
tickle | tickle: v. titillate, delight, please, gratify, amuse, entertain, divert, captivate, thrill, tickle pink or to death: The show we saw last night really tickled my fancy. She was tickled to receive the flowers.
ticklish | ticklish: adj. 1 uncertain, unsteady, unsure, unstable, unsettled, fickle, touch-and-go, touchy: Power that relies on the sword has a ticklish basis. 2 delicate, precarious, risky, hazardous, dangerous, critical, thorny, fragile, awkward: As the canoe drifted towards the waterfall, we found ourselves in a very ticklish predicament. 3 delicate, sensitive, hypersensitive, difficult, touchy, prickly: Cornelia is a bit ticklish on the subject of her holiday plans.
tidy | tidy: adj. 1 neat, orderly, trim, shipshape, spruce, spick and span, clean, well-kept, well-groomed: Change your clothes and come back when you''re tidy. 2 well-organized, organized, well-ordered, methodical, systematic, trim: They refused to clean his office till he had made it tidy. 3 respectable, sizeable, significant, considerable, substantial, good, goodly, good-sized, ample, large, big, fair, generous, not insignificant; Colloq not to be sneezed at: They settled a tidy sum on their daughter when she was married. --v. 4 Often, tidy up. neaten (up), straighten (out or up), clean (up), put in order, Colloq fix (up), spruce up, organize, reorganize, arrange, rearrange: You can''t watch television until you''ve tidied up your room. Please tidy up the files by the end of the week.
tie | tie: v. 1 bind, fasten, make fast, tie up, lash, secure, truss, attach, tether, rope, chain, moor; connect, join, knot, link, couple, splice, unite: He keeps a vicious dog tied to a stake in his garden. Tie the ends of the rope together. 2 bind, truss (up), tie up, lash, pinion, restrict, confine, restrain; limit, tie down, curtail, curb, cramp, hamper, hinder: His hands are tied behind his back. According to the terms of the agreement, my hands are tied and I can do nothing. 3 connect, associate, unite, join, link, bind (up), affiliate, ally, league, team (up): Our business interests are tied to those of the major banks. 4 equal, even, be equal or even (with), match, be neck and neck (with): We tied them for first place. Yesterday, we were tied for second. 5 tie down. a clinch, secure, confirm, Colloq nail down: I tied down the PBT contract this morning. b restrict, restrain, constrain, confine, curtail: He won''t marry because he doesn''t want to feel tied down. 6 tie in. a be consistent, make sense, correspond, coincide, fit (in), be logical, coordinate: His alibi ties in with the witness''s testimony. b relate, connect, link, associate, coordinate: They cleverly tie in concern for the environment with their product. 7 tie up. a occupy, engage, (keep) busy: This affair will tie me up till Tuesday. b use, take up, encroach on, impose on: I won''t tie up your time any longer. c stop, halt, bring to a standstill: The traffic was tied up for hours. d commit, oblige, obligate, bind: We have tied up all their output for a year. e See 1, above. f See 2, above. --n. 8 link, fastening, bond, band, connection, tie-up, relationship, affiliation, liaison, involvement, entanglement: Isn''t there some tie between those two companies? 9 string, cord, lace, rope, thong, ribbon, band, ligature, shoelace, line, leash, stop: The tie of her dressing-gown came loose. 10 equality, dead heat, deadlock, draw, stalemate: When there is a tie, the game ought to go into ''sudden death'' overtime. 11 cravat, US necktie: Please put on a tie for dinner. 12 railway tie, sleeper: Ties in Europe are now made of concrete.
tie-in | tie-in: n. tie-up, relationship, relation, association, connection, link, linkage: They say that there is a tie-in between smoking and lung cancer.
tier | tier: n. row, line, level, order, range, course, series, stratum, layer, echelon, file, rank, storey: The trireme is said to have had three tiers of oarsmen.
tie-up | tie-up: n. 1 US and Canadian slow-down, slow-up, entanglement, stoppage, jam, log-jam, traffic jam, delay, congestion: The tie-up was caused by fog on the highway. 2 See tie-in, above.
tiff | tiff: n. (petty) quarrel, disagreement, misunderstanding, dispute, argument, difference (of opinion), squabble, bicker, row, wrangle, US spat: Clare and Geoff have had their first tiff.
tiffin | tiffin: n. luncheon, lunch, light repast, snack: The new arrivals were to join us for tiffin.
tight | tight: adj. 1 secure, firm, fast, fixed, secured, close-fitting, snug, sealed, hermetically sealed, leak-proof, hermetic, impervious, impenetrable, impermeable, airtight, watertight, waterproof,: Make sure that the lid is tight. 2 taut, stretched, tense, constricting, (too) small, ill-fitting: She was wearing a very tight dress. 3 strict, binding, restrictive, stringent, severe, tough, uncompromising, unyielding, rigorous, stern, austere, autocratic, harsh, hard and fast, inflexible: You can''t get away with anything under such tight regulations. I have a tight schedule next week. 4 Chiefly nautical taut, (well-)disciplined, orderly, neat, well-organized, trim, tidy, smart: He runs a tight ship. 5 stingy, niggardly, mean, penurious, miserly, parsimonious, penny-pinching, tight-fisted, close-fisted, Colloq Brit mingy: Glenn is much too tight to buy anyone a drink. 6 close, (almost) even, (highly) competitive, neck and neck, evenly matched: It is going to be a tight race. 7 difficult, trying, dangerous, perilous, risky, hazardous, touchy, problematic, sticky, tricky, ticklish, precarious, touch-and-go: The strike has created a tight situation at the office. 8 tipsy, drunk, intoxicated, Colloq high, woozy, under the influence, Brit tiddly: When I saw her, she was too tight to drive. 9 scarce, scanty, hard to find or come by, rare; dear, expensive: Entrepreneurs have found investment money to be pretty tight this year. --adv. 10 tightly, securely, firmly; closely: Keep this door closed tight. Hold me tight. Her hands were clasped tight in prayer. 11 compactly, densely, solidly, firmly, closely: We were packed so tight in the bus that no one could move.
tighten | tighten: v. 1 Sometimes, tighten down or up. anchor, fasten, fix, tense, secure: Tighten those last two screws and you''re finished. 2 make tighter or tenser or stronger, strengthen: He tightened his grip on my hand. 3 Sometimes, tighten up. make more rigorous or strict or stringent or severe or restrictive, close gaps in: We ought to tighten security at the warehouse. 4 Sometimes, tighten up. tauten, stiffen, tense, close: I felt the noose begin to tighten round my neck.
tight-lipped | tight-lipped: adj. close-mouthed, silent, quiet, mum, mute, close-lipped, noncommittal, reticent, secretive, taciturn, unforthcoming, uncommunicative, reserved: He remained tight-lipped about his activities during the war.
tightly | tightly: adv. closely, tensely, vigorously, rigorously: It was a tightly fought race.
tights | tights: n.pl. US and Canadian and New Zealand panty hose, Australian and US also pantihose: It was much too hot to wear tights.
till� | till�: v. plough or US also plow, cultivate, farm, work, dig, hoe, harrow, manure, Literary delve: My family has tilled this land for seven generations.
till� | till�: n. money or cash-drawer, cash-box or register: He insists that the money was in the till when he left last night.
tilt | tilt: v. 1 lean, slant, incline, slope, angle, tip, heel over, pitch, list, cant: She caught the lamp just as the table tilted. 2 tilt at. joust with, compete with, battle against, contend with, spar with, cross swords with, attack: In tilting at the media, he has chosen some formidable opponents. --n. 3 lean, slant, incline, slope, angle, tip, heel, list, pitch, cant, inclination: The wall is at a perilous tilt and could easily fall. 4 joust, tourney, tournament, meeting, tilting, engagement, encounter, match, contest, test, trial, fight, combat; dispute, argument, difference, quarrel, altercation, squabble, tiff, US spat, Colloq set-to: I have enjoyed the various tilts I have had with the editor over the years.
timber | timber: n. 1 trees, forest, woodland: The standing timber has been seriously depleted in Brazil. 2 wood, beams, boards, planks, US and Canadian lumber: The timber for our new house arrived today. 3 material, potential, stuff, character, quality, talent, prospect: Agatha seems to be good management timber.
timbre | timbre: n. tone (colour or quality), tonality, colour, resonance: Kurt''s voice has a rich, full timbre.
time | time: n. 1 period, interval, stretch, spell, patch: I was going through a bad time when we last met. 2 period, interval, stretch, while, span, space, term, duration: It is a long time since I have seen you. In the time I took to write this, she had vanished. 3 hour; point, moment: What time is it? At what time is our appointment? 4 age, period, epoch, era, lifetime, heyday, day(s): The novel is set in the time of the Caesars. 5 opportunity, chance, occasion: You must make time to visit your mother. 6 experience: I had a wonderful time at your party. 7 tempo, beat, rhythm, metre, measure: They are playing ''Teddy Bears'' Picnic'' in march time. 8 ease, leisure; convenience: He''ll be there in his own time. 9 Often, times. life, things, circumstance, conditions, everything, culture, mores, habits, values: How times have changed since we were young! 10 ahead of time. (bright and) early, prematurely, beforehand, in good time: He arrived ahead of time and had to wait. 11 all the time. always, ever, constantly, continuously, continually, perpetually, at all times, without surcease, unceasingly: Mother is after me all the time to do my homework. 12 at one time. a once, once upon a time, on one occasion, previously, in days of yore, formerly, heretofore, in the (good) old days: At one time you thought me beautiful. b simultaneously, (all) at once, at the same time, together, all together, in unison: The car can only carry five people at one time. 13 at the same time. a all the same, nonetheless, yet, even so, but, however, be that as it may, nevertheless, notwithstanding, just the same: I love her; at the same time, I cannot live with her. b See 12 (b), above. 14 at times. from time to time, occasionally, (every) now and then, once in a while, on occasion, every so often, at intervals, sometimes, Colloq every so often: At times, Ingrid would come over and cook dinner for me. 15 behind the times. old-fashioned, outdated, dated, outmoded, antiquated, pass�, obsolescent, obsolete, Colloq old hat, dead: Isn''t ''The Lambeth Walk'' a bit behind the times? 16 for the time being. for now, for the present, for the moment, meanwhile, temporarily, pro tempore, pro tem, Archaic for the nonce: He has been appointed chairman for the time being. 17 in no time. at once, forthwith, straightaway, immediately, quickly, speedily, without delay, swiftly: The pizza we ordered was delivered in no time. 18 in time. a in timely fashion, early, in good time, in the nick of time: The doctor arrived in time to save the baby. b soon, one of these days, sometime, someday, one day, eventually, sooner or later, anon: In time, people might be living on the moon. 19 on time. a punctually, on the dot, in good time: He is never on time for his appointments. b in instalments, on terms, on account, on credit, Colloq Brit on the never-never, on hire purchase or h.p.: We bought the car on time. 20 take (one''s) time. dawdle, dilly-dally, shilly-shally, delay, linger, loiter: He''s certainly taking his time with his report. 21 time and again. again (and again), repeatedly, (over and) over again, time and time again, time after time, frequently, often, many times, on many occasions: Time and again I warned him he''d get a ticket if he parked there. --v. 22 schedule, set, regulate, control: The trains are timed to arrive five minutes apart. 23 schedule, set, organize, adjust, fix: She timed her entrance to coincide exactly with the crash of the cymbals.
time-honoured | time-honoured: adj. established, traditional, habitual, customary, rooted, conventional, age-old, set, fixed; venerable, venerated, respected, revered, honoured: We observed the time-honoured custom of kissing the Blarney Stone.
timeless | timeless: adj. eternal, everlasting, immortal, undying, endless, unending, ceaseless, abiding, deathless, ageless, changeless, unchanged, immutable, unchanging, permanent, indestructible: He was enraptured by the timeless beauty of the heavens.
timely | timely: adj. punctual, prompt, well-timed, propitious, opportune, convenient, favourable, auspicious: We welcomed the timely arrival of our rescuers.
time-serving | time-serving: adj. self-seeking, self-serving, selfish, self-indulgent, ambitious, mercenary, venal, greedy, profit-oriented, fortune-hunting, gold-digging, opportunistic, hypocritical, obsequious, sycophantic, toadying, toad-eating, boot-licking, subservient, Colloq on the make, on the take, Slang US out for numero uno, Taboo slang brown-nosing: Members of the party were known to be time-serving and untrustworthy.
timetable | timetable: n. schedule, calendar, curriculum, programme, agenda, Chiefly Brit diary: My timetable doesn''t allow for long lunches.
time-worn | time-worn: adj. ageing, old, tired, worn, time-scarred, decrepit, dilapidated, tumbledown, ramshackle, run-down, dog-eared, ragged, moth-eaten, threadbare, seedy, shabby, archaic, antique, well-worn, worn out, pass�, broken-down, old-fashioned, out-dated, dated, antiquated, ancient, obsolescent, obsolete, stereotyped, stereotypic(al), hackneyed, stale, trite, overused, Colloq old hat: She went into her time-worn routine about two living as cheaply as one.
timid | timid: adj. shy, retiring, modest, coy, bashful, diffident, timorous, fearful, apprehensive, mousy, scared, frightened, nervous, cowardly, pusillanimous, craven, Colloq chicken-hearted, yellow, yellow-bellied, chicken, chicken-livered, lily-livered, gutless: I knew this strapping marine when he was a timid little boy.
tinker | tinker: v. trifle, dabble, meddle, mess (around or about), toy, fool or play (around or about), Brit potter or US putter (about or around), Colloq fiddle or monkey or muck (about or around): Graham has always enjoyed tinkering with engines.
tinny | tinny: adj. 1 shabby, flimsy, flimsily or poorly made, shoddy, inferior, cheap, tawdry: He bought himself a tinny old rattletrap of a car. 2 metallic, harsh, twangy: She plays that tinny old trumpet day and night.
tint | tint: n. 1 tincture, wash, hue, colour, cast; tinge, touch, hint, trace, dash, colouring, shade, tone, suggestion: In the west a tint of pink lingered in the sky. I thought I detected a tint of anger in his voice. 2 dye, rinse, wash, stain, tincture, colourant, colouring, touch-up: What''s the harm in granny''s using blue hair tint? --v. 3 dye, stain, colour, rinse, tinge, touch up: Sandra tints her hair to give it a coppery sheen. 4 tinge, colour, influence, affect, taint, stain: A deep pessimism tints all his writing.
tiny | tiny: adj. microscopic, infinitesimal, minute, minuscule, diminutive, wee, small, little, miniature, micro, mini, pocket, pocket-sized, bantam, pygmy or pigmy, midget, Lilliputian, petite, delicate, dainty, elfin, slight, insignificant, negligible, trifling, paltry, inconsequential, puny, Colloq pint-sized, teeny, teeny-weeny, teensy-weensy, itty-bitty, itsy-bitsy: She wore the tiniest bikini I had ever seen. When I saw them together I realized how tiny she is. Forgetting my birthday was only a tiny thing.
tip� | tip�: n. 1 end, extremity, peak, apex, summit, vertex, cap, top, pinnacle, tiptop, crown, head, terminal, ferrule or ferule, finial, nib or neb, point: The tip of the mountain showed above the clouds. He broke off the tip of the billiard cue. --v. 2 top, cap, crown, surmount: The foil is tipped with a rubber button to prevent injury.
tip� | tip�: v. 1 Often, tip over. upset, overthrow, knock or cast or throw down, up-end, knock over, overturn, topple (over), capsize: His elbow tipped the lamp, which fell with a crash. 2 slant, lean, incline, slant, tilt, cant: The statue is tipped a bit off the vertical. 3 empty, unload, dump, deposit, Slang Brit ditch: They tipped their load of gravel all over my driveway. --n. 4 (rubbish or US garbage) dump, rubbish or refuse or trash heap, dumping-ground: This old chair belongs in the tip.
tip� | tip�: n. 1 gratuity, baksheesh, pourboire, douceur, lagniappe or lagnappe, present, gift, Colloq little something: That waiter didn''t deserve a tip. 2 tip-off, (inside) information, warning, advice, suggestion, clue, hint, pointer, forecast, prediction, Colloq Brit gen: Louie had a tip that the police were coming. Her tip was ''Flapdoodle'' to win the fifth race. --v. 3 reward: Why did you tip the barmaid? 4 Usually, tip off. advise, warn, caution, alert, forewarn, notify, let (someone) know, Colloq let (someone) in on: The thieves were tipped off and never arrived.
tirade | tirade: n. declamation, harangue, diatribe, philippic, outburst, onslaught, screed, jeremiad, denunciation, stream of abuse, invective: He let loose with such a vituperative tirade that I walked out.
tire | tire: v. 1 weary, tire out, fatigue, exhaust, wear out, drain, sap, enervate, drain, wear out, debilitate, weaken, Colloq take it out of, fag (out), take it out of: The long climb tired me. 2 bore, exasperate, weary, irk, irritate, annoy, bother: I wish you wouldn''t tire me with your accounts of your shopping expeditions.
tired | tired: adj. 1 exhausted, tired out, worn out, weary, fatigued, spent, drained, Colloq all in, (dead) beat, knocked out, fagged (out), dog-tired, ready to drop, dead tired, done in, Brit knackered, whacked, US bushed, pooped, wiped out: I was really tired after that ten-hour flight. 2 Usually, tired of. bored with, exasperated by, weary of, irked or irritated or annoyed or bothered by, sick (and tired) of, Colloq fed up (to here) with: Perhaps she''s tired of your constant nagging. 3 overworked, overused, clich�d, stereotyped, stereotypic(al), hackneyed, unimaginative, trite, stale, worn out, unoriginal, commonplace, Colloq bromidic: The gossip columns are filled with the same old tired rubbish day after day.
tireless | tireless: adj. energetic, vital, vigorous, dynamic, spirited, lively, indefatigable, hardworking, industrious, untiring, unflagging, unfaltering, unfailing, persistent, dogged, tenacious, pertinacious, persevering, staunch, sedulous, unwavering, unswerving, undeviating, steady, steadfast, resolute, determined: We all appreciate the honorary secretary''s tireless efforts on behalf of our fund-raising this year.
tiresome | tiresome: adj. 1 boring, dull, fatiguing, humdrum, monotonous, flat, tedious, wearisome, tiring, uninteresting, insipid, bland, dry-as-dust, fatiguing, soporific, hypnotic: Ibsen wrote plays that actors love and audiences find tiresome. 2 irritating, irksome, vexing, vexatious, annoying, bothersome, exasperating, trying, disagreeable, troublesome, unpleasant: I wish she would take her tiresome problems elsewhere.
tissue | tissue: n. fabric, network, web, interweaving, combination, chain, series, accumulation, conglomeration, concatenation, pile, mass, pack: Their entire testimony was a tissue of lies.
titbit | titbit: n. delicacy, (dainty) morsel, treat, choice item, bonne bouche, US tidbit, Colloq goody: Sally likes to steal little titbits off my plate. I heard a juicy titbit of gossip this morning.
title | title: n. 1 name: You cannot tell much from a book''s title. 2 designation, appellation, epithet: Aubrey is now an earl, but he rarely uses his title. 3 caption, inscription, headline, head, subtitle, legend, subhead, rubric: The title on this picture has nothing to do with its subject. 4 championship, crown: He holds the world heavyweight boxing title. 5 right, interest, privilege, entitlement, ownership, possession, tenure; (title-)deed, documentation of ownership: My aunt has sole title to these lands. --v. 6 name, call, designate, style, label, term, entitle, christen, baptize, nickname, denominate, tag, dub: Harold was titled King of the Revels.
titter | titter: v. 1 chuckle, snicker, chortle, giggle; snigger: He told the most awful jokes at which his staff would titter politely. --n. 2 chuckle, snicker, giggle, (suppressed) laughter, chortle, snigger: A titter ran through the audience.
titular | titular: adj. nominal, so-called, so-designated, so-styled, self-styled, soi-disant, token, putative, theoretical: He may be the titular head of the company, but his brother is really the boss.
