Readability tips, literacy news, and English writing advice

Bonfire Night Cryptic

Brighton going wild with fine time guys come out (7,5)

Answer: BONFIRENIGHT

5 November 2020 | crossword, puzzle, bonfire night |

World Students Day Cryptic

Pass securing science place for some teacher's student (8)

Answer: DISCIPLE

15 October 2020 | crossword, puzzle, students |

Tiny Stories of the English Language

Many of the words used in today's English language can be traced back to French, Greek, Latin, German, Spanish, and many other languages. Each word has its own genetic makeup that is specifically unique to that one word.These tiny stories are known as Etymology, the study of the origins of words. Below are four words that have interesting stories.

Jumbo

The word Jumbo means extremely large. The word began its call to fame with Jumbo the elephant. In 1882, Jumbo was the world's most famous elephant. Full grown, Jumbo stood twelve and a half feet tall and weighed seven tons. He was the biggest elephant the world had ever seen. On any given day he could eat a barrel of potatoes, 200 pounds of hay, half a barrel of oats, 15 bread loaves, and the occasional whiskey drink. Jumbo became much more a name, it became a word used to describe anything abnormally large like Jumbo the elephant.

Marathon

The word marathon makes its first appearance on the beach of Marathon. In 490 BC, a Persian army decided to be the first to conquer Athens. So they planned to land on the beach of Marathon, kill the entire Athens army, then swing around to the south side and loot the city. It should have been an easy victory, 25,000 Persians against 10,000 Athens. The Athens, realizing that they were completely outnumbered, begged for help from Sparta. Athens sent a military messenger, Pheidippides, to seek help. He ran 140 miles to Sparta, but Sparta refused to send help because they were in the middle of a religious holiday. So Pheidippides ran back.

When Pheidippides returned, Athens decided to just charge into battle. The Persians were completely caught by surprise and suffered massive losses that ended in a retreat.However, they were determined to sack Athens before they fled. On ships, the Persians would have taken 8 hours to reach Athens. Pheidippides sprinted the 26.2 miles all the way to Athens to warn of the oncoming army. On completing his mission, Pheidippides promptly died.

The Athens army had jogged behind Pheidippides to defend their city, battle-weary and exhausted. The Persians arrived and saw the tired troops of Athens waiting for them. They came to the conclusion that these Greeks were either demigods or supernatural beings, and decided they did not want to risk angering the gods. Hence the story behind the word marathon.

Clue

In Greek times, clue was actually spelled as clew and had a completely different meaning. Clew came from the Greek language meaning a ball of yarn. The meaning changed as it was adopted by the English language based on the Greek story of an evil king named Minos and his son, the Minotaur. Minos had built a labyrinth, and every seven years he required a sacrifice of 14 young men and women to be thrown into the labyrinth. No one ever returned from the labyrinth. Then one year a demigod named Theseus decided enough was enough, he was going to kill the Minotaur. Along the way. Minos' daughter fell heels over head in love with him and gave him a clew so that he could find his way out of the labyrinth. Theseus slew the Minotaur and used the clew to escape the depths of the labyrinth. The clew became known as the ball of yarn that points the way, a rough definition of the word clue.

Cell

The smallest building block of any organism is a cell. A scientist by the name of Robert Hooke was very curious about microscopes and designed better microscopes that allowed the viewer to view objects with a magnitude of 50x. He became the first person, in 1665, to actually see a cell. He thought they looked much like cells in prison and named them such. The name has stuck ever since.

22 September 2020 | english history, etymology |

Talk Like a Pirate Day Cryptic

Illegal activity, in the main (6)

Answer: PIRACY

19 September 2020 | crossword, puzzle, yarr |

Cure Your Ellipsis Addiction

The use of ellipses runs rampant throughout the English language, but never more so than online. You'll notice those three little dots at the end of social media posts, disbursed through blog posts, in professional articles, and dotted (excuse the pun) throughout the written world. But what are they really meant to do?

What Is an Ellipsis?

In appearance, an ellipsis is three dots (…). If you're writing professionally, the style guideline you're using may call for a space between each period or no spaces. There is always a space after the ellipsis.

These marks are traditionally used to indicate missing text. If you were quoting a source, you might use an ellipsis to eliminate unnecessary prose from a longer quote. This can help you pinpoint the idea so that your readers don't get lost.

When you use ellipses to eliminate text, it’s imperative that you don’t change the meaning of the quote by your omission. When implemented correctly, the ellipsis is only meant to help with clarity in this case.

Other Uses of the Ellipsis

The use of ellipses has evolved over time. While an ellipsis can indicated missing text, it can also mean different inflections in speech and even a trailing off of thought from the speaker. These style choices are often made in fiction and personal essay. You can find them in regular use with more informal writing, such as web content and blog posts.

But are you using it correctly? The rules here have relaxed quite a bit. Many people use ellipses at the end of social media posts. This style choice implies a trailing off of thoughts or an open idea. They are also used as a pause in conversation.

Most style guidelines note that ellipses can correctly be used to indicate a pause in speech. This is a grammatically correct way to use the punctuation. However, it’s recommended that you use it sparingly. Overuse can annoy the reader, which is counterproductive no matter what message you’re trying to communicate.

11 September 2020 | grammar, ellipsis, punctuation |

Towel Day Cryptic

Each lot scoured after end of repast - towel required (3,5)

Answer: TEACLOTH

25 May 2020 | crossword, puzzle, towel day, douglas adams |

Four of the Most Unexpected Crafters of the English Language

One can be forgiven for assuming that English was crafted in a lab. The stereotypical English teacher, pacing yardstick-in-hand in front of the chalkboard, readjusting glasses on the bridge of their nose ("Actually, it's 'whom,' not 'who'") can certainly give off the air of a backroom chemist, insisting on the rules of our grammar like they're immutable laws of the universe. So rigidly are its rules honored, it can seem that the English language was carefully and intentionally crafted in a controlled environment by academics and professionals. It's one reason why foreigners consider it so difficult to learn. So, it's often a shock when one studies the history of English and realizes that our language as it today exists is the result of rule-breaking and arbitrary creative thinking on the part of individual outsiders and inimitable characters. Here are some:

Samuel Johnson

By all accounts, there was nothing charming in the physical appearance or presentation of 18th-century English man of letters Samuel Johnson. Posthumously diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, gout, depression, and a host of other physical, neurological, and psychic disorders, Johnson was often mistaken for a disturbed vagrant or, as his biographer puts it, "an ideot [sic]," for his legion physical tics and grimaces. He attended university for only one year. Still, Johnson's influence on English is undeniable. His impact is maybe most realized in his production of "A Dictionary of the English Language," an endeavor which took him seven years to complete. It was a project which he undertook alone, and though not the first of its kind, it was universally accepted as the most significant until the production of the Oxford English Dictionary 150 years later. Before Johnson's dictionary, English's rules of grammar and vocabulary were far more regionally dependent. Johnson's dictionary became the universally accepted authority not through careful study of the history or origin of words, but by their most common everyday use. How did a word appear in conversation? In poetry and literature? Johnson's loyalty to common use of a word over its history effects how we use our language even today.

William Shakespeare

The Bard needs no introduction. His words have been translated into nearly every modern language, and his dramatic works are performed on every inhabited continent. His themes are universal and timeless. His genius with the written word has earned him the near-universal distinction of greatest writer that the English language ever produced. Lesser-known, perhaps, is that Shakespeare was not only a shaper of language, but also a creator. According to Shakespeare Online, The Bard invented about 1,700 words that are today part of our vernacular: bedroom, rant, advertising, birthplace -- words that it is impossible not to use. Born in a market town a hundred miles out of London, educated in a second-rate grammar school and beginning his career in theater as the stable boy, it is hard to imagine a more remote beginning for someone who would rise to heights so influential on how we today speak daily.

Joseph Conrad

As we've learned in the case of Shakespeare, a language responds to how it is styled by its artists. Literature was, for centuries and millennia, the fastest way to change how language was used in everyday circles on a massive scale. It's here where we can see the influence of Joseph Conrad, a 19th-century novelist whose treatment of the English language has influenced nearly every major writer since, from Hunter S. Thompson to Salman Rushdie. Even filmmakers have followed his lead: Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now is based on one of his novels. Here's the catch: Joseph Conrad did not learn English until he was in his twenties. Born Jozef Korzeniowski in the Russian Empire, his native languages were Polish and French. Despite this, he decided that his late third language would be the best medium for his literary stylings, and he brought with him a foreign temperament which has been present in our literature ever since.

King Henry VIII

Famous multiple-divorcé, first Supreme Head of the Church of England -- mover and shaper of the English language? A great historical challenger to Samuel Johnson's later title as first standardizer of spoken English is Henry VIII. In 1542, Henry standardized the use of a single Latin Grammar textbook, Rudimenta Grammatices, in all schools across the country. It would remain the standard, with some revisions, for 300 years after. To show the expanse of this book's influence: Shakespeare referred to it in two of his plays. And art was not the only place where this book appeared. In 1586, the first academic work on English grammar appeared, entitled Pamphlet for Grammar, and its content was written directly to imitate the Latin grammar in Rudimenta Grammatices. Had Henry selected a different textbook for use in schools, the grammar of our language in the decades following and even today would be drastically different.

21 April 2020 | english history |

Easter Cryptic

Nearest broadcast is from China? (7)

Answer: EASTERN

12 April 2020 | crossword, puzzle, easter |

Very Useful Alternatives To Very

The word "very" is to be avoided as much as humanly possible, except in dialog. It's vague and lazy, and almost always better replaced with something more evocative. Here are some suggested replacements for you to use in your writing!

A

Very accurate: precise, exact, unimpeachable, perfect, flawless, correct
Very aggressive: forceful, overconfident, insistent, hardline
Very amazed: astounded, flabbergasted, astonished, shocked
Very angry: furious, irate, enraged, incensed, fuming, livid
Very anxious: dismayed, apprehensive, restless, fretful
Very aware: conscious, savvy, apprised, mindful, cognizant

B

Very basic: rudimentary, primary, fundamental, simple
Very beautiful: gorgeous, stunning, exquisite, magnificent
Very big: colossal, enormous, gigantic, gargantuan, massive, vast, immense, sizeable, important, urgent, weighty, powerful, prominent, difficult, complicated, adult, grown up, generous, inflated, great
Very bloody: gory, brutal, barbarous, savage, murderous
Very bony: skeletal, angular, spindly, gaunt, emaciated
Very boring: tedious, dreary, uninteresting, mind-numbing
Very bright: brilliant, dazzling, radiant, blinding, intense

C

Very capable: efficient, competent, adept, proficient, skillful
Very careful: meticulous, fastidious, precise, scrupulous
Very caring: compassionate, kind, attentive, sympathetic
Very civil: polite, courteous, respectful, cultured, mannerly
Very clean: spotless, immaculate, stainless, shining, hygienic
Very clear: transparent, sheer, translucent, glassy, crystal
Very clever: astute, brilliant, shrewd, ingenious, crafty, sharp
Very cold: freezing, icy, frozen, frigid, bitter, glacial, frosty, polar
Very colorful: vibrant, vivid, kaleidoscopic, variegated, vivid
Very competitive: ambitious, driven, cutthroat, bloodthirsty
Very concerned: worried, troubled, upset, distressed, agitated
Very confident: poised, cool, self-assured, self-reliant, secure
Very confused: baffled, befuddled, mystified, clueless, dazed
Very conscious: deliberate, intentional, premeditated, willful
Very consistent: constant, unfailing, uniform, harmonious, same
Very contrary: belligerent, argumentative, confrontational
Very conventional: conservative, common, predictable, unoriginal, traditional
Very corrupt: fraudulent, crooked, unethical, dishonest, rotten
Very creamy: velvety, buttery, rich, smooth, milky, greasy
Very creepy: unnerving, skin-crawling, spooky, sinister, weird
Very critical: vital, crucial, essential, indispensable, integral
Very crunchy: crispy, brittle, crackling, gravelly, crusty, gritty
Very curious: inquisitive, nosy, prying, snoopy, quizzical
Very cute: adorable, endearing, delightful, pretty, charming, lovable, lovely, attractive

D

Very dangerous: perilous, precarious, unsafe, treacherous, dicey
Very dark: black, inky, ebony, sooty, lightless, starless, unlit
Very decent: civilized, upright, courteous, respectable, noble
Very deep: abysmal, bottomless, cavernous, yawning, vast
Very deformed: twisted, contorted, misshapen, mutilated
Very delicate: subtle, slight, fragile, frail, flimsy, insubstantial
Very desperate: frantic, fraught, grave, serious, hopeless, dire
Very determined: resolute, adamant, obstinate, tenacious, dogged
Very different: unusual, distinctive, atypical, dissimilar, unlike
Very difficult: complicated, complex, demanding, arduous
Very dirty: filthy, foul, grimy, polluted, squalid, dilapidated
Very disagreeable: contrary, obnoxious, offensive, repugnant, rude
Very dismal: miserable, cheerless, depressing, morbid
Very distinct: clear, definite, patent, evident, apparent
Very dramatic: theatrical, histrionic, melodramatic, vivid
Very dry: arid, parched, sere, dehydrated, withered
Very dubious: suspicious, skeptical, cynical, unconvinced

E

Very eager: impatient, ardent, fervent, keen, earnest
Very easy: effortless, uncomplicated, unchallenging, simple
Very educational: enlightening, edifying, informative, revealing
Very efficient: competent, proficient, resourceful, able
Very embarrassed: mortified, humiliated, discomfited, ashamed
Very emotional: demonstrative, sensitive, temperamental
Very enthusiastic: zealous, eager, fervent, vehement, ebullient
Very exciting: exhilarating, electrifying, thrilling, breathtaking
Very expensive: costly, exorbitant, overpriced, extravagant

F

Very fair: equitable, impartial, neutral, nonpartisan
Very faithful: loyal, devoted, staunch, unwavering, stalwart
Very familiar: common, established, typical, traditional
Very famous: renowned, eminent, legendary, celebrated
Very far: distant, remote, isolated, secluded, extrasolar
Very fast: rapid, speedy, swift, rapid, swift, fleet, blistering, supersonic
Very fat: obese, corpulent, overweight, plump
Very fertile: prolific, productive, fruitful, rich, lush, fecund
Very few: meager, scarce, scant, limited, negligible
Very fierce: vicious, ferocious, savage, keen, intense, feral
Very firm: solid, hard, rigid, set, frozen, unyielding
Very fizzy: effervescent, frothy, foamy, sudsy
Very fluffy: downy, fuzzy, fleecy, feathery, cottony
Very fond: devoted, attentive, enamored, doting
Very fragile: tenuous, unstable, precarious, frail, delicate
Very friendly: gregarious, outgoing, chummy, demonstrative
Very frustrating: exasperating, infuriating, disheartening, vexing
Very full: overflowing, bursting, crammed, packed, sated
Very funny: hilarious, hysterical, sidesplitting, rollicking

G

Very good: superb, superior, excellent, outstanding
Very graceful: flowing, supple, lithe, willowy, lissome
Very greedy: gluttonous, avaricious, materialistic, insatiable

H

Very hairy: hirsute, shaggy, furry, bushy, unshaven
Very happy: ecstatic, overjoyed, euphoric, blissful, elated
Very hard to find: rare, hidden
Very hard: difficult, solid, tough, dense, involved, puzzling, exhausting, harsh, strict, stubborn
Very healthy: hale, hardy, flourishing, fit, robust, vigorous
Very heavy: leaden, ponderous, weighty, dense, hefty
Very helpful: supportive, obliging, accommodating, invaluable
Very high: soaring, towering, steep, lofty, elevated, extreme, acute, great, strong. violent, significant
Very honest: candid, sincere, authentic, forthright, frank
Very hot: burning, scalding, blistering, scorching, searing
Very huge: colossal, enormous, gigantic, gargantuan, massive, vast, immense, sizeable, important, urgent, weighty, powerful, prominent, difficult, complicated, adult, grown up, generous, inflated, great
Very hungry: starving, famished, ravenous, hollow, voracious
Very hurt: battered, injured, harmed, wounded, upset, distressed, saddened, suffering, woeful, troubled, pained, offended

I

Very ill: infirm, bedridden, frail, terminal, incurable
Very immature: childish, infantile, naive, jejune, callow, green
Very immoral: depraved, decadent, debauched, iniquitous
Very important: crucial, vital, essential, paramount, imperative
Very impressive: extraordinary, remarkable, awe-inspiring
Very inebriated: intoxicated, drunk, soused, smashed, plastered
Very informal: casual, unceremonious, easygoing, simple
Very intelligent: brainy, clever, bright, gifted, intellectual, astute
Very intense: severe, extreme, fierce, overpowering, acute
Very interesting: fascinating, remarkable, riveting, compelling

J

Very jealous: envious, resentful, grudging, green, bitter
Very juicy: succulent, moist, ripe, luscious, fleshy, syrupy

L

Very large: colossal, enormous, gigantic, gargantuan, massive, vast, immense, sizeable, weighty, inflated, considerable, substantial, abundant, serious, huge, humongous, mammoth
Very lavish: excessive, opulent, posh, luxurious, sumptuous
Very lazy: indolent, idle, slack, workshy, passive
Very light: buoyant, insubstantial, weightless, airy, ethereal
Very likely: expected, imminent, probable, unavoidable
Very little: tiny, minute, slight, petite, miniature, teeny, initmate, close, young, immature, juvenile, minor, trivial, petty, foolish, stupid, meagre, scant, limited, insufficient, sparse, compact, short, miniscule, microscopic, wee
Very lively: energetic, vivacious, exuberant, spirited
Very logical: rational, cogent, credible, consistent, sound
Very lonely: isolated, deserted, forlorn, solitary, abandoned
Very long: extended, extensive, interminable, protracted
Very loose: slack, hanging, relaxed, baggy, wobbly, unsecured, movable, promiscuous, wanton, debauched, immoral, vague, random
Very loud: thunderous, cacophonous, booming, deafening, rowdy, ear splitting, garish, flashy, ostentatious, vulgar, boisterous
Very loved: adored, precious, cherished, revered, beloved
Very lucky: charmed, blessed, favored, fortunate, fluky

M

Very mean: cruel, miserly, stingy, tight fisted, spiteful, unfriendly, churlish, malicious, sour, excellent, outstanding, masterly, exceptional
Very messy: slovenly, disorganized, grubby, dirty, shambolic, chaotic, dishevelled, rumpled, unkempt, confusing
Very moody: morose, temperamental, unstable, changeable
Very much so: of course, okay, yes, absolutely, precisely
Very much: plenty, oceans, heaps, scads, oodles, loads
Very musical: melodic, melodious, harmonious, dulcet

N

Very near: handy, close-by, alongside, convenient, nearby
Very neat: immaculate, orderly, well-kept, methodical, superb
Very necessary: essential, compulsory, requisite, mandatory, inevitable, inescapable, certain
Very negative: pessimistic, defeatist, cynical, critical, fatalistic
Very nervous: apprehensive, anxious, edgy, tense, uptight, flustered, worried
Very new: novel, innovative, fresh, original, cutting-edge
Very nice: kind, pleasant, delightful, agreable, charming, enjoyable, obliging, friendly, amiable, polite, couteous
Very noisy: deafening, thunderous, booming, blaring, cacophonous, rowdy, ear splitting, boisterous
Very numerous: abundant, copious, myriad, profuse

O

Very obvious: apparent, clear, evident, plain, visible
Very occasionally: seldom, rarely, infrequently, sporadically
Very often: frequently, regularly, commonly, repeatedly, habitually, continually
Very old: ancient, elderly, mature, venerable, antiquated, decayed, rickety, shabby, outdated, established, traditional, original, primitive, seasoned, vintage, enduring
Very open: transparent, frank, sincere, honest, candid, truthful, clear, plain, welcoming, responsive, amenable, exposed, vulnerable, undefended
Very opinionated: dogmatic, cocksure, biased, partisan
Very optimistic: enthusiastic, buoyant, encouraged, positive

P

Very painful: excruciating, agonizing, searing, unbearable, distressing, harrowing
Very pale: white, pallid, ashen, sallow, colorless, pasty
Very persuasive: convincing, believable, compelling, charming
Very pleasant: satisfying, fulfilling, rewarding, gratifying
Very poor: destitute, impoverished, broke, penniless, indigent, unlucky, hapless, wretched
Very popular: trendy, fashionable, admired, prevalent
Very positive: optimistic, upbeat, affirmative, constructive
Very powerful: compelling, influential, commanding, authoritative, mighty, vigorous, effective
Very practical: realistic, sensible, functional, doable, viable
Very presentable: shipshape, well-groomed, tidy, personable
Very pretty: beautiful, attractive, appealing, fetching, stunning
Very pure: unadulterated, wholesome, pristine, clean

Q

Very quick: rapid, speedy, swift, rapid, swift, fleet, blistering, supersonic
Very quiet: hushed, muted, faint, whispered, muffled, inaudible, peaceful, silent, noiseless, still, soundless

R

Very rainy: pouring, downpour, deluge
Very rare: scarce, sparse, unique, exceptional, peerless
Very realistic: genuine, credible, authentic, rational, true
Very reasonable: equitable, judicious, sensible, practical, fair
Very recent: the latest, current, fresh, up-to-date
Very relevant: germane, pertinent, appropriate, significant
Very religious: spiritual, devout, pious, fervent, dedicated
Very responsible: dependable, conscientious, reliable, steadfast
Very rich: wealthy, affluent, loaded, well off, properous, full bodied, tasty, creamy, luscious, succulent, luxurious
Very risky: perilous, hazardous, treacherous, precarious, dangerous, tricky, uncertain, fraught
Very roomy: spacious, expansive, vast, palatial, commodious
Very rough: coarse, jagged, rugged, craggy, gritty, broken
Very rowdy: boisterous, disorderly, raucous, unruly, wild
Very rude: vulgar, insolent, offensive, derogatory, boorish

S

Very sad: sorrowful, unhappy, depressed, sombre, dejected, upsetting, poignant, harrowing, pitiable, terrible, miserable, pathetic, wretched, disconsolate, desolate
Very safe: harmless, benign, secure, protected, sheltered
Very same: identical, matching, indistinguishable, exact
Very sassy: impertinent, cheeky, insolent, disrespectful
Very scared: petrified, terrified, afraid, shaken, cowed, petrified, alarmed, frightened, nervous, startled, disturbed, apprehensive, daunted
Very scary: chilling, terrifying, shocking, horrifying, creepy, spooky, menacing, sinister
Very serious: grave, severe, worrying, acute, important, urgent, pressing, significant, thoughtful, profound
Very severe: acute, grave, critical, serious, brutal, relentless
Very sexy: seductive, steamy, provocative, erotic, sensual
Very shaky: tremulous, quaking, vibrating, unsteady
Very sharp: keen, honed, quick wited, astute, discerning, bitter, acidic, sudden, abrupt
Very shiny: gleaming, glossy, polished, lustrous, sparkling, glimmering, sleek, smooth, satiny
Very short: brief, quick, fleeting, momentary, concise, succinct, compact, abridged, diminutive, squat, tiny, abrupt, terse, curt, blunt, brusue, crumbly, direct, scarce, limited, insufficient, stubby, dwarf, petite
Very shy: timid, self conscious, bashful, reserved, coy, reticent, hesitant, backward, introverted, withdrawn
Very significant: key, noteworthy, momentous, major, vital
Very silky: sleek, smooth, satiny, glossy, lustrous, shiny
Very similar: alike, akin, analogous, comparable, equivalent
Very simple: basic, uncomplicated, coherent, straightforward, managable, unadorned, classic, naive, innocent, green, unsophisticated, humble, modest
Very slow: sluggish, sedate, plodding, creeping, snail-like
Very small: tiny, miniscule, infinitesimal, microscopic, wee
Very small: tiny, minute, slight, petite, miniature, teeny, initmate, close, young, immature, juvenile, minor, trivial, petty, foolish, stupid, meagre, scant, limited, insufficient, sparse, compact, short, miniscule, microscopic, wee
Very smooth: sleek, flush, glossy, silky, glassy, creamy, velvety, mellow, pleasant, flowing, calm, peaceful, suave, urbane
Very soft: malleable, yielding, spongy, muted, doughy
Very sorry: remorseful, repentant, penitent, contrite
Very sour: acerbic, tart, vinegary, biting, harsh, caustic
Very specific: precise, exact, explicit, definite, unambiguous
Very stinky: putrid, fetid, rank, rancid, putrescent, noxious
Very strange: weird, eerie, bizarre, uncanny, peculiar, odd
Very strict: stern, austere, severe, rigorous, harsh, rigid
Very strong: muscular, brawny, rugged, powerful, tough
Very stupid: idiotic, dense, vacuous, ridiculous, inane
Very substantial: considerable, significant, extensive, ample
Very successful: lucrative, productive, thriving, prosperous
Very sudden: unexpected, abrupt, precipitous, unforeseen
Very suitable: appropriate, fitting, seemly, proper, correct
Very sure: positive, persuaded, certain, convinced, absolute
Very suspicious: skeptical, distrustful, wary, guarded, leery
Very sweet: syrupy, sugary, honeyed, cloying, candied

T

Very tactile: touchable, palpable, physical, perceptible
Very tall: towering, lofty, multistory, soaring, statuesque
Very tame: docile, submissive, meek, compliant, subdued
Very tasty: delicious, yummy, flavorful, tempting
Very tempting: irresistible, enticing, tantalizing, alluring
Very tense: overwrought, rigid, taut, strained, agitated
Very terrible: dreadful, horrendous, horrific, shocking
Very thin: gaunt, scrawny, emaciated, haggard, skeletal
Very tired: exhausted, weary, spent, drained, fatigued, worn out, bored, stale, cliched
Very traditional: conventional, established, customary, habitual
Very treacherous: traitorous, disloyal, unfaithful, perfidious

U

Very ugly: hideous, revolting, repugnant, grotesque
Very unfair: unjust, bigoted, prejudiced, inequitable
Very unlikely: improbable, implausible, doubtful, dubious
Very unusual: abnormal, extraordinary, uncommon, unique
Very useful: expedient, effective, nifty, handy, valuable

V

Very valuable: precious, beneficial, prized, expensive, costly, priceless
Very violent: abusive, savage, barbarous, cutthroat, cruel
Very visible: conspicuous, exposed, obvious, prominent

W

Very warm: stifling, hot, sultry, sweltering, oppressive
Very wary: skeptical, suspicious, leery, vigilant, distrustful
Very weak: feeble, frail, delicate, debilitated, fragile, sickly
Very well: superb, fine, fabulous, all right, okay, good
Very wet: saturated, soaked, waterlogged, sopping
Very wicked: evil, sinful, villainous, nefarious, fiendish
Very wide: vast, expansive, sweeping, boundless, distended
Very widespread: extensive, pervasive, prevalent, rampant
Very wild: untamed, feral, unmanageable, uncontrollable
Very windy: roaring, blustery, turbulent, howling, wild
Very wise: sagacious, sage, astute, enlightened, shrewd
Very worried: distressed, distraught, overwrought, upset

Y

Very young: undeveloped, fledgling, immature, budding

Z

Very zealous: driven, ambitious, motivated, passionate

9 April 2020 | list, very |

April Fools' Day Cryptic

Spring pudding as butt of joke? (5,4)

Answer: APRILFOOL

1 April 2020 | crossword, puzzle, april fools |