by S L Ager
67 dishevelled (adj) (hair or clothes) made untidy; mussed, tousled, ruffled, unsettled. (ant) tidy, groomed.
68 scuffed (adj) marked by scraping against something; shabby, scratched, damaged, abraded. (ant) polished.
69 allegedly (adv) according to claims without proof; supposedly, purportedly. (ant) evidently.
70 subdued (adj) quietened, overcome or controlled; subjugated, suppressed, humbled. (ant) encouraged.
71 woozy (adj) unsteady, dazed or dizzy; light-headed, faint, groggy, nauseous. (ant) clear-headed, lucid.
72 wither (v) decline or weaken; deflate, wilt, shrink, droop, fade, shrivel. (ant) rise, bloom, thrive.
73 perplexed (adj) completely confused; baffled, confounded, foxed, flummoxed, bemused. (ant) enlightened.
74 plausible (adj) seeming probable (likely) or reasonable (sensible); believable, feasible. (ant) implausible.
75 condone (v) accept behaviour that is considered wrong; allow, disregard, overlook, excuse. (ant) punish.
76 loll (v) hang loosely or droop; dangle, flop, sag, dip, drop, slump. (ant) lift, rise.
77 career (n) a long-term occupation (job); profession, vocation, employment. (ant) unemployment.
78 sardonic (adj) cynical (bitter) or mocking; scornful, ironic, sarcastic, derisive, scathing. (ant) sincere, kind.
79 diplomacy (n) ability to deal with people in a polite way; tact, sensitivity, discretion. (ant) tactlessness.
80 strong suit (n) a person’s strong point; forte, metier, strength, speciality, asset. (ant) weakness, flaw.
81 dejected (adj) make sad; dispirit, dishearten, discourage, demoralise, depress, sadden. (ant) elate.
82 garish (adj) showy and bright; brash, loud, brassy, gaudy, overbright, lurid, tasteless. (ant) tasteful, stylish.
83 inherently (adv) in an inherent (born with) way; naturally, genetically, innately. (ant) superficially.
84 confess (v) admit or make known; tell, reveal, divulge, disclose, assert, affirm. (ant) deny, hide, conceal.
85 inedible (adj) not suitable or fit for eating; unpalatable, tasteless, unappetising, disgusting. (ant) edible.
86 prolong (v) cause to continue or last longer; extend, lengthen, protract, elongate, persist. (ant) curtail.
87 bargain (v) negotiate (discuss) to get what one wants; haggle, barter, trade, broker, compromise.
16. Finding Gladys
1 stitch (n) sharp pain in a person’s side when exercising; twinge, pang, spasm.
2 deflate (v) suddenly lose confidence; dispirit, subdue, dismay, disappoint. (ant) boost.
3 snoop (n) a secret investigation; nose, poke, ferret, intrusion, search.
4 anecdote (n) a short amusing or interesting story; tale, narrative, sketch, yarn, hearsay.
5 social media (n) websites and applications for people to share content and engage in social networking.
6 overblown (adj) made to seem more important or impressive; exaggerated, overstated. (ant) understated.
7 hearsay (n) information received that cannot be verified (proven); rumour, gossip, tittle-tattle. (ant) fact.
8 trendy (adj) up to date or fashionable; modish, popular, contemporary, hip, cool, chic. (ant) unfashionable.
9 frothy (adj) covered with a mass of bubbles; bubbly, foamy, effervescent, gassy, fizzy. (ant) still, flat.
10 gregariously (adv) in a gregarious (sociable, friendly) manner; convivially, openly, extrovertly. (ant) shyly.
11 tapas (n) small Spanish savoury dishes or snacks.
12 bustling (adj) (of a place) full of people and activity; busy, vibrant, hectic, lively. (ant) deserted, empty.
13 joyous (adj) full of joy and happiness; jolly, exuberant, merry, delighted, elated, cheery, blissful. (ant) sad.
14 wiry (adj) resembling wire in texture or form; coarse, rough, bristly, scratchy. (ant) soft, sleek, smooth.
15 bomb (v) run extremely quickly; leg it, sprint, bolt, hotfoot, tear, shoot. (ant) dawdle, saunter, amble.
16 errand (n) short journey undertaken to do a job; chore, task, mission, favour, assignment.
17 lottery (n) competition to raise money by selling tickets and then drawing one at random for a prize; raffle.
18 hospitable (adj) welcoming and friendly; congenial, sociable, cordial, warm, open, kind. (ant) inhospitable.
19 texture (n) the way something feels or looks; touch, structure, consistency, appearance, character.
20 ludicrous (adj) so foolish, stupid or unreasonable as to be amusing; absurd, farcical, comical. (ant) sensible.
21 broach (v) raise a difficult subject for discussion; propose, approach, introduce, mention, open. (ant) close.
22 fund (v) provide with money; pay for, subsidise, sponsor, finance, support, maintain. (ant) withdraw.
23 potter (v) move around in an unhurried way; tinker, fiddle, amble, saunter, shuffle. (ant) hurry.
24 crockery (n) earthenware utensils (articles) for eating, drinking and serving from; tableware.
25 self-sufficient (adj) needing no help; independent, self-reliant, autonomous. (ant) dependent, needy.
26 surveillance (n) close observation (watching); investigation, scrutiny, reconnaissance. (ant) inobservance.
27 superb (adj) excellent; supreme, outstanding, superlative, magnificent, first-rate. (ant) abysmal.
28 papery (adj) dry and thin; delicate, wrinkled, fragile, frail, paperlike. (ant) tough, sturdy, robust.
29 ripple (n) a small wave or series of waves on a surface; wavelet, undulation, wrinkle.
30 track (v) follow the movements or trail of; pursue, shadow, stalk, trace, trail, locate. (ant) lead, guide.
31 obtain (v) acquire, get or secure something; find, attain, achieve, take, procure, gain, capture. (ant) lose.
32 pensive (adj) thoughtful; reflective, contemplative, preoccupied, meditative. (ant) thoughtless.
33 rude (adj) bad-mannered or impolite; cheeky, insolent, audacious, offensive, discourteous. (ant) polite.
34 scold (v) tell someone off angrily; reprimand, berate, rebuke, admonish, chastise. (ant) praise, commend.
35 diplomatic (adj) showing tact (diplomacy) and sensitivity (feeling); tactful, politic, discreet. (ant) tactless.
36 sidestep (v) avoid discussing or dealing with; dodge, evade, circumvent, elude, skirt, bypass. (ant) confront.
37 accomplished (adj) highly trained or skilled; expert, proficient, consummate, adept. (ant) incompetent.
38 entirely (adv) to a full extent or degree; utterly, completely, absolutely, totally, wholly. (ant) partially.
39 vinyl (n) man-made substance often used for covering materials and turntable records; plastic.
40 unforgiving (adj) (of a place) difficult, harsh or hostile; hard, demanding, taxing, challenging. (ant) easy.
41 primarily (adv) for the most part; mainly, mostly, essentially, principally, predominantly. (ant) barely.
42 traverse (v) move through or across; negotiate, navigate, criss-cross, cross, cover.
43 obligation (n) act of being bound (forced) into a promise; commitment, requirement, duty. (ant) option.
44 heartache (n) emotional pain; agony, anguish, grief, distress, despair, despondency, affliction. (ant) joy.
45 buddy (n) a good friend; chum, pal, mate, companion, partner, sidekick, comrade, confidant. (ant) enemy.
46 mull (v) think about; ponder, consider, contemplate, deliberate, muse, reflect, ruminate. (ant) disregard.
47 recall (v) bring something back into one’s mind; remember, recollect, reminisce. (ant) repress, forget.
48 mucky (adj) covered with muck (dirt or filth); grubby, grimy, messy, soiled, unclean, grotty. (ant) clean.
49 skywards (adv) in the direction of the sky; upwards, heavenwards, aloft, overhead. (ant) downwards.
50 altitude (n) height of something relating to sea or ground level; elevation, highness.
51 suspend (v) hang from or over something; swing, dangle.
52 responsive (adj) reacting speedily; active
, reactive, receptive. (ant) sluggish, unresponsive.
53 manoeuvre (n) one or several movements requiring care and skill; action, procedure, exercise.
54 bank (v) tilt to make a turn; lean, slant, incline, cant, camber, pitch, veer, slope. (ant) right, level out.
55 decommission (v) withdraw (remove) from service; mothball, retire, discharge. (ant) introduce, activate.
56 overstep the mark (v) go beyond what is allowed; transgress, exceed, violate.
17. How Evans Tangled Time Alone
1 duty (n) action required as part of one’s job; task, chore, assignment, function, obligation, responsibility.
2 swollen (adj) enlarged; bloated, expanded, increased. (ant) contracted, compressed.
3 cockroach (n) a beetle-like insect with long antennae and legs; roach, bug, creepy-crawly.
4 deposit (v) lay or put down; deliver, set, leave, place, consign, store, stow, drop. (ant) withdraw, remove.
5 fortuitously (adv) in a fortuitous (by chance) way; luckily, serendipitously, accidentally. (ant) intentionally.
6 incubator (n) a warm space for hatching eggs or keeping small babies warm; hatchery, brooder, nursery.
7 hatching (n) (of an egg) the act of opening to produce a young animal; emergence, incubation, brooding.
8 maturation (n) the process or maturing (growing); development, evolution, growth. (ant) retrogression.
9 babe (n) a baby; newborn, infant, tot, child. (ant) elder, adult.
10 cocoon (v) envelop (wrap in) in a protective or comforting way; surround, swathe, cosset. (ant) expose.
11 womb (n) the organ where a baby develops; uterus, belly.
12 petulant (adj) sulky and ill-tempered; crabby, fractious, irritable, peevish, cantankerous. (ant) affable, nice.
13 ragged (adj) unkempt, torn or old; tattered, ripped, frayed, shabby, raggedy, tatty, untidy, dirty. (ant) neat.
14 sullied (adj) dirty or polluted; soiled, stained, contaminated, foul, discoloured. (ant) clean, washed.
15 waistcoat (n) sleeveless garment typically worn under a suit; gilet, doublet, vest, jerkin, singlet.
16 intact (adj) not impaired or damaged; complete, whole, unbroken, together, unharmed. (ant) broken.
17 prim (adj) disapproval of anything improper; formal, tidy, stuffy, prissy, fussy, moralistic. (ant) informal.
18 incongruous (adj) unusual or out of keeping in some way; odd, inappropriate. (ant) appropriate.
19 swaddle (v) wrap in something; bundle, envelop, enfold, bandage, sheathe, shroud, cloak. (ant) unwrap.
20 torso (n) the trunk (body without head or limbs) of a human; upper body.
21 aptly (adv) in an apt (suitable) manner; appropriately, suitably, fittingly, pertinently. (ant) inappropriately.
22 refuge (n) safe place; shelter, sanctuary, security, protection, asylum, harbour, retreat, haven. (ant) hazard.
23 nurturing (n) protection and care whilst growing; rearing, support, encouragement, raising. (ant) neglect.
24 matriarchal (adj) relating to powerful female roles; motherly, maternal, maternalistic. (ant) patriarchal.
25 languish (v) be forced to remain in a poor situation; suffer, rot, decay, moulder, decline. (ant) thrive.
26 gauge (v) measure or estimate the amount of; judge, assess, evaluate, determine, calculate.
27 injurious (adj) causing damage; harmful, hurtful, detrimental, distressing, adverse. (ant) beneficial.
28 diminutive (adj) small or unusually small; little, tiny, petite, undersized, wee. (ant) immense, gargantuan.
29 eclipse (v) surpass or deprive of power or importance; outshine, overshadow, outdo, exceed. (ant) lose to.
30 pinnacle (n) the highest or most successful point; highpoint, peak, acme, zenith. (ant) bottom, nadir.
31 existence (n) time alive; life, being, presence, survival, actuality. (ant) non-existence.
32 millennium (n) a period of one thousand years (plural: millennia).
33 pursuer (n) something or someone that pursues (chases) another; follower, stalker, hunter. (ant) prey.
34 flee (v) run away; depart, escape, vanish, abscond, bolt, fly, leave. (ant) linger, remain.
35 sheer (adj) unrestricted; pure, utter, absolute, total, downright, outright, unmitigated. (ant) restricted.
36 toll (n) the adverse (unfavourable) effect of something; harm, damage, detriment, injury. (ant) benefit.
37 queer (adj) strange or odd; funny, weird, curious, peculiar, bizarre, outlandish. (ant) normal.
38 rigor mortis (n) temporary stiffening of the body after death.
39 sever (v) cut off; remove, amputate, separate, detach, chop off, cleave. (ant) unite, attach, combine, join.
40 foetal (adj) denoting posture typical of a foetus (developing offspring, baby); curled. (ant) straight.
41 relinquish (v) give up; abandon, hand over, cede, surrender, quit, yield. (ant) keep, retain, hold, acquire.
42 dingy (adj) drab and gloomy; dismal, sombre, dark, grim, dirty, murky, soiled, cheerless. (ant) bright, clean.
43 ailing (adj) in poor health; sickly, poorly, weak, infirm, indisposed, feeble, frail. (ant) well, healthy, fit.
44 paralysed (adj) partly or wholly incapable (unable) of movement; disabled, incapacitated. (ant) mobilised.
45 harrowing (adj) distressing; disturbing, shocking, troubling, traumatic, devastating. (ant) comforting.
46 feverishly (adv) in a feverish (hot or nervous) manner; agitatedly, anxiously, nervously. (ant) calmly.
47 degrade (v) reduce to a lower rank; relegate, devalue, demote, downgrade. (ant) elevate, promote.
48 status (n) social or professional standing; situation, condition, position, class, grade, level.
49 gravely (adv) in a grave (serious) way; dangerously, critically, profoundly, fatefully, acutely. (ant) trivially.
50 underrate (v) underestimate (misjudge) something; undervalue, miscalculate, devalue. (ant) overrate.
51 blindfolded (adj) deprived (denied) of sight by tying a blindfold round the head; masked. (ant) unmasked.
52 woollen (adj) made of or containing wool; woolly, woven, warm.
53 cable (n) insulated (covered) wire that transmits electricity; lead, cord, flex.
54 medieval (adj) of or relating to the Middle Ages; old, early, feudal, gothic, primitive. (ant) current, modern.
55 perilous (adj) full of extreme risk or danger; unsafe, hazardous, treacherous, precarious, chancy. (ant) safe.
56 unaided (adj) without help; alone, solo, single-handed, unaccompanied, unassisted. (ant) assisted, aided.
57 unattempted (adj) not tried or tested; untested, untried. (ant) attempted, established, done.
58 untested (adj) not subjected to examination or trial; experimental, untried, unproven, new. (ant) tested.
59 hyperventilate (v) breath rapidly in an anxious or excited way; overbreathe, pant, gasp. (ant) suffocate.
60 delve (v) reach inside something and search; rummage, dig, root, rootle, scrabble, fish. (ant) withdraw.
61 sodden (adj) soaked through with liquid; saturated, soaking, sopping, drenched, wringing. (ant) dry.
62 seek (v) try to find (past tense: sought); look for, hunt for, search for, pursue. (ant) lose.
63 interwoven (adj) woven together; intertwined, entwined, linked. (ant) unwoven, separate.
64 circular (adj) like a circle in shape; round, rounded, disc-like, discoid.
65 casting (n) the act of shaping (typically metal) by pouring into a mould while molten (melted); forming.
66 engraving (n) a design cut into a hard surface; inscription, scoring, etching, scratch.
67 faceless (adj) having no face; plain, featureless. (ant) faced.
68 impending (adj) about to happen; imminent, looming, approaching, threatening, brewing. (ant) receding.
69 forfeit (n) something lost or given up because of something else; sacrifice, loss, penalty. (ant) award, gain.
70 elude (v) avoid or escape; evade, dodge, flee, circumvent
, foil, outrun, thwart. (ant) embrace, pursue.
71 awash (adj) flooded or covered with; oversupplied, swamped, inundated, overflowing. (ant) dry, deficient.
