EXCHANGING ANTONYMS
SUSAN THORPE
Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire
[email protected]
Antonyms have long been favourites of the readers of Word Ways, either as themselves (ODD -- EVEN) or
in disguise. In the latter case, they may be hidden in other word pairs such as in FATE
W E - THINE,
THINE, SHIN -SHOUT
S H m and BANDED -- BORED where they occur at the beginnings, ends and in the middles of the word
pairs respectively, the
169), Dave
t h e other letters remaining the same. In the August 1994 Kickshaws (page 169),
Morice listed 24 such word pairs in an item entitled Letter-Addition Opposites.
Opposites. Now II offer further
examples and also extend the concept to include pairs of words in which the antonyms are split, appearing
in 2 places in each of the two words, the other letters always remaining the same.
same.
My list includes both antonyms and near-antonyms. Most of
Dictionary of
of
of them can be found in Chambers Dictionary
Synonyms and Antonyms ed.
ed. Martin H.
H . Manser, 1993.
1993.
Excluding certain proper names, most of
of the word pairs can be found in the Oxford English Dictionary,
Second Edition.
w2
w2 =
= Webster's
Webster's Second Edition.
exan~pleswhich appear in WW94169 are asterisked*.
Those examples
EXCHANGING BEGINNINGS
BEGINNINGS
alls (also) -- nones
aIls
alteration -- fixation
&ration
asker -- teller (one who counts money)
badge -- Goodge (a name)
bane -- licensee
barter
letter
bested (placed) -- worsted (a fine,
fine, smooth yarn)
ubindss -- frees (frieze)
boomed (what the foghorn did) - slumped (in chair)
chair)
toped (toppled
(toppled or fell over)
over)
bottomed (having a bottom) -- !QQed
hboyling
l i n g (boiling) -- dgirling
i n g (a young salmon)
salmon)
(plants of genus Elatine)
Elatine)
breadwort (the knot grass) -- waterwort (plants
breaker (a small keg or flask - on a boat) -- mender
burdener -- rider
acalmer
e r -- diner
calming
Michael)
m
i n g -- wilding (a crab-apple tree or Michael)
clearing -- fainting
Cleary (aname)-dully
(a name) closely -- m
startly
sly
l y (apt to start,
start, jump)
- comet - gQt*
at*
covered -- astriped
e d
bdayly
l y (dally) -- nightly
dived -- m
soardd (sward)
&d
(sward)
dressed -- striped
Easter
& t e r -- wester (wind - w2)
w2)
ebber (manifest,
(manifest, unconcealed) -- flower
emptying -- fulling (the process of cleansing
cleansing and thickening cloth by beating and washing)
133
(badly)
extremely -- meanly (badly)
slowing
fasting (starving) - w
i n g
fate - athine*
e *
slime
fate
&e
fella -- m
roseaa (plant species name)
fells
fingery (branching into fingers
fingers or finger-like
finger-like divisions)
divisions) - toey
toey (restive,
(restive, anxious,
anxious, touchy)
floater (a mistake, bloomer) -- sinker (part of the root system of mistletoe
mistletoe that penetrates the host stem)
stem)
footle (twaddle)
(twaddle) -- m
l
e
handle
freeman - lockman (in the Isle of Man, the coroner's summoner)
summoner)
town
*
frown
Qwn*
givey (pliably, springy,
&y
springy, soft)
soft) - Roby (a name)
gQed
gged (good) - remained
gQer - &er
waiter
gger
hardly
m
l y (scarcely)
(scarcely) - softly
hear -- shear
lowth
ahighth
t h (height)
(height) - m
h (lout)
(lout)
hiQs
u s (the fruit of the rose) - shoulders
misse (mass,
hite (called) - &e
(mass, the celebration of the Eucharist)
Eucharist)
to
whom
an
estate
is released)
holde
(graciously)
releasee
(one
m e
released)
ego
a
plant
pot)
yielder
(one
who concedes)
holder
(that
which
holds
M e r
eg.
concedes)
keeper - transformer (transforms currents)
currents)
kindy (kindergarten) - meany
kindv
leaves (autumn)
(autumn) - transplants (hearts etc.)
waitss
leaves (autumn)
(autumn) - A
blonged
e d -- shorted (short-circuited)
loser -- retriever (a dog)
Losey (a name) -- recovery
mains (water)
(water) - minors
teary
mendy (variety of henna) - teary
messed (screwed up) - ordered (commanded)
mildee (mile) - severee (a bay of a vaulted roof)
m
truthee (truth)
mythe (may, might) -- m
oldster (a midshipman of 4 years standing) - youngster
party - wholey (wholly)
1@1y
trouahing (troughs,
(troughs, collectively)
collectively)
peaking (sickly) - troughing
personality -- publicity
poorly
richly
~
r l (ill)
y -- U
l y
poorly (ill) - superbly
pressman (man who operates
operates a printing press)press) - Pullman
u m a n (type of railway carriage)
(an easy
pullover (sleeveless sweater) - pushover
&over
easy touch)
touch)
sterner
rooter (an uprooter of something) -- m
@er
e r (stammer)
(stammer)
saver (one who saves)
saves) - waster (type of bread)
saverr (a foil
w
foil used in fencing)
fencing) - waster (one who wastes)
scenter -- stinker (something of difficulty)
difficulty)
siting -- standing
souring
w
i n g (a substance which renders sour or acid ego
eg. lemon juice) - sweeting (a sweet
sweet or beloved person)
thickee (thick)
m
(thick) - thine
tiene (ten) -- undone
waxless
waney (relating to timber) - waxy
waneless (wanless == hopeless) -- =less
willed
wonted
U
e d (controlled by another's will) -- w
e d (accustomed)
(accustomed)
134
EXCHANGING ENDS
Ad~ (a name) - adzed
Ada
ad& (cut with an adze)
farm
farm -- £kg
f l l (a fright, scare)
neart
neaJ (be) - nescience
reb
r eless
w - recurse (to recur)
scenter - sedge
s&
scold
s w (a pig under one year old)
s& - sheat
scold
s& - swarm
scool
s& (school) - swarm
Adie
A& (a name) - alive
a&
undies
u n m (deprives of life)
unc& (under garments) - unlives
redress
(reparation ofa
reof a wrong) - restrip
r e m (w2)
(w2)
bbedrop
e b (to drop upon, cover or wet with drops) - bbehold
e w
pearly -- plate*
p k *
uneasy -- unhard
u n u (soft)
miseasy (miserably) -- mistrying
mistrving (trying wrongly)
upend (to set something on its end) - upstart (someone who has suddenly risen in importance)
center -- cleave
seven - slumpy
sever -- snever (narrow)
infall (material that falls or has fallen) - inrise
in& (to rise in opposition)
forefeet (the front feet of a quadruped) -- forehands (shots in tennis)
afind
a m (to find out) - alose
a& (a fish)
afoot
a m (astir) -- ahead
a u
refresh -- retired
unfriendly -- unreserved (not put to one side)
forgive
for& (to pardon) -- fortake
for&t (to take away)
shave
s b -- slack
s@
shere
s& (steer == a young ox)
s& (share) -- sthere
chers
c m (cheers) - chis
cl& (fastidious)
phot
(a
unit
in
physics
p u
pliysics =
= one lux maintained for one second) - pify
pity (a manoeuvre in piquet)
sill
sill - swell
s d *
spinner -- spouter
clad -- class
c&
landlady (runs a Bed and Breakfast) - landman
land= (a countryman, peasant)
Roland
-- rosea
R
o (a name)
~
ram (plant species name)
flax
f l l -- frigid
f a
under.illy
u n d e r h (for carpet) - understood
cleave - clinger
sleave (sleeve) -- stake
s&
slender- sower
underlie - understand
overlie -- overtruth
ofthe
the truth)
o v e r d t (a statement in excess of
clinger -- crush
c&
sloath
s m (sloth) - swilling
alose
a& (a fish) - awin
a(to win)
slow -- stall
satJ
blower - braise
supper
slowerslower - s.!:!PPSrr
s~
slowest - smp
s1Qp
stop
135
Romany - rroone
o g (roan)
remiss - reobserve
reof operation) - ostoyour (soldier)
ostomy
oosto!l!Y
s t o i n ~(type of
V.; also a surname) - sstruth
smyth (smite v.;
m (strewth)
of gnaw) - g@
gold
gnew (past tense of
s!llimY
s!liImY - swarm
snippy
doff -- ddon*
doff
m * (themselves antonyms)
Dover - dunder (the dregs of cane juice used in the West Indies in the fermentation of rum)
Awar (a member of the people of the North Caucasus)
apeace (appease) - AM
purifY again) -- rev&
revile (to use abusive language)
repure (to purify
re=
sgueer (squire) - swell
squeer
uunrest
n m (disturbance) -- unwork (to undo or detach from something)
trough - ttwell
M (till)
grogroover -- grounder
ALL POSSIBLE EXCHANGES
The same pair of antonyms
antonyms may occur in different places in different pairs of words, specifically at the
beginning, the end or in the middle of words. Alternatively, the antonyms
antonyms may be split and appear in two,
corresponding, separate places in each word. Below, each different pair of
of antonyms
antonyms appears in at least 3
of the 4 columns.
Beginning
Separated
Separated
Middle
End
~m
f!m
nla
am -- them
oar
other
o~r
ba~
bathe
baf!
bag
b
a
b
n/a
Andes -- gores*
attencJ -- Qtter
otter
errand
e r r d - error
err=
f!ttend
RQD'
~ttend
e s * (a phrase) randy
r m - RQIY
R g (a phrase)
canon -- &on
canton
-
char^ -- fhant
chant
Chan
\ (a name)
name)
could - houl
hou! (hoot)
(hoot)
decanate
d e m a t e (deanery)(deanery)- decantate
d e m a t e (repeat often)
often) scan
scan -- scant
scolded
scold
bhoten
e n
s d e d - shoted
s u e d (shouted)
(shouted)
s& -- shot*
s u *
\ (to
(to make cold)
cold) \(promised)
\(promised)
(a hit for
s-er
for 7 runs)
runs) -- sodder
s u e r (solder)
(solder) seven
seven -- sodd (sod
(sod of earth)
earth)
evenly -- oddly (strangely)
(strangely) sevener
colden
&en
fines (penalises) - wets
refine -- rewet
re&
refines -- rewets
r e a s (w2)
(w2)
footway (path) - headway
@way hot-footed
h o t - m e d -- hot-headed
h o t - w e d (silly)
(silly)
afoot
a m -- ahead
a w
i e (ready)
greenie -- dredie
sea-green - seared
sea&
\ (a
(a large
large wave before it breaks)
breaks)
hater
chater
lover
&r (clothes) - &r
c&r (chatter) -- clover
c b r
shate
- slove
s&
s&
\ (p.t.
(p.t. shoot)
shoot) \split)
\split)
dill
dill -- dwell
d d
S&
coal strata)
strata)
silly
sillY -- swelly
(a depression in coal
uiller
e r - Weller
N e r (Sam)
income - outcome (result)
(result) shined
shbed -- shouted
-
bin
b b - bout
match
p~tch
patch
- -- §tch
pumapu§
puma
puma -- pUIm
p u
noses
E s e s (pI.
(pl. yes)
- - llises
smatter - s§tter
sImtter
spatter
Enos
Ews
-
elliS
eye~s
~aten
g@aten
=at= - rated
ratd
\ (great)
(great)
Eno
Em
Finn
fount
Fjng - founl
fmni
~
- elli
eves
peat
meat -- pe~t
mef!t
pef!t
me~t
EnsQ
Ens2 (name)
(name) -- e~s~
e ~
in training)
training) \ (Eno
(Eno == a proprietary
proprietary name)
name)
\ (Bible:
(Bible: son of Seth)
Seth) \ (a young hawk in
(note:
(note:the same
same word,
word, 'eyess', is
is here used in 2 of the columns.
columns. This is
is possible because of the
the double 'ss').
offer -- oner
mer
coffy
coffv (coffee)
(coffee) - cony
c 2 (a
(a rabbit)
rabbit)
136
toff
toff - ton
ton
cQiffe
c ~ i f f -e- cQine
c~iae
\ (coif)
\ (coin)
(coif)
(coin)
s
~
Beginning
Beginning
Middle
Middle
End
End
overbalance - underbalance
underbalance Hoovers
Horns -- hounders
hounders
overbalance
(fall)
\ (fall)
Separated
Separated
plover
p l m -- plunder
(moneywise)
\\ (moneywise)
pasted - presented
repasting (wallpaper) -- representing
re@ -- represent
repast
pascit
pasci!
-
prescient
\ (Roget's
(Raget
(Roget 's's Thesaurus)
Thesaurus)
theme - use
mathemes
- anus
(matins)- Mauses (creek in PA) anthem
ananus
m a m e s (matins)-
thermal
-- !:!r~al
!!r~al
-grzal
ADDITIONAL SPLITS
SPLITS
ADDITIONAL
some more examples of split antonym exchanges:
exchanges:
Here are some
(a) Beginning
Beginning and
and End
(a)
chame
fissure) - whent (quaint)
(quaint)
(a fissure)
fhame
nest)
F
e
t (to
(to know)
know)
drey
(a
squirrel's
nest)
wee!
mile
easily - tensil~
hal~ - shale
shal~
heard - trail
trail
hearQ
name)
-- Moore (a name)
loess
- l o u s - mauke (maggot)
(maggot)
louse
pumilJ (pommel)
(pommel) - pgmish
pumi& (pumice)
(pumice)
p'!!miU
p'!!mish
pgmill
sng
rinse
-- ~ngg
~nM
[!nse
shafe
(sheaf)
whine)......weak
sense of unguarded
~hafe
weak in the sense
§.hafe
(sheaf)
- wheak (a squeak or whine)
- trender
(a
wool
winder)
trough
!render
winder) -trough
-gores Gourneys)
(journeys)
theorem - !!ore~
!:!ore~
treuce (truce)
(truce) - wear
ye3
!!:euce
1!:euce
hale
and Middle
(b) Beginning and
flinder
(to
break
into flinders
flinders or pieces) -- ~leeker
sleeker
Dinder
-arrow-maker) -- ~lender
slender
Detcher (an arrow-maker)
fletcher
-(c)
( c) Middle and End
r a t e d -- rgter
rote)
ranteQ
rQter (one who repeats by rote)
mjnn
min!! (type
(type of old Irish ornament)
moun!
ornament) - mGn1
(d) Beginning,
Beginning, Middle and End
Here is a 3-way split pair of antonyms ('these'
('these' and 'those'):
athrestl~
r ~ t l (trestle)
e
-- athrostl~
r ~ t l (a
e thrush)
(trestle)
thrush)
ALTERNATIVE
AL TERNATIVE SPLITS
of2
The 2 words FARER (traveller) and NEARER offer a choice of
2 positions for the antonyms FAR and
NEAR:
X
R E R - NEARER and FARE&
RE_R.
F ARER - W
NEARER.
F ARER
of 3 positions for the antonyms
There are, however, 2 words which go one stage further, offering a choice of
MAS (several mothers) and PAS (several fathers):
fathers):
PASSES
PASS,ES
MASSES,
PASSES,
MASSES - U
SES
MASSES -- PASSES
U
S S E S - PASSES
Both the above examples owe their existence to the presence in the words of
of repeated letters, R
Rand
and S
respectively.
137