing he damns it
PRIVILEGE
The grant of a blank check
A free hand
It leaves a charming latitude of guessing
Carte blanche
Free from all allegiance to——
He exercises a freeman’s right
Tenfold the justification for——
PROGRESS
The growing magnitude of——
It passed from a dream to a reality
It is fated to grow into greatness
It is a step forward in the right direction
It will mean that we have taken a big step toward——
It forged a new link in the chain of progress
A thorough-going reform
In no small degree the progress is due to——
Now we have passed away beyond that
Unhampered development
A genuine step toward——
The desire is growing by geometrical progression
A constructive program
An aggressive movement
The chariot of progress
In the experimental stage
PROPHESY
The suggestion is not wholly fanciful that——
Judging the future by the past there will be——
My forecast was correct
Whether or not he accurately divined all the——
It is altogether likely that——
We may probably conjecture some of the steps
A sure precursor of——
Only a bold prophet would predict when the——
Extravagant conjecture
I lay no claim to the predictive function of a prophet
’Tis likely by all conjectures.
King Henry VIII., II., 1
One may hazard the conjecture that——
A purely supposititious case
The hypothesis is based upon the supposed fact that——
Purely guesswork
PURPOSE
It has been a settled policy of my life to——
It is singleness of aim that gives him driving power
A man careless of all save the pursuit of his ideal
A great solidarity of purpose
To fulfil our purpose it is necessary to see clear and think straight
The problem has now to be envisaged from a wider angle
He is under the domination of great ideals
The purpose is unimpeachable
He is working toward the accomplishment of some high purpose
With rare purity of motive
We trust the scheme has been planned upon adequate lines
Not swerving from the path of duty
Simply and solely for the purpose of——
The avowed aim of——
A high degree of unity of purpose
Serious purpose
Filled with lofty aspirations
That’s the golden mark I seek to hit.
II. King Henry VI., I., 1
Spirits are not finely touch’d but to fine issues.
Measure for Measure, I., 1
Dominant aims
QUESTIONING
In what essential respect does it differ from——
Of what avail is it if——
Let us raise the inquiry how——
I would like to venture a question
Have you come upon any traces of——
You probably mean by that——
Is not that sufficient explanation
Can I depend on you
May I ask why——
On what grounds do you base your decision that——
May I inquire what your version is of——
How does this method of procedure strike you
What would you do under existing circumstances
Have you remarked the——
What boots it that——
How shall I understand you?
Timon of Athens, I., 1
Adroit questioning
What are your predilections
How do you relish——
I must beg leave to put a query
REAL
After stripping off a lot of thin veneer we find that——
It touched the vital springs of reality
It is not make-believe
The creed was transmuted into an experience
It brought him face to face with reality
Incontestable evidence of the truth and reality of——
The outward and visible sign of far-reaching realities
It savors of unreality
In a very real sense
In order to be real we must——
With a passion for reality
REDEMPTION
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Isa. I., 18
The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
Eph. I., 7
As far as the east is from the west so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Ps. CIII., 12
A bruised reed shall he not break.
Isa. XLII., 3
Like as a father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
Ps. CIII., 13
I will refine them as silver is refined.
Zech. XIII., 9
In whom we have redemption.
Eph. I., 7
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling.
Jude 24
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.
Titus III., 5
Moved with compassion.
Matt. IX., 36
Partakers of the divine nature.
II Pet. I., 4
Mighty to save.
Isa. LXIII., 1
Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn.
Isa. LI., 1
The wrath of men shall praise thee.
Ps. LXXVI., 10
Wise unto salvation.
II Tim. III., 15
A man after mine own heart.
Acts XIII., 22
The redemption of our body.
Rom. VIII., 23
Love covereth all sins.
Prov. X., 12
The truth shall make you free.
John VIII., 32
Love suffereth long and is kind.
I Cor. XIII., 4
Unto the pure all things are pure.
Titus I., 15
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened.
Eph. I., 18
I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection.
I Cor. IX., 27
Justified from all things.
Acts XIII., 39
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Eph. IV., 6
He hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph I., 6
Washed white from crimson sins
The process of becoming perfect
The right temper of the soul
The Divine hostility to sin
Brought into saving relationship
The ultimate purpose of redemption
A redeemed fellowship
The dynamics of the redeemed life
In God’s eternal economy
The Divine method of doing things
The splendors of redeeming grace
The unspeakable humility of Calvary
An eternal redemption
The mysteries of redemption
A wealth of unveiled glories
Rich in sanctity, wisdom, and redemptive power
REFERENCE
We cannot blink the fact that——
Apropos of the——
It must be borne in mind that——
With regard to——
He sapiently remarked that——
A case in point is the——
I am almost ashamed to advert to it
Unless my memory fail me, I recall that——
As the matter now stands——
In order to resolve the difficulty in question we——
No harm can come from restating calmly the——
Heretofore
I am always telling that to——
Thanks to the generosity of——
This is only a mild side-light on the——
You were just speaking on a very interesting topic
We can never remind ourselves too frequently that——
We must keep it in the forefront
I cannot divest myself of the impression that——
Incidentally, it would be well to remember that——
REGRET
It is too late to lock the stable-door when the steeds are stolen
It was a sorry business
It needs a lot of explaining
Decidedly unfortunate
It is a matter of regret to me that——
A distinct disappointment
That is a great pity
A thousand pities
I am quite provoked at my own stupidity
Not a pleasant experience
Most vexatious blunders
I am awfully sorry to miss the fun
It is pathetic
Is it not truly deplorable that——
Unfortunate in effect
It was the most humiliating experience possible
More deeply still should I deplore it if——
The remembrance of them is grievous unto us
I was profoundly mortified at——
No one regrets more than I do the——
It was a matter of no small regret that——
It has not been very good fortune to——
Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my king, he would not in mine age Have left me naked to mine enemies.
King Henry VIII., III., 2
Poignant regret
Frankly regretted
I feel like calling myself a simpleton for——
Unmistakable signs of a change of heart
He has made a clean breast of it
RELIGION
The eternal God from whom all goodness flows
The vision of redeemed and purified humanity
It saps the defenses of justice and morality
It requires the purging fires of divine judgment
The moral and spiritual height of God’s heaven
No religious consciousness
A glow of religious satisfaction
In quest of the divine treasure
The white flower of a blameless life
Man proposes and God disposes
It shows that the flame of reverence is burning low
There are no memories like the mercies of God
The murmuring woe of the world became as a bugle call to him
A lover of God
Purely kingdom business
Be sure God is satisfied with you
We are wholly certain of the righteousness of our cause
A sentiment in the highest degree spiritual
Friends of my soul
A man who carries the riches of God within himself
Redeemed and royal-hearted men and women
Caught up into the third heaven
The unmistakable signs of divine guidance
Acquiring the art of spiritual expressiveness
The beautiful realm of the spirit
A day of rich spiritual experience
Let never day nor night unhallow’d pass
But still remember what the Lord hath done.
A nice point for a tender conscience
Of none too severe morals
A spark of heavenly fire within
Reverential of all that is great and noble
The mountains of God
A kindly soldier of the cross
No supposititious consequences will make it right if the thing is not right in itself
Violations of moral rectitude
The triumphant inhabitants of heaven
A gate to immortal glory
The doleful effects of sin
In everlasting honor
A magnificence of spirit
The bounty of heaven
The adorable excellence of God
Banished from the blissful things of God
So big that it must be of God
A devotion to veracity
Heart-hunger for the divine
A life of serenity
Uplift by the power of Christ
The ineradicable instinct of the religious life
REPLY
(Affirmative)
I have the pleasure to concur with you
I am perfectly of that opinion
That is precisely my view of the case
It is an admirable way of putting it
It is extremely interesting, I can assure you
It fits exactly with my notion
It will be generally acquiesced in
I shall be most happy to grant it
I will with great pleasure
It sounds plausible
I am quite content to leave the judgment of it to you
I am pretty fully in accord with——
I can see the desirability of such an arrangement
I am sure the happiest results would ensue
(Negative)
The answer is a plain negative
I am quite unable to say
I should think it very unlikely
I haven’t the remotest idea
It is a sufficient answer to the foolish view to say——
I have neither grace nor gifts for such a responsibility
I am ignorance itself in this.
I. King Henry IV., III., 1
(To Compliment)
It is very kind of you to say so
I am grateful for your good opinion
Thank you for your good words
You are very kind
I am extremely glad you approve
Allow me to reciprocate by saying that——
I am pleased to hear you say so
I thank you for the compliment
(To Request)
I shall proceed at once to forget it
I shall respect your confidence
I shall be most happy to grant it
I prefer to reserve my judgment
I shall be most happy to come
Willingly, if you wish it
With pleasure
(Tactful)
I should as soon tell you as any one I know
I regret that I have never given the subject due consideration
It is a problem which no stretch of ingenuity can solve
Now, as they say, you are asking me a question
Ask me something easy
I am neutral
The deponent sayeth not
What part of Ireland are you from
I defer to——
Now I am quite out of my depth
I should feel peculiarly embarrassed to answer
And what is your judgment on that point
I am not at liberty to say anything more
What leads you to that conclusion, if I may ask
What an extraordinary observer you are
It is too remote for reminiscence
That is a fascinating field for difference of opinion
It seems that it is a case difficult either of proof or disproof
There seems to be a very great diversity in our sentiments
(Of Thanks)
It is good of you to say so
How lovely of you
I reciprocate your good wishes
Thank you for your cheerful words
You give me more credit than I deserve
It is really a pleasure to assist you
I feel amply repaid for my effort
I appreciate keenly the favor you have shown me
It was delightful I assure you
I feel indebted to you for your kindness
It was very thoughtful of you
One cannot be thankful enough for good friends
It was altogether delightful
REPREHENSIBLE
Out of the purvue of respectability
In bad odor
Worthy of all blame
Viewed with disfavor
Weighed in the balances and found wanting
No argument in its favor has been advanced which is not a reproach to repeat
A perfectly proper protest against
It must be dismissed as moonshine
It is worthy of no credence
Is there anything so utterly odious as——
A piece of ridiculous conceit
Just as ill-considered would it be to argue that——
Not yet purged of sinister aims
RESPONSIBILITY
It is a condition and not a theory which confronts us
There is no blinking the fact that——
Facing the facts
Facts are stubborn things
A responsibility made new and doubly solemn by the march of events
The assumption carries great liability
Moral intrepidity
The obligations of victory
It cannot be shrugged away
RESULT
I would most gladly know the issue of it.
The Winter’s Tale, V., 2
In the after-glow of——
It is the natural corollary of——
It will have to await events
The effect will be most unhappy
It is largely a consequence of——
Direful consequences
One of our inheritances from——
A happy consummation
RIDICULE
He has the art of saying nothing with immense seriousness
He needs to be wooed back to consciousness by soft music
Now comes the cruel pricking of the bubble
Laughed out of court
He was not taken very seriously
He is admirable in small doses
A little thin-blooded
The last expression of boredom
A thin veneer of truth
Rather the projection of his own imagination than a historical reality
In the throes of another dream
Note how thin the argument is
Splendidly ineffective
A position suited to his powers
He has the vice of stupidity
My tears refuse to flow
Damned with faint praise
He sneered at proprieties
His pump needs priming
Of course there are certain to be wiseacres to say that——
It has only one defect——it is not true
He takes himself too seriously
He lifted up his raucous voice against——
It would be entertaining to hear what——
His sagacity is no more to be admired than his modesty
I have tried to read him without skipping
Wonderful to relate
Growing beautifully less
Not worth the powder to shoot him
A trifle dull
He devotes himself to leisure with much assiduity
He is never troubled with a serious thought
The slightest modicum of common sense would teach that——
One half humbug and the other half hypocrisy
Very material tastes and ambitions
Pretty playthings
Fanciful pipe-dreaming
There is no activity within his cerebral cavity
A toy avalanche
He watched the proceeding from the seat of the scornful
One or two notches short of perfection
Confess you have dreamed this
After the wont of his kind
He is romancing
Possible but still improbable
Too sanguine
Too eager
Small talk
Sharp ridicule
SACRIFICIAL
We must give ourselves to the great new tasks
We have a sacrificial atmosphere now to breathe
We live in the presence of a sacrificial spirit
We must sacrifice to international relationships
Willing to go into the darkness of death that liberty might live
In the grip of a sacrificial spirit
From unselfish motives
Without any ulterior motives
A few rare souls who think no evil
Unconscious of a mean motive
With a nobility all its own
Very willing to accede to a suggestion
I will take it into serious consideration
SALVATION
Hearts sensitive to His presence
Sweet with the perfume of God’s breath
A spotless splendor that holds us in fascination
To them that nestle down into his will, God is like a mother
All the loving links that bind us to heaven
The psalm of adoring lip
The ceaseless exercise of reverence
Tokens of His favor
In those lofty moments when the soul is near God
The riches of His great grace
The river of rare and exquisite delights
In the highest realms of aspiration
A treasury of golden thoughts
Elements which have the luster and preciousness of pearls
Kept from the entanglements of sin
A heart made pure and right
The unforgetable memories of a pure home
The purest of the pure
A way of fortifying one’s soul
Moment by moment I’m kept in his love
Steadfast in the strength of God, and true
The free and kindly intimacies of the fireside
The fair realities of the sanctified life
The peaceful atmosphere of good will
Make a covenant with your eyes lest sin get into your heart
We must get corruption out of the heart for one never knows how it will betray
An infinitely loving and all-wise heart
Worthy to receive endless praise
Far up the everlasting hills in God’s own light
The hallowed beauty of the eternal God
The glorious outlines of His holiness
The pure pellucid waters of His grace
Illumined by the indwelling of eternal light
The presence of the most high God
The all-wise and gracious counsels of God
The unshadowed depths of eternal holiness
The adoration of the eternal
A celestial melody
In resplendent glory
In the mountains of God
The great and blessed God who inhabits eternity
The unblemished holiness of heaven
Enabled to act continually with integrity
Free from narrow and selfish motives
The grand truths of redemption
The news of mercy
The mighty Sacrifice
The sons of peace
The paths of peace
The heavenly steeps
The life-giving stream
The glory of holiness
The well-spread table
The river of regenerating energy
A joy-giving truth
The sacred longing of the soul
The enduring brotherhood
A new ideal of plenty
A beautiful faith
The eternal spirit
SATISFACTORY
Highly desirable
Thoroughly wholesome
Splendidly worth while
Singularly appropriate
There are great compensations in——
What an increasing sense of satisfaction it must be to——
I note with satisfaction that——
It comes as a refreshing surprise to learn that——
It satisfies every reasonable requirement
It seems to leave little to be desired
A profound and refreshing satisfaction
It will be brought to a happy issue
And I ... am satisfied and therein do count myself well paid.
The Merchant of Venice, IV., 1
It will be very much to his advantage to——
It is beyond all contradiction a very happy situation
The matter was brought to a very satisfactory termination
Eminently satisfactory
All this was highly gratifying to——
Our most sanguine hopes have been exceeded
It has given me no small amount of satisfaction
It is fully up to our best traditions
All will take an honest pride in——
Very well worth while
A taking piece of work
Perfectly all right
A most advantageous turn of affairs
Inexpressibly pleasing
In a very satisfying sense
What a soothing reflection it is that——
I have the happy assurance that——
I find real comfort in saying to myself that——
Of a kind to gladden the heart
A son of consolation
I have a comfortable feeling that——
It is a most poignant satisfaction to——
A suggestion of better things to come
When every moment is a joy
It is so satisfying
I had the secret satisfaction of
I was wonderfully pleased with it
With great satisfaction
Complete satisfaction
An unmixed satisfaction
Quite content in almost any one’s company
It is ample reward for the hardships endured
To a nicety
That fine delight I always experience when I
It will answer your largest expectations
It will challenge your highest esteem
SECRET
No word of the affair ever saw the light
I shall keep perfectly mum about it
Do not herald it abroad
Tell it not in Gath
I should appreciate your confidence
Stall this in your bosom.
All’s Well that Ends Well, I., 3
He has been keeping his own counsel
SENSITIVE
As sensitive as a barometer
Fearful of having committed an indiscretion
A delicate plant and can be destroyed
The raw edges of life chafe him
Sensitive to a fault
Highly susceptible
Quick to respond to any overtures of interest
Impregnated with the sense of——
As impressible as wax to the seal
I have been decidedly impressed by——
There are things which stamp themselves indelibly upon the memory
SIMILE
(General)
As light as a snowflake
As fragile as glass
As grave as a judge
As rough as a bear
As still as a statue
As swift as a thought
As fierce as a tiger
As blithe as a bird
As old as the moon
As evanescent as a bubble
As deep as the sea
As graceful as Apollo
As beautiful as apple-blossoms
As hard as steel
As dark as pitch
As fierce as flame
As fleet as an arrow
As black as ebony
As white as snow
As thin as a shadow
As flat as a flounder
As sharp as a needle
As smooth as glass
As pale as a pearl
As welcome as a friend
As blind as a mole
As busy as a bee
As dry as dust
As fresh as a rose
As happy as an angel
As elastic as a steel spring
As dumb as an oyster
As illusive as a dream
As weak as water
As sweet as angel-dreams
As swift as a shadow
As short as a dream
As distant as a star
As cheerless as the Arctic
As black as ravens’ wings
As gray as ashes
As sharp as a sword
As white as chalk
As bold as a hawk
As clear as a whistle
As dull as lead
As broad as the sea
As hushed as the grave
As hopeful as the dawn
As soft as the south-wind
As swift as lightning
As sudden as thought
As clear as cloudless noon
As vague as a dream
As dry as a reed
As blue as violets
As hard as a stone
As invigorating as a sea-breeze
As happy as a child
As lithe as a panther
As impatient as the wind
Like wax to receive impressions
Like steel to retain impressions
Like one in a dream
Like the sea at rest
It clings like a burr
(Shakespeare)
Valiant as a lion.
Troilus and Cressida, I., 2
Churlish as the bear.
Troilus and Cressida, I., 2
Slow as the elephant.
Troilus and Cressida, I., 2
His nose was as sharp as a pen.
King Henry V., II., 3
As dead as a door-nail.
King Henry VI., IV., 10
The inaudible and noiseless foot of time.
All’s Well that Ends Well, V., 3
As loathsome as a toad.
Titus Andronicus, IV., 2
Black as ebony.
Love’s Labor’s Lost, IV., 3
As like as eggs.
The Winter’s Tale, I., 2
As broad and general as the casing air.
Macbeth, III., 4
Constant as the northern star.
Julius Cæsar, III., 1
Swift as a shadow.
A Midsummer-Night’s Dream, I., 1
As pure as the unsullied lily.
Love’s Labor’s Lost, V., 2
Mine as sure as bark on tree.
Love’s Labor’s Lost, V., 2
The lazy foot of time.
As You Like It, III., 2
Life is a shuttle.
The Merry Wives of Windsor, V., 1
The murmuring lips of discontent.
King John, IV., 2
Her sunny locks hang on her temples like a golden fleece.
The Merchant of Venice, I., 1
The tooth of time.
Measure for Measure, V., 1
As fat as butter.
I. King Henry IV., II., 4
As like you as cherry is to cherry.
King Henry VIII., V., 1
As like as rain to water.
King John, II., 1
Short as any dream.
A Midsummer-Night’s Dream, I., 1
Like an envious sneaping frost that bites the first-born infants of the spring.
Love’s Labor’s Lost, I., 1
SORROW
Burdens pressing down upon head and heart
A feeble lonely soul
Heart longings
A picture of despair
A life of struggle, grief, and pain
With inexpressible longings
A struggling heart
The appalling darkness of Gethsemane
The lonely way of isolation
On a beach of wrecks
He walked with bleeding feet the flinty path
A figure of woe fit to melt the most obdurate heart
The struggling myriads of the poor
The noble army of martyrs
Like a sad and poignant refrain
The roots of bitterness
Ill tidings
A heavy heart
The hour of misfortune
Passing through the school of affliction
It is a tale for tears
At the mercy of the merciless
Sorely in need of consolation
SQUELCHED
Paid back in his own coin
Suffering the inevitable consequences of his own disagreeableness
Received a sharp quietus
He was compelled to take a back seat
Stick to your own knitting
STRAIGHTFORWARD
It was open and aboveboard
A candor which disarms criticism
There was no pretense about it
Perfectly frank and straightforward
An unequivocal rejoinder
Straight out from the shoulder
The message was explicit and unequivocal
With absolute frankness
With no inclination to blink facts
He does not seek to belittle the fact that——
Straightforward integrity
A frank, whole-hearted recognition of——
STUBBORN
Impervious to argument
He is not the least bit clever
He was perversely slow to——
He is too stupid to make a blunder
As impassive as a statue
He is inflexible to all entreaty
He has been inexorable to all invitations
The victim of his own prejudices
The dupe of his own stupidity
Empty of the kernel of good sense
He made a plump refusal
It is like trying to use a large screw-driver to turn a small screw
Altogether obtuse
Not a grain of novelty in it
The zealous stupidity of amateurs
Prodigiously stupid
He is as stubborn as hickory
He turned a deaf ear to——
SUCCESS
My most sanguine hopes have been realized
But still we got on
He has the rare combination of audacity and calculation which assures success
No inconsiderable victory
It has proved a distinct success
Nothing venture nothing have
A very auspicious beginning
A project likely to be realized
I have a reasonable confidence in the success of the——
The indispensable foundation of successful work
We must capture the innermost citadel
His star is in the ascendant
It is a great day for——
Not because of the tactics used but in spite of them
It ought to prove a solar plexus blow
It is a great achievement
It is a hard won triumph
No inconsiderable victory
It was a triumph of sheer grit
The sinews of victory
The opposition disappeared under the fierce fires of——
A victory which shall achieve the high purpose which we have held
Attained only by those who intently seek it
SUFFICIENT
A land flowing with milk and honey
Like a spring whose waters cannot fail
Of a not inconsiderable degree
With ample room
All that heart could wish
A superabundance of——
SUGGESTION
A word to the wise is sufficient
Let me put you on your guard
Let me make a suggestion
Let me put a bee in your bonnet
A suggestion, perhaps, may be ventured that——
SUGGESTIVE
An everlasting foundation.
Prov. X., 25
More precious than of gold that perisheth.
I Pet. I., 7
The power of the grave.
Hosea XIII., 14
The people of God.
Heb. XI., 25
An ornament of grace.
Prov. I., 9
The peaceable fruit of righteousness.
Heb. XII., 11
The righteousness of the law.
Rom. VIII., 4
The law of sin and death.
Rom. VIII., 2
The light of life.
John VIII., 12
Good tidings of good.
Isa. LII., 7
The tongue of the wise.
Prov. XV., 2
The Prince of peace.
Isa. IX., 6
The counsellors of peace.
Prov. XII., 20
The firstfruits of all thine increase.
Prov. III., 9
A goodly heritage.
Ps. XVI., 6
The good fight of faith.
I Tim. VI., 12
The paths of the Lord.
Ps. XXV., 10
The secret of the Lord.
Ps. XXV., 14
The courts of our God.
Ps. XCII., 13
A diadem of beauty.
Isa. XXVIII., 5
Before the foundation of the world.
Eph. I., 4
Everlasting habitations.
Luke XVI., 9
A faithful creator.
I Pet. IV., 19
Lord thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
Ps. XC., 1
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea.
The eternal God is thy refuge.
Deut. XXXIII., 27
God is the strength of my heart.
Ps. LXXIII., 26
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Neh. VIII., 10
A crown of glory that fadeth not away.
I Pet. V., 4
Unsearchable riches.
Eph. III., 8
A crown of righteousness.
II Tim. IV., 8
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
II Tim. III., 7
Let thy words be few.
Eccl. V., 2
There is no discharge in that war.
Eccl. VIII., 8
A living dog is better than a dead lion.
Eccl. IX., 4
Wizards that peep, and that mutter.
Isa. VIII., 19
He smelleth the battle afar off.
Job XXXIX., 25
While I was musing the fire burned.
In the valley of decision.
Joel III., 14
For who hath despised the day of small things.
Zech. IV., 10
To the law and to the testimony.
Isa. VIII., 20
A covenant with death.
Isa. XXVIII., 15
Absent in body, but present in spirit.
I Cor., V., 3
Fallen from grace.
Gal. V., 4
The refuge of lies.
Isa. XXVIII., 17
Line upon line.
Isa. XXVIII., 13
Carried about with every wind of doctrine.
Eph. IV., 14
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Rom. XIV., 5
Great plainness of speech.
II Cor. III., 12
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
I Thess. V., 21
A book of remembrance.
Mal. III., 16
The law of kindness.
Prov. XXXI., 26
A mother in Israel.
II Sam. XX., 19
The land of the living.
Ps. CXVI., 9
I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.
Job XIX., 20
A still small voice.
I Kings XIX., 12
His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
Deut. XXXIV., 7
Let me die the death of the righteous.
Num. XXIII., 10
A soft answer turneth away wrath.
Prov. XV., 1
Not of the night, nor of darkness.
I Thess. V., 5
An understanding heart.
I Kings III., 9
Hide me under the shadow of thy wings.
Ps. XVII., 8
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in baskets of silver.
Prov. XXV., 11
Establish thou the works of our hands.
Ps. XC., 17
Whose I am, and whom I serve.
Acts XXVII., 23
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation.
I Tim. I., 15
Her children arise up, and call her blessed.
Prov. XXXI., 28
Their folly shall be manifest to all men.
II Tim. III., 9
Lest I should be exalted above measure.
II Cor. XII., 7
They have sold a girl for wine.
Joel III., 3
In your patience possess ye your souls.
Luke XXI., 19
Eyes full of adultery.
II Pet. II., 14
Every idle word that men shall speak.
Matt. XII., 36
My speech shall distill as the dew.
Deut. XXXII., 2
A strong consolation.
Heb. VI., 18
Great treasure and trouble therewith.
Prov. XV., 16
A lover of hospitality.
Titus I., 8
A wholesome tongue.
Prov. XV., 4
Not greedy of filthy lucre.
I Tim., III., 3
A cheerful giver.
II Cor. IX., 7
The children of light.
I Thess. V., 5
Speaking the truth in love.
Eph. IV., 15
The sword of the spirit.
Eph. VI., 17
The tree of life.
Prov. III., 18
The wings of the wind.
Ps. XVIII., 10
A crown of life.
Rev. II., 10
Not weary in well doing.
Gal. VI., 9
Invisible things.
Rom. I., 20
Slow to wrath.
Jas. I., 19
An everlasting sign.
Isa. LV., 13
The hidden things of dishonesty.
II Cor. IV., 2
A thorn in the flesh.
II Cor. XII., 7
A cloud of witnesses.
Heb. XII., 1
The day is far spent.
Luke XXIV., 29
As one having authority.
Matt. VII., 29
Borne the burden and heat of the day.
Matt. XX., 12
A word spoken in due season.
Prov. XV., 23
Mighty in word and deed.
Luke XXIV., 19
Not grudgingly or of necessity.
II Cor. IX., 7
Faithful unto death.
Rev. II., 10
Incorruptible and undefiled.
I Pet. I., 4
The mind of Christ.
I Cor. II., 16
I obtained mercy.
I Tim. I., 13
The words of truth and soberness.
Acts XXVI., 25
This is the finger of God.
Ex. VIII., 19
By the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom. III., 20
Things that accompany salvation.
Heb. VI., 9
If a man die shall he live again?
Job XIV., 14
Watchman, what of the night?
Isa. XXI., 11
In the furnace of affliction.
Isa. XLVIII., 10
Owe no man anything, but to love one another.
Rom. XIII., 8
A wounded spirit who can bear.
Prov. XVIII., 14
Riches certainly make themselves wings.
Prov. XXIII., 5
A man to have friends must shew himself friendly.
Prov. XVIII., 24
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing.
Prov. XVIII., 22
It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Acts XX., 35
Perfect love casteth out fear.
I John IV., 18
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.
Prov. XXII., 1
The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
Mk. XIV., 38
Comfort one another with these words.
I Thess. IV., 18
Of whom the world was not worthy.
Heb. XI., 38
SUPERLATIVE
In an unrivaled degree
On a grand scale
Of profound significance
Beyond expression
On a world scale
In a rare degree
Of rarest beauty
In a notable way
In a conspicuous degree
On a grandiose scale
The weightiest factors in the whole matter is--
The supremest moments of life
Of the finest sort
The acme of--
SURE
Demonstrated beyond all possibility of contradiction
As sure as God is sifting out the chaff
With mathematical certainty
That is one incontrovertible fact
In an unmistakable way
One conclusion is inescapable
An absolutely logical sequence of events
There is no wink of doubt about that--
By proof positive
To make assurance doubly sure
With unerring instinct
It leads to the inevitable conclusion that--
No doubt is possible that--
It is inevitable that--
Made us sure beyond a peradventure
Few events are better attested than--
They know to a dead certainty that--
It is safe to infer that--
Almost invariably
Unmistakable evidence
Conclusive evidence
Well-authenticated testimony
The conclusion cannot be escaped that--
A foregone conclusion.
Othello, III., 3
I speak from certainties.
Coriolanus, I., 2
Indisputably right
There is no gainsaying the fact that——
As certain as the multiplication table
We can rest absolutely assured that——
Beyond all dispute
The sure mark of a——
With entire certainty
It has the ring of finality in it
SUSPICION
A lurking suspicion all the while that——
A chronic distrust
An uncertain sense of something hidden
Timid misgivings
In such a way as to raise a mild suspicion that——
Inclined to be suspicious
Not the most distant suspicion of——
Tortured by suspicion
A suspicion born of the fact that——
I cannot help suspecting that——
I smell a device.
Twelfth Night, II., 3
The insinuation has a foundation in fact
It is the fashion of unthinking persons to——
SYMBOLIC
Emblematic of the fact that——
The appearance for the thing
The form for the substance
The law for the essence
The sign for the thing signified
Of a figurative import
TACTLESS
The knack of setting everything and everybody by the ears
There is need of a lady’s hand
It was not placatory but rather exasperating
Wholly indifferent to expediency
The intention was good but the method was wrong
Foolhardy
He is impossible
He is going over fool’s hill and is only part way over
TERSE
Knightly generosity
Charming surprises
Instinctive delights
Surpassing merits
Joyously happy
Laudable purposes
Beautifully clean
Neatly arranged
Social amenities
Amiable qualities
Grandly simple
Peculiarly becoming
Remarkably pretty
Well disposed
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Zealous of good works.
Titus II., 14
Labor of love.
I Thess. I., 3
Rich in good works.
I Tim. VI., 18
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.
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
II
A SAMPLE LETTER SHOWING HOW THIS BOOK MAY BE USED IN PREPARATION OF SOCIAL LETTERS
HOW TO PREPARE A SOCIAL LETTER
For example, if one desires to write a letter of Condolence, let him turn to the GUIDE TO PHRASES, p. 279, and to the subheading “FOR LETTERS OF CONDOLENCE.” Then, guided by the references, select in the DICTIONARY OF PHRASES, such expressions as are most desirable, weaving them into a letter as in the following sample:
My dear ————,
[a]I know your heart must be sorely grieved at the loss of your dear father. [b]His name was never mentioned by us without the most tender regard. [c]No one ever displayed a sweeter spirit than he. [d]Be assured of our cordial esteem and fervent prayers.
Very sincerely yours,
III
GUIDE TO PHRASES
FOR USE IN PREPARING ONE’S OWN LETTERS IF THE SAMPLE LETTERS ARE NOT SATISFACTORY
GUIDE TO PHRASES
For Letters of Apology
See Samples, p. 312
See Apology, pp. 6, 7, 40, 140, 141, 157
See Concluding Assurances, pp. 164-168
For Letters of Congratulation
See Samples, pp. 298-300
See Conventional, pp. 155, 156
See Approbation, p. 8
See Commendatory (Of Persons), pp. 19-24
See Concluding Assurances, pp. 164-168
For Letters of Condolence
See Samples, pp. 285-298
See Commendatory (Of Persons), pp. 19-24
See Condolence, pp. 141-155
See Concluding Assurances, pp. 161-168
See Courtesy, p. 41
For Letters of Commendation
See Samples, pp. 298-300
See Approbation, p. 8
See Commendatory (Of Persons), pp. 19-24
See Courtesy, pp. 40-51
See Concluding Assurances, pp. 161-168
For Letters of Introduction
See Commendatory (Of Persons), pp. 19-24
See Concluding Assurances, pp. 161-168
For Letters of Invitation
See Conventional, p. 157
See Concluding Assurances, pp. 161-168
For Letters of Recommendation
See Commendatory (Of Persons), pp. 19-24
See Enthusiasm, p. 80
For Letters of Thanks
See Samples, pp. 306-312
See Concluding Assurances, pp. 161-168
See Conventional, pp. 46, 50, 51
See Thanks, p. 250
IV
SOCIAL LETTERS
Life is not so short but there is always time enough for courtesy.――Emerson.
LETTERS OF CONDOLENCE
My dear ————,
I received to-day the sad word that ———— had passed away. I know that your heart is sorely grieved, and I hasten to send to you this little word of assurance of our love and sympathy. Trusting that you will write as soon as you have the heart, for I am anxious to hear from you, I am,
My dear ————,
We were exceedingly sorry to learn of your bereavement. There are many whom we have “loved and lost awhile.” But God will take us into their goodly company some glad day. We unite in sending our sincere sympathy.
With warm regards,
My dear ————,
We were so grieved to read in the paper of your great loss. Would that we were not so far away from you, or else we would surely try to comfort you with our presence.
Mrs. ———— and I send our best love and sympathy.
Faithfully yours,
My dear ————,
We were very sorry to read of your bereavement in the loss of your ————. Our prayer is that you may find great consolation in the thought that some day, in God’s own good time, you shall see ———— again.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
I was saddened to hear of your recent loss. I need not tell you how often I think of you. With a prayer for every blessing upon you and your family,
Sincerely your friend,
My dear ————,
I regret exceedingly to hear of your sorrow. Do not try to explain to yourself so trying an hour, but bring into requisition all the faith and courage you can muster, and with confidence face the seeming dismal days.
Lean hard upon your good friends,
One of whom is
My dear ————,
We have heard with deep feelings of regret [287] of the death, of your ————, and we offer you our most sincere sympathy in your great loss.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
Please accept condolences and sincere sympathy for the loss of my friend ————.
Your Friend,
My dear ————,
Mrs. ———— shares with me the great sorrow which so many feel on account of the death of your ————.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
I am deeply grieved by the news of your bereavement, and beg you to accept the expression of my profound and heartfelt sympathy.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
I am greatly grieved to hear of the death of ———— for whom I had the utmost regard. Please accept my deepest sympathy.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
My heartfelt sympathy goes out to you in your bereavement.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
We send our love and our tenderest sympathy.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
We are greatly afflicted by the melancholy intelligence which has reached us that ———— is no more with us. He carried the riches of God within himself, and was a royal-hearted man. He was greatly beloved by all of us. With a prayer for every blessing on yourself,
Affectionately your friend,
My dear ————,
Permit me to express on behalf of ———— and myself our deepest sympathy. May you find very great comfort in the thought that there is a time coming when there shall be no more death, neither sorrow.
Faithfully yours,
My dear ————,
I know not how to express my sorrow at the word which I have just received. Your ———— was such a sweet uncomplaining spirit. We shall miss ———— when next we come to ————.
I should be glad if I could suggest anything to lighten the burden, and make your path a little more smooth and easy.
Sincerely your friend,
My dear ————,
I know that your heart must be sorely grieved at the loss of your splendid ————. ———— knew the secret of beautiful living. We can console ourselves with the assurance that we shall some day see our loved ones in the brighter happier world above.
Sincerely your friend,
My dear Friend,
It is with great regret that we learn of the sad occurrence at your home. Please accept our united and sincere condolences.
With deepest sympathy,
My dear ————,
Words are inadequate to express my feelings at this hour. Exceeding great sympathy,
My dear ————,
We were exceedingly sorry to read of the death of your good ————. I wish I could suggest something to make your paths a little more smooth and easy. Perhaps the words “He knoweth” will be of comfort.
We unite in sending our affectionate regards to all.
Most sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
Let me send a little word of encouragement and sympathy in this dark hour of your life. And perhaps the best word is that which says: “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Mrs. ———— and I offer you our most sincere sympathy. Let us have the comfort of hearing from you soon.
Faithfully yours,
My dear ————,
No words can quite express my sympathy in this time of deep sorrow. As long as I shall remember anything I shall remember ———— virtues and ———— kindnesses.
Your Friend,
My dear ————,
I can imagine your heart must be sorely grieved in your recent loss. We beg you to accept our love and sympathy.
Sincerely your friend,
My dear ————,
May every consolation and blessing be granted to you in your deep sorrow. Kindly accept my heartfelt sympathy.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
May I share with you the deep sorrow you are called upon to bear at the loss of your ————. So many beautiful traits made up ———— character. Be greatly comforted by the assurance which He gives to us that we shall see our Lord again, for He says: “Because I live, ye shall live also.”
Most sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
I hope I need not tell you how anxious I have been since I first heard of your great loss. You have my earnest prayers that the Almighty may support you.
Your Friend,
My dear ————,
I was grieved to hear of your recent sorrow. Please accept for yourself my assurance of deep sympathy.
Faithfully yours,
My dear ————,
How I regretted to hear of your late bereavement. Trusting that the dark cloud of sorrow will also have for you a bright side of hope, I am,
Your Friend,
My dear ————,
I took a nice little fancy to you in our dealings [292] at ————, and hence, when I read this morning of the death of your ————, I was truly sorry. On the day that I talked last with him, I was much impressed with his vigor both of body and of mind. I would be glad to have had such a ————.
May you be greatly comforted by the affection and esteem in which ———— was held by ———— many friends.
With sincere regards,
My dear ————,
It was with the deepest regret that we learned of your loss. What a comfort it must be to you that you were able to be with him during his illness. Please accept my most sincere sympathy.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
I have just received the sad news of your ———— death. Please accept my heartfelt sympathy in your bereavement.
Most sincerely,
My dear ————,
I sympathize keenly with you in the loss of your ————. May the Father of mercies give you the rich consolation of his grace. Do not fear for he knows what is in your heart.
Your Friend,
My dear ————,
Such a sad circumstance has come to you. I would that I might express my sympathy to you in person. In your hour of trial may God comfort you greatly.
Yours sincerely,
My dear ————,
We extend our heartfelt sympathy in your hour of trial.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
Yours is indeed a deep sorrow. We were so shocked to learn of it to-day. We are sometimes called to sow in tears, but the promise is that we shall reap in joy. May every consolation and blessing be granted you is our prayer. Please accept our assurance of deep sympathy.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
There are times when one cannot express himself in words. Kindly accept my sincerest sympathy.
Your Friend,
My dear ————,
How can I express my sympathy for you in the loss of your dear mother. When one loses her [294] mother she feels she has lost her best friend, and can only wait for time to heal the heartache. With assurance of love,
Very sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
Our hearts sorrow with you. Your ———— was such an excellent ————. ———— had so many admiring friends. All the gentle virtues came into full bloom in ————.
We send our united and sincere condolences,
Most faithfully yours,
My dear ————,
I am sincerely sorry to hear of your loss. You, who have so often comforted others, are now to be comforted. And what better word can I send to you than that which Paul writes in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians: “Blessed be God, even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulations that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.”
We offer our sincere sympathy in your great sorrow.
Most faithfully yours,
(For Member of an Organization)
Resolved, That ———— records its profound respect for ———— and its sense of great loss through his death.
He set an example of service and self-sacrifice which is inspiring.
The ———— extend to ———— and to the members of his family their deepest sympathy and join with them in mourning the loss not only as a splendid member of our ———— but as a most excellent citizen.
Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent to his family.
(On Death of Soldier)
My dear ————,
May I express to you my sincere condolence in your hour of sorrow. I have just learned that your son gave his life, though not in battle, still in his and our Country’s cause. We are all proud of him, and I sincerely hope that you will find much comfort in the knowledge of the affection in which he is held.
With sincerest sympathy,
(When Interment is at Home)
My dear ————,
We have just been informed that your son’s body has been lovingly laid to rest at home. If [296] ever we were proud of our soldier boys it is now. Every day their sacrifices are more precious to us as we dwell upon their likeness to the greatest of all sacrifices which God made for us through his Son.
May the God of all comfort, comfort you and yours is our prayer.
Sincerely yours,
(Interment of Soldier)
My dear ————,
I am thinking of you to-day in all your sorrow, yet knowing that you are comforted. Comforted by the assurance that your son died as a true soldier, giving his all at its best for you and for his country; comforted by the fact that you have him near you again, where you can go occasionally in sweet reverence and recall precious memories. Above all you must be comforted by the Redeemer’s resurrection promise that you shall see your dear son again.
Please accept my heartfelt sympathy.
Your Friend,
REPLY TO CONDOLATORY LETTER
My dear ————,
I am very grateful for your kind expression [297] of sympathy. My heart is filled with gratitude when I think of my good friends.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
Permit me to thank you in behalf of ———— for your courteous message of sympathy.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
I thank you kindly for your consoling letter. Though I have waited some time to reply, its messages were none the less deeply appreciated.
Your Friend,
My dear ————,
Your kind letter was a great solace to me in my recent loss. One does not realize how much comfort is derived from such beautiful expressions of sympathy.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
I am grateful to you for your kind expression of sympathy. Surely it has been an hour of great trial to me, but I have been sustained in it all by the grace of God, and loving-hearted friends.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
Just this short note to tell you how much your [298] sympathy was appreciated in our late bereavement.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
I want to thank you very much for your sympathetic letter received in our great bereavement.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
Your sympathy was so much appreciated in our late bereavement.
Very truly yours,
My dear ————,
I want to thank you for your expression of sympathy in our bereavement.
Sincerely,
LETTERS OF CONGRATULATION
(On Graduation)
My dear ————,
How happy I am to hear that you have so successfully terminated your High School course. You surely deserve the best the world can offer for you have earned it by hard conscientious study. Please accept my congratulations.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
It was with the greatest pleasure I learned that you were to graduate this year. How much it must mean to you to finally hold in your hand the diploma for which you have labored so faithfully for four years. May I extend my hearty congratulations.
Yours sincerely,
My dear ————,
It is a great pleasure to me to know that you have finished your High School course. I have admired the way you have held to it to the finish. I hope I shall have opportunity also to write to you at the time of your graduation from college.
Sincerely yours,
(On Birthday)
My dear ————,
Congratulations on this the anniversary of your birth. I can wish you no better fortune than that your future years may be as happy and as useful as your past.
Wishing you continued health and prosperity,
I am, Sincerely yours,
(On Wedding Day Anniversary)
My dear ————,
May all your future be as bright as this your [300] wedding day, with joys and blessings deep and many, with sorrows light and few.
Ever yours,
(On Birth of Child)
My dear ————,
Congratulations upon the birth of your son. With such intelligent and religious guidance as his parents will give him, I feel sure that he will grow up to noble manhood, and be a joy and a great blessing to all.
Very sincerely yours,
LETTERS OF FRIENDLY APPRECIATION
My dear ————,
I have just heard of your success in ————.
I have always had a great admiration for you and your work, and I am sending this little note to assure you of my regard, and to wish you still further successes.
Your Friend,
My dear ————,
It is with much pleasure that I learned to-day of your complete recovery from your recent illness.
I trust you will soon be able to take active part in the various societies in which you are interested. [301] We would be glad to greet you soon again at ————
Sincerely yours,
LETTERS WITH GIFTS
My dear ————,
Please accept the enclosed tickets to ————. The program seems attractive and I trust you will enjoy it.
Yours sincerely,
My dear ————,
As a token of my high regard I am enclosing a ————. With best wishes for many happy returns of the day, I am,
Sincerely your friend,
LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION
My dear ————,
The bearer, ————, is a personal friend of mine. He is to spend a few days in ———— and I am anxious that he shall have some reliable information. Hence I am sending him to you. Any favors that you may show to him I will consider as to myself.
Sincerely your friend,
My dear ————,
This will introduce ————, a friend of mine who has just moved to your city. He has a position with the ————. Perhaps you can assist him with some information. I will consider it a favor, and I am sure he will be doubly grateful.
Yours respectfully,
My dear ————,
This letter will introduce ————, who is to spend his vacation in your neighborhood. If you can give him information concerning some of the places of interest I shall esteem it a great favor.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
The bearer, ————, is a young acquaintance of mine who has determined to live in your city. He has good habits. If you will guide him concerning a place to board, and possibilities of work I will esteem it a great favor.
Sincerely yours,
LETTERS OF INVITATION
(To Party)
My dear ————,
I have the pleasure of entertaining ————, of ————, [303] on ———— at 8 o’clock. Trusting to see you and ———— at that time.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
On Tuesday next I am having a little party, too small almost to come under that head, and wish particularly to have you come. I will arrange an escort “to and fro” so if you have any preference let me know.
Cordially yours,
My dear ————,
I am giving a party on ———— evening and this is just a little note to say that you are invited “in particular.”
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
I am giving an informal party on ———— evening at ———— o’clock, to introduce my ————. Hoping you will be able to come, I am,
Most cordially yours,
My dear ————,
On ———— next I am giving a small party for my ————, ————, of ————, and should like very much to have you meet her. Hoping to see you then, I am,
Very sincerely yours,
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Gentlemen,
The bearer, ————, is a young man of my acquaintance whose family I have known for some time. They are splendid people. This young man is ambitious and thoroughly trustworthy. I hope you can find a place for him.
Sincerely yours,
To Whom it may Concern, ————
This is to certify that the bearer, ————, is an acquaintance of mine, a man whom I esteem to be thoroughly reliable.
Dear Sir:
This is to certify that ———— has been in my employ for ————. He is a most willing and able worker, honest, steady and faithful. It was with regret that we were obliged to let him go from our employ. I feel very safe in highly recommending him to you.
Sincerely yours,
Dear Sir:
This is to recommend to you ————. I have been acquainted with ———— for ———— and have found ———— a true friend, and always worthy of a trust. ———— is a ———— of good family connections, a splendid [305] conversationalist and will prove, I am sure, just the person to fill the position you have open.
Very respectfully,
Dear Sir:
The bearer, ————, is a young man of excellent habits, of fine family, and is highly respected in our community. I would recommend him.
Very respectfully,
To Whom it may Concern:
The bearer, ————, is an acquaintance of mine for ———— years. He is a young man of splendid habits. I would recommend him for any position suitable to his ability.
To Whom it may Concern:
I have known the bearer, ————, for ————. He is of fine family and has been one of our most respected young men.
I would heartily recommend him.
LETTERS OF RESIGNATION
————, Secretary.
My dear ————,
I regret that I shall be compelled to resign my position as ———— on account of ————. With sincere [306] thanks to all for many kindnesses, and with best wishes to the ————, I am,
Yours respectfully,
————, Secretary.
My dear ————,
Please present herewith, my resignation to become effective ————.
Yours respectfully,
LETTERS OF THANKS
(For a favor)
My dear ————,
Please allow me to send my most thankful acknowledgments for the favor you have conferred upon me. I trust I may be able some time to do a service for you.
Sincerely yours,
(For a favor shown to another)
My dear ————,
You have exceedingly obliged me by so kindly entertaining and looking after my friend, ————, during her stay in your ————. I trust I may be able to find some way to fully repay you.
Truly yours,
My dear ————,
It was so splendid of you to assist my friend, ————. I would like to reciprocate, and trust that if you have occasion to need my services at any time, in behalf of any of your friends, you will not hesitate to call upon me.
Very sincerely,
(For gifts)
My dear ————,
No words can quite express my gratitude to you for the beautiful gift. I feel deeply indebted to you, and take this first opportunity to thank you.
Cordially,
My dear ————,
I am deeply indebted to you for your favor received to-day. It is a great pleasure to be remembered thus by one’s friends. I thank you gratefully for it.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
How very good and kind you are to send me such a nice present. I will not write more but will wait until a better opportunity enables me to express my thanks.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
Accept my hearty thanks for your dainty gift. It is greatly appreciated, and will ever be a reminder of your kindness and generosity.
Sincerely yours,
REPLIES
(For Another, for a Gift of Flowers)
My dear ————,
I am deeply indebted to you for your remembrance to my ————. She wants me to write and thank you for the beautiful flowers which you so kindly sent to her. She is much improved to-day. Please accept our warmest thanks.
Sincerely,
(For Birthday Gift)
My dear ————,
How fine it was of you to remember me on my birthday. Your gift will be to me a constant reminder of your kindness.
As ever,
My dear ————,
Please accept my warmest thanks for your kind thought of me on my birthday. Your gift has proven a source of great pleasure.
Cordially yours,
(For Christmas Gift)
My dear ————,
I will not attempt to express the satisfaction I felt when I received your splendid gift at Christmas time.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
Few things could have pleased me more than your very lovely Christmas gift. I am most grateful to you for it.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
I want to thank you very much for the fine Christmas gift. It is splendid to be remembered by one’s friends, for it is an expression of kindly regard, which, I assure you, is mutual.
Sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
Your gift received to-day meets with my deep appreciation, and I hasten to thank you, and to wish you the season’s joys.
Yours sincerely,
My dear ————,
Your Christmas gift received this morning. Its fitness and beauty speak your personality, [310] and for that reason, as well as its usefulness, I shall treasure it most highly.
Gratefully yours,
(Thanks for Hospitality)
My dear ————,
Since returning home I have had in mind so often my splendid visit at your home. What a pleasure it was to meet your fine family. I trust you will be able to make us a visit in the near future.
Cordially yours,
My dear ————,
I know not how to express my grateful thanks for your generous hospitality. My visit was most delightful in every respect, and I feel deeply indebted to you.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
I must express again my thanks for your hospitality. You so kindly entertained me and my hope is that I may reciprocate soon.
Sincerely,
My dear ————,
I am sending this short note as a silent messenger of my thanks to you. I had a most delightful visit at your home.
Cordially yours,
My dear ————,
May I ask you to accept for yourself and the members of your family my heartfelt gratitude for the many courtesies shown to us while we were your guests.
We brought home very pleasant memories of your hospitality and thoughtful attentions and await with pleasure a return visit from yourself and family. With kindest regards,
Very sincerely yours,
My dear ————,
Having arrived safely home, I hasten to send these lines to thank you very greatly for the many courtesies extended to me during my stay as your guest.
In every way I feel that you and your family left nothing undone to make my stay agreeable, comfortable, and interesting.
I am particularly pleased that I had the privilege of visiting ————, a treat that I had long wished for, and which you made possible.
Gratefully yours,
(Thanks for Recommendation)
My dear ————,
Because of your influence and kindly interest, I have secured the position with ———— and hasten [312] to thank you for the excellent recommendation which you gave me and to assure you that I shall give diligence to my new work.
Respectfully yours,
(Regrets)
My dear ————,
I regret exceedingly that I failed to meet you as we had appointed. When I see you I will explain why I could not come. In the meantime consider me as ever,
Your Friend,
My dear ————,
Please pardon my not appearing at our proposed meeting, for I was unavoidably detained. I trust I shall not be put in such a plight again. I cannot quite explain, but send my sincere apologies.
Faithfully yours,
My dear ————,
I was exceedingly sorry to learn when I returned that you had called. Surely you will come again for I did not like to miss you.
Sincerely yours,
V
INDEX
INDEX
- Ability, 73, 74
- Able, 265, 276
- Acclaimed, 109
- Accountability, 217, 218
- Accurate, 68, 69, 86, 87
- Accusation, 115-119
- Acknowledgment, 250
- Active, 1
- See Enthusiasm, 80, 81
- See Haste, 106
- Actual, 206
- Admiration, 83, 84
- See Gifted, 102, 103
- Admonition, 2
- See Cautious, 12, 13
- See Dangerous, 53-55
- See Warning, 261-264
- Adroit, 120, 121
- Adulate, 29, 30
- Advance, 203
- Advantageous, 223-225
- Adversity, 250, 251
- Advice, 2
- Affection, 169, 170
- Affirmation, 2, 3
- See Deny, 57, 58
- Affirmative Reply, 214
- Agreement, 4
- Aid, 4, 5
- See Suggestion, 235
- Aim, 204, 205
- Alarming, 261-264
- Alert, 1
- Alive, 1
- Ambiguous, 254
- Ambition, 204, 205
- Ample, 234, 235
- Animadversion, 51-53
- Answer, 214-217
- Anticipatory, 88, 89
- Anxiety, 5, 6
- Apathy, 119
- Apology, 6, 7
- See Conventional, 40
- See Courtesy, 46
- See Letters of Apology, 140, 141, 312
- Appeal, 82
- Appreciative, 7, 8
- See Commendatory, 19-28
- Apprehension, 5, 6
- Approbation, 8, 9
- See Commendatory (Of Persons), 19-24
- Appropriate, 95
- Approval, 8, 9
- Aptitude, 73, 74
- Ardent, 270, 271
- Arduous, 66, 67
- Arraignment, 115-119
- Assent, 4
- Asseveration, 2, 3
- Assistance, 4, 5
- See Conventional, 40, 41
- Assurance, 257, 258
- Astonishing, 9
- Attachment, 169, 170
- Attestation, 85, 86
- [316]Attractive, 10
- Audacious, 9, 10
- See Conceited, 30, 31
- Authentication, 257, 258
- Aversion, 69, 70
- Avowal, 2, 3
- Awakening, 261-264
- Basal, 99, 100
- Beautiful, 10
- See Commendatory (Of Things), 24-28
- See Picturesque, 194, 195
- Biased, 201, 202
- Bible Phrases:
- Condolence, 151-155
- Enjoyment, 78-80
- Hope, 109, 110
- Redemption, 207-209
- Suggestive, 235-243
- Warning, 261-264
- Zealous, 270
- Birthday Congratulation, 299
- Bitterness, 231, 232
- Blameworthy, 217
- Bliss, 130, 131
- Bluff, 11
- Blunder, 82, 83
- Bluster, 11
- Brag, 11
- Brazen, 9, 10
- Brotherly, 97
- Calm, 12
- Candid, 232
- Capricious, 91, 92
- Careful, 12, 13
- Cautious, 12, 13
- See Admonition, 2
- See Dangerous, 53-55
- See Warning, 261-264
- Censure, 32-34
- Certain, 244, 245
- Changeable, 92, 93
- Cheer, 181, 186
- Cheerful, 103, 104
- Choice, 88
- Christmas Letters, 309
- See Concluding Assurances, 169
- Civility, 40-51
- Clean-cut, 260, 261
- Clear, 14, 15
- Clergymen:
- Arraignment, 115-119
- Condolence, 41, 42, 141-155
- Consecration, 36
- Enjoyment, 78-80
- Hope, 109-111
- Joy, 130, 131
- Kindness, 133, 134
- Love, 169, 170
- Manly, 170-173
- Optimism, 181-186
- Redemption, 207-209
- Salvation, 221-223
- Sorrow, 231
- Suggestive, 235-243
- Warning, 261-264
- Worshipful, 266-270
- Zealous, 270
- Commendation (Shakespeare), 15-19
- Commendatory (Of Persons), 19-24
- See Appreciative, 7, 8
- See Approbation, 8, 9
- See Compliment, 29
- See Deserving, 62, 63
- See Gifted, 102, 103
- Commendatory (Of Things), 24-28
- Comment, 28, 29
- See Affirmation, 2, 3
- Compassion, 207-209
- Complacency, 78-80
- Completely, 264-265
- [317]Compliment, 29, 30
- See Commendatory (Of Persons), 19-24
- See Courtesy, 40, 51
- Complimentary Response, 215
- Compunction, 210, 211
- Concealed, 225, 226
- Conceited, 30, 31
- See Audacious, 9, 10
- See Independent, 114
- Concern, 32
- Concluding Assurances:
- For Christmas Letters, 160, 161
- For Condolatory Letters, 161-163
- For New Year Letters, 163
- For Social Letters (General), 164-168
- Concord, 252, 253
- Concurrence, 4
- Condemn, 32-34
- See Criticism, 51-53
- See Dangerous, 53-55
- See Deny, 57, 58
- See Reprehensible, 217
- Condolence:
- See Letters of, 285-298
- See Concluding Assurances, 161-163
- See Conventional, 41, 42
- See Phrases for Letters, 141-155
- Condone, 34, 35
- See Impartial, 112
- See Kindness, 133, 134
- Confirmation, 8, 9
- Congratulation:
- See Letters of, 298-300
- See Phrases for Letters of, 155, 156
- Congratulatory, 42
- See Shakespeare, 46, 47
- Conjecture, 203, 204
- Consecration, 36
- See Worshipful, 266-270
- Considerate, 37
- See Kindness, 133, 134
- Contented, 37, 38
- See Pleased, 195-198
- Contingent, 201
- Control, 70, 119, 120
- Conventional:
- Apology, 40
- Assistance, 40
- At Weddings, 41
- Condolence, 41, 42
- Congratulatory, 42
- Greeting, 42, 43
- On Leaving, 43
- On Being Introduced, 43, 44
- Parting, on Chance Meeting, 44
- Request, 44
- Request to Accompany Another and Response, 45
- Response to Compliment, 45
- Thanks, 46
- Conventional (Shakespeare):
- Apology, 46
- Congratulatory, 46
- Greeting, 47
- Inquiry, 48
- Parting, 48
- Request, 49
- Response, 50
- Thanks, 50
- Correct, 86, 87
- Correspondence:
- See Social Letters, 283-312
- See Sample Letter, 275
- See Guide to Phrases, 277-281
- See Letters (General Phrases), 140-160
- [318] See Letters (Concluding Assurances), 160-166
- See Letters (Final Assurances), 167-169
- Corrupt, 86
- Counsel, 2
- Courage, 39, 40
- See Determination, 64-66
- See Patience, 187
- Courtesy, 40-51
- See Compliment, 29, 30
- See Conventional, 40-46
- See Conventional (Shakespeare), 46-50
- See Reply, 214-217
- See Social Letters, 283-312
- Crave, 63, 64
- Criticism, 51-53
- Crux, 198
- Culpable, 217
- Cunning, 132, 133
- Customary, 106
- Cynical, 191-193
- Damage, 169
- Dangerous, 53-55
- See Admonition, 2
- See Cautious, 12, 13
- See Warning, 261-264
- Dark, 176, 177
- Dawdling, 139
- Deceit, 55
- Dedication, 36
- Defeat, 56
- See Difficult, 66, 67
- See Hindered, 108
- See Opposition, 178-181
- Defend, 56, 57
- Defense, 6, 7
- Delighted, 195-198
- Democratic, 187-190
- Denounce, 32-34
- Deny, 57, 58
- See Affirmation, 2, 3
- Dependable, 58
- Descriptive (Of Persons), 59-61
- Descriptive (Of Things), 61, 62
- Deserving, 62, 63
- See Commendatory (Of Persons), 19-24
- Desire, 63, 64
- See Success, 233, 234
- Determination, 64-66
- See Firm, 93, 94
- Development, 203
- Devotion, 36
- Devotional, 266-270
- Dictionary of Phrases, 1-271
- Difficult, 66, 67
- See Hindered, 108
- See Impossible, 114
- See Opposition, 178-181
- Diplomatic, 198-201
- Disavow, 57, 58
- Discernment, 67, 68
- See Wise, 265, 266
- Disclaim, 57, 58
- Disclosing, 114, 115
- Discomfited, 232
- Discriminating, 68, 69
- Disgust, 69, 70
- See Reprehensible, 217
- Disregard, 119
- Dominate, 70
- Double-minded, 84, 85
- Doubt, 71, 72
- Dull, 72, 73
- See Stubborn, 233
- Duplicity, 55
- Eager, 270, 271
- Effectual, 73
- Efficacious, 73
- Efficiency, 73, 74
- [319]Effort, 74, 75
- See Determination, 64, 65
- See Enthusiasm, 80, 81
- See Passion, 186
- Egotistic, 30, 31
- Emblematic, 246
- Emergency, 75
- Emphasize, 76
- Encomiums, 19-28
- Encouragement, 109-111
- End, 93
- Endurance, 187
- Energy, 80, 81
- English, 76-78
- Enjoyment, 78-80
- See Pleased, 195-198
- See Satisfactory, 223-225
- Enthusiasm, 80, 81
- See Active, 1
- See Passion, 186
- Entirely, 264, 265
- Entreat, 82
- Error, 82, 83
- Essentially, 177, 178
- Esteem, 83, 84
- Evasive, 84, 85
- See Reply (Tactful), 215, 216
- Evidence, 85, 86
- See Sure, 244, 245
- Evidential, 114, 115
- Evil, 86
- Exact, 86, 87
- Exaggerate, 87
- See Bluff, 11
- Exasperation, 258, 259
- Excellence, 254-256
- Excellent, 88
- Exceptional, 88
- See First, 94, 95
- See Gifted, 102, 103
- Excuse, 6, 7, 34, 35
- Exigency, 75
- Expectant, 88, 89
- Experience, 89, 90
- Expressive, 260, 261
- Extraordinary, 102, 103
- Failure, 90, 91
- See Pessimistic, 191-193
- Fanciful, 91, 92
- See Vague, 254
- See Fickle, 92, 93
- Fascinating, 10, 121, 122
- Favored, 97
- Fervency, 186
- Fervor, 80, 81
- Fickle, 92, 93
- See Fanciful, 91, 92
- See Hesitant, 107, 108
- Figures of Speech, Simile, 226-231
- Final, 93
- See Fundamental, 99, 100
- Final Assurances:
- Of Conventional Letters, 167
- Of Letters to Friends, 167
- Of Letters of Lovers, 167, 168
- Of Letters to Relatives, 168
- Firm, 93, 94
- See Determination, 64-66
- See Fundamental, 99-100
- First, 94, 95
- See Exceptional, 88
- Fit, 95
- Flatter, 29, 30
- Flimsy, 95, 96
- See Unsatisfactory, 253, 254
- Flippant, 114
- Foolish, 246, 247
- Forbearance, 187
- Forcible, 96, 97
- See Important, 113
- Foreign:
- See Latin, 134-138
- See French, 98, 99
- [320]Foremost, 94, 95
- Forfeit, 190
- Forgiveness, 207-209
- Fortunate, 97
- Foxy, 132, 133
- Frank, 232
- Fraternal, 97
- See Kindness, 133, 134
- Freedom, 202
- French, 98, 99
- Frustrate, 56
- Fundamental, 99, 100
- See Firm, 93, 94
- Funny, 111, 112
- Futile, 101
- See Pessimistic, 191-193
- Generous, 101, 102
- Gentleness, 133, 134
- Genuine, 206
- Gifted, 102, 103
- See Exceptional, 88
- Gist, 198
- Glad, 195-198
- Gladness, 130, 131, 181-186
- Gloomy, 191-193
- Good-humored, 103, 104
- Good-natured, 103, 104
- Grace, 221-223
- Graphic, 194, 195
- Gratified, 37, 38
- Gratitude, 250
- Greeting:
- See Conventional, 42, 43
- See Shakespeare, 47
- Grief, 231, 232
- Grit, 64-66
- Grouchy, 104, 105
- See Vexation, 258, 259
- Guess, 203, 204
- Guide to Phrases for Social Letters, 277-281
- Guile, 55
- Gullible, 105, 106
- See Stubborn, 233
- Habitual, 106
- Hampered, 108
- Hard, 66, 67
- Harmony, 252, 253
- Haste, 106
- See Active, 1
- Hasty, 106, 107
- Hazy, 254
- Help, 4, 5
- Helpful, 235-243
- Hesitant, 107, 108
- See Fickle, 92, 93
- Hidden, 225, 226
- Highest, 244
- High-minded, 220, 221
- Hindered, 108
- See Defeat, 56
- See Difficult, 66, 67
- See Impossible, 114
- See Opposition, 178-181
- Hint, 235
- Holiness, 221-223
- Honored, 109
- Hope, 109-111
- Hopeful, 88, 89
- Hopeless, 114
- How to Prepare a Social Letter, 275
- Humorous, 111, 112
- Hurry, 106
- Ignorant, 105, 106
- Ill-success, 90, 91
- Impartial, 112
- See Condone, 34, 35
- Impatience, 258, 259
- Impecuniosity, 112
- Impervious, 233
- Important, 113
- See Forcible, 96, 97
- [321]Impossible, 114
- See Difficult, 66, 67
- See Opposition, 178-181
- Impracticable, 114
- Impressible, 226
- Impressions, 173, 174
- Impressive, 121, 122
- Incomplete, 186
- Inconsequential, 256, 257
- Indecisive, 107, 108
- Independent, 114
- See Conceited, 30, 31
- Indicative, 114, 115
- Indictment, 115-119
- See Disgust, 69, 70
- Indifference, 119
- Indignation, 132
- Influence, 119, 120
- Ingenious, 120, 121
- See Keen, 132, 133
- Inquiry, 205, 206
- See Shakespeare, 48
- Inscrutable, 176, 177
- Insight, 67, 68
- Insistance, 76
- Inspirational, 235-243
- Interesting, 121, 122
- Interrogation, 205, 206
- Introduction, Letters of, 301, 302
- Introduction (Of Speakers), 122, 123
- Introductory Clauses (for General Conversation), 123-130
- Invitation, Letters of, 302, 303
- Involved, 112
- Irritable, 104, 105
- Issue, 218
- Jealousy, 245, 246
- Joy, 130, 131
- See Optimism, 181-186
- Judgment, 132
- Just, 112
- Justice, 132
- Keen, 132, 133
- See Ingenious, 120, 121
- Kindness, 133, 134
- See Consecrate, 37
- See Fraternal, 97
- See Love, 169, 170
- Knowledge, 89, 90
- Lackadaisical, 139
- Language, 76-78
- Last Resort, 93
- Latin, 134-138
- Latitude, 202
- Lazy, 139
- Legislative, 198-201
- Letters (Concluding Assurances):
- For Christmas Letters, 160, 161
- For Letters of Condolence, 161-163
- For General Letters, 164-166
- For New Year Letters, 163
- Letters (Final Assurances):
- Conventional, 167
- To Friends, 167
- For Lovers, 167, 168
- For Relatives, 168
- Letters (General Phrases for):
- Letters of Acceptance, 140
- Letters of Apology, 140, 141
- Letters of Condolence, 141-155
- Letters of Congratulation, 155, 156
- Letters of Introduction, 156
- Letters of Invitation, 157
- [322] Letters of Regret, 157
- Letters of Thanks, 158, 159
- Letters with Gifts, 159, 160
- Letters (Social):
- Condolatory, 285-298
- For the Family of a Member of an Organization, 295
- General, 285-294
- On the Death of a Soldier, 295, 296
- Reply to, 296-298
- Congratulatory:
- On Birthday, 299
- On Birth of Child, 300
- On Graduation, 298, 299
- Wedding Day Anniversary, 299
- Friendly Appreciation, 300
- Introduction, 301, 302
- Invitation:
- To a Party, 302, 303
- Of Regret, 312
- Recommendation, 304, 305
- Resignation, 305, 306
- Thanks:
- For Favors, 306
- For Favor Shown Another, 306, 307
- For Gifts, 307, 308
- For Another, for a Gift of Flowers, 308
- For Birthday Gift, 308
- For Christmas Gift, 309
- For Hospitality, 310
- For Recommendation, 311
- With Gifts, 301
- Liability, 217, 218
- Liberal, 101, 102
- Likeness, 168, 169
- Loss, 169
- Love, 169, 170
- See Consecration, 36
- See Kindness, 133, 134
- Loyal, 187-190
- Lucky, 97
- Ludicrous, 111, 112
- Magnanimous, 101, 102
- Manifest, 14, 15
- Manly, 171-173
- Martial, 174-176
- Meager, 186
- Memories, 173, 174
- Mercenary, 265
- Meritorious, 62, 63
- Mettle, 39, 40
- Militaristic, 174-176
- See Patriotic, 187-190
- Misgiving, 71, 72
- Mistake, 82, 83
- Mistrust, 245, 246
- Momentous, 113
- Morality, 212, 213
- Mysterious, 176, 177
- See Perplexed, 190, 191
- Mystified, 190, 191
- Narrow, 201, 202
- Necessarily, 177, 178
- Needfully, 177, 178
- Negative Reply, 214, 215
- New Year:
- See Concluding Assurances, 163
- Nonplused, 190, 191
- Note, 28, 29
- Noted, 109
- Objection, 178-181
- Obstinate, 233
- On Being Introduced, 43, 44
- On Leaving a Host, 43
- [323]On Making Request to Accompany Another, 45
- Operative, 73
- Opinion, 28, 29
- Opinionated, 30, 31
- Opportune, 178
- Opposition, 178-181
- See Hindered, 108
- Opulent, 264
- Optimism, 181-186
- See Joy, 130, 131
- Outcome, 218
- Overdo, 87
- Overlook, 34, 35
- Overstate, 87
- Partial, 186
- Particular, 68, 69
- Parting:
- See Parting, On Chance Meeting, 44
- See Shakespeare, 48, 49
- Passion, 186
- See Effort, 74, 75
- See Enthusiasm, 80, 81
- Patience, 187
- See Courage, 39, 40
- Patriotic, 187-190
- See Militaristic, 174-176
- See Sacrificial, 220, 221
- Patriotic (Shakespeare), 189, 190
- Penalty, 190
- Penetration, 67, 68
- Penniless, 112
- Perilous, 53-55
- Permanent, 99, 100
- Perplexed, 190, 191
- See Mysterious, 176, 177
- Pessimistic, 191-193
- See Futile, 101
- Petulant, 104, 105
- Phrases for Social Letters:
- Of Acceptance, 140
- Of Apology, 140, 141
- Of Condolence, 141-155
- Of Congratulation, 155, 156
- Of Introduction, 156
- Of Invitation, 157
- Of Regret, 157
- Of Thanks, 158, 159
- With Gifts, 159, 160
- Picturesque, 194, 195
- See Beautiful, 10
- Pithy, 247-250
- Plain, 14, 15
- Pleased, 195-198
- See Enjoyment, 78-80
- See Satisfactory, 223-225
- Plenty, 234, 235
- Poetic, 194, 195
- Point, 198
- Politeness, 40-51
- See Reply, 214-217
- Political, 198-201
- Positive, 244, 245
- Possible, 201
- Praise, 19-28
- Prayerful, 266-270
- Prefatory, 123-130
- Prejudiced, 201, 202
- Preliminary, 123-130
- Premature, 106, 107
- Presumptuous, 9, 10
- Privilege, 202
- Probable, 201
- Progress, 203
- See Encouragement, 109-111
- Promise, 109-111
- Prophesy, 203, 204
- Proof, 85, 86, 89, 90
- Protect, 56, 57
- Protestation, 178-181
- Prudent, 12, 13
- Punishment, 190
- Purpose, 204, 205
- See Desire, 63, 64
- [324]Question, 71, 72
- Questioning, 205, 206
- Rapidity, 106
- Rash, 106, 107
- Real, 206
- Realization, 233, 234
- Redemption, 207-209
- Reference, 209, 210
- Regard, 83, 84
- Regardful, 37
- Regret, 210, 211
- See Sorrow, 231, 232
- Relation, 209, 210
- Reliable, 58
- Religion, 212, 213
- Reluctant, 107, 108
- Remorse, 210, 211
- Reply, 214-217
- Affirmative, 214
- Negative, 214, 215
- Tactful, 215, 216
- See Evasive, 84, 85
- To Compliment, 215
- To Request, 215
- Of Thanks, 216
- Reprehensible, 217
- See Condemn, 32-34
- Repugnance, 69, 70
- Request, 44, 45
- See Shakespeare, 49
- Resemblance, 168, 169
- Resolute, 93, 94
- Resolution, 39, 40, 64-66
- Respect, 209, 210
- Response, 45, 214-217
- See Shakespeare, 50
- Responsibility, 217, 218
- Result, 218
- Reverence, 212, 213
- Rhetoric, 76-78
- Rich, 264
- Ridicule, 218-220
- Risky, 53-55
- Rule, 70
- Sacrificial, 220, 221
- See Militaristic, 174-176
- See Patriotic, 187-190
- Salvation, 221-223
- See Suggestive, 235-243
- Sample Social Letter, 273-275
- Sarcasm, 218-220
- Satisfaction, 78-80
- Satisfactory, 223-225
- See Pleased, 195-198
- Satisfied, 37, 38
- Scorn, 218-220
- Seasonable, 178
- Secret, 225, 226
- Self-controlled, 12
- Selfish, 265
- Sensible, 7, 8
- Sensitive, 226
- Sentiments, 173, 174
- Sermon Phrases:
- See Clergymen (Index)
- Shakespeare
- See Apology, 46
- See Commendation, 15-19
- See Congratulatory, 46, 47
- See Courtesy, 46-51
- See Greeting, 47
- See Inquiry, 48
- See Parting, 48, 49
- See Patriotic, 189, 190
- See Request, 49
- See Response, 50
- See Simile, 229-231
- See Thanks, 50, 51
- Shield, 56, 57
- Shifting, 84, 85
- Shortcoming, 90, 91
- Shrewd, 120, 121
- Significant, 113
- Silenced, 232
- Similarity, 168, 169
- [325]Simile (Shakespeare), 229-231
- Simile (General), 226-229
- Social, 47
- Social Letters, 283-312
- Letters of Condolence, 285-298
- General, 285-294
- For Member of an Organization, 295
- On Death of a Soldier, 295
- When Interment is at Home, 295
- Interment of Soldier, 296
- Reply to Condolatory Letter, 296-298
- Letters of Congratulation, 298-300
- On Graduation, 298, 299
- On Birthday, 299
- On Wedding Day Anniversary, 299
- On Birth of Child, 300
- Letters of Friendly Appreciation, 300
- Letters with Gifts, 301
- Letters of Introduction, 301, 302
- Letters of Invitation to Party, 302, 303
- Letters of Recommendation, 304, 305
- Letters of Regret, 312
- Letters of Reply, 308-312
- For Another, for a Gift of Flowers, 308
- For Birthday Gift, 308
- For Christmas Gift, 309
- Letters of Resignation, 305, 306
- Letters of Thanks, 306-312
- For a Favor, 306
- For a Favor Shown to Another, 306, 307
- For Gifts, 307, 308
- For Hospitality, 310
- For Recommendation, 311
- See Concluding Assurances, 160-168
- See Guide to Phrases for, 277-281
- See How Prepared, 273-275
- See Phrases for, 140-168
- See Sample, 275
- Soldierly, 174-176
- Solicitude, 32
- Sorrow, 231, 232
- See Trouble, 250, 251
- See Regret, 210, 211
- Sound, 265, 266
- Squelched, 232
- Startling, 9
- Steadfast, 93, 94
- Straightforward, 232
- Straits, 108
- Stress, 76
- Stricture, 51-53
- Strong, 171-173
- Stubborn, 233
- See Tactless, 246, 247
- Stupid, 105, 106
- Success, 233, 234
- Succinct, 247-250
- Sufficient, 234, 235
- Suggestion, 235
- Suggestive, 235-243
- See Salvation, 221-223
- See Terse, 247-250
- Suitable, 95
- Superficial, 95, 96
- Superlative, 244
- Supremest, 244
- Sure, 244, 245
- See Final, 93
- Surprising, 9
- Susceptible, 226
- Suspicion, 245, 246
- [326]Sway, 119, 120
- Symbolic, 246
- Sympathetic, 7, 8
- Sympathy, 133, 134
- Tactful Reply, 215, 216
- Tactless, 246, 247
- See Stubborn, 233
- Talented, 102, 103
- Tenderness, 32
- Terse, 247-250
- See Picturesque, 194, 195
- See Virile, 260, 261
- Thanks, 250
- See Courtesy, 46
- See Phrases of, 158, 159
- See Reply of, 216, 217
- See Shakespeare, 50, 51
- Thanks (Letters of), 306-312
- Thoughtful, 37
- Thoughtlessly, 251, 252
- Thwart, 56
- Timely, 178
- Tip, 235
- Tiresome, 72, 73
- Trenchant, 96, 97
- Trial, 250, 251
- Trouble, 250, 251
- See Sorrow, 231, 232
- See Regret, 210, 211
- See Vexation, 258, 259
- Trustworthy, 58
- Typical, 246
- Unavailing, 101
- Unaware, 251, 252
- See Gullible, 105, 106
- Unbiased, 112
- Unconsciously, 251, 252
- Uncontrolled, 114
- Undesirable, 253, 254
- Uninteresting, 72, 73
- Unity, 252, 253
- Unperturbed, 12
- Unreliable, 253, 254
- Unsatisfactory, 253, 254
- See Flimsy, 95, 96
- Unselfish, 220, 221
- Upright, 171-173
- Urge, 82
- Urgency, 75
- Useless, 101, 256, 257
- Usual, 106
- Vague, 254
- See Fanciful, 91, 92
- Value, 254-256
- Valueless, 256, 257
- Verification, 257, 258
- Vexation, 258, 259
- See Grouchy, 104, 105
- See Trouble, 250, 251
- Victory, 233, 234
- Virile, 260, 261
- See Terse, 247-250
- Visionary, 91, 92
- Vital, 94, 95
- Warning, 261-264
- See Admonition, 2
- See Cautious, 12, 13
- See Dangerous, 53-55
- Waste, 169
- Wavering, 92, 93
- Weak, 95, 96
- Wealthy, 264
- Weddings:
- See Conventional, 41
- Weighty, 96, 97
- Wholesome, 223-225
- Wholly, 264, 265
- Wicked, 86
- Wilful, 265
- Wise, 265, 266
- See Discernment, 67, 68
- Wish, 63, 64
- [327]Witless, 246, 247
- Work, 74, 75
- Worry, 5, 6
- Worshipful, 266-270
- See Consecration, 36
- Worth, 254-256
- Worthy, 62, 63
- Zeal, 74, 75, 186
- Zealous, 270, 271
Transcriber’s Notes
Some typographical errors have been corrected.
| Page | Printed | Correction | Extract |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | peni tently | penitently | very penitently and humbly |
| 15 | . | A dish fit for the gods. | |
| 16 | III | III., 1 | A Midsummer-Night’s Dream, III., 1 |
| 47 | I | I. | King Richard II., I., 3 |
| 47 | V | V. | The Merry Wives of Windsor, V., 5 |
| 47 | II | II. | Coriolanus, II., 1 |
| 47 | I | I. | King Lear, I., 1 |
| 192 | depondency | despondency | burden of despondency |
| 202 | go | to | to see the woods for the trees |
| 213 | Henry II. | Heny VI., II. | II. King Henry VI., II., 1 |
| 226 | I | I., | All’s Well that Ends Well, I., 3 |
| 237 | LXXII. | LXXII., | Ps. LXXII., 8 |
| 238 | Ps., | Ps. | Ps. XXXIX., 3 |
| 251 | I | I was sweetly oblivious | |
| 270 | Fellowhelpers | Fellow helpers | Fellow helpers to the truth. |
| 270 | X | X. | Luke X., 7 |
| 285 | regards. | regards, | With warmest regards, |
| 307 | you | you. | opportunity to thank you. |
| 315 | Able. | Able, | Able, 265, 276 |
| 315 | 140 | 140, | Letters of Apology, 140, 141, 312 |
| 315 | 6, | 6 | Apprehension, 5, 6 |
| 316 | Basal. | Basal, | Basal, 99, 100 |
| 316 | Arraignment | Arraignment, | Clergymen: Arraignment, 115-119 |
| 326 | Weddings | Weddings: | Weddings: |
In the original, some groups of short phrases were formatted with an increased left margin in a somewhat irregular manner. These have been regularized to the normal left margin.