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–THINE, SHIN–SHOUT and BANDED–BORED where they occur at the beginnings, ends and in the middles of the word pairs respectively, the other letters remaining the same. In the August 1994 Kickshaws (page 169), Dave Morice listed 24 such word pairs in an item entitled Letter-Addition Opposites. Now I 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.
My list includes both antonyms and near-antonyms. Most of them can be found in Chambers Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms ed. Martin H. Manser, 1993.
Excluding certain proper names, most of the word pairs can be found in the Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition. w2 = Webster’s Second Edition.
Those examples which appear in WW94169 are asterisked*.
EXCHANGING BEGINNINGS
alls (also)–nones
alteration–fixation
asker–teller (one who counts money)
bagde–Goodge (a name)
bane–licensee
barter–letter
bested (placed)–worsted (a fine, smooth yarn)
binds–frees (frieze)
boomed (what the foghorn did)–slumped (in chair)
bottomed (having;a bottom)–toped (toppled or fell over)
boyling (boiling)–girling (a young salmon)
breadwort (the knot grass)–waterwort (plants of genus Elatine)
breaker (a small keg or flask–on a boat)–mender
burdener–rider
calmer–dinner
calming–wilding (a crab-apple tree or Michael)
clearing–fainting
Cleary (a name)–dully
closely–startly (apt to start, jump)
comet–got*
covered–striped
dayly (dally)–nightly
dived–soard (sward)
dressed – striped
Easter–wester (wind–w2)
ebber (manifest, unconcealed)–flower
emptying–fulling (the process of cleansing and thickening cloth by beating and washing)
EXCHANGING ENDS
Ada (a name)–adzed (cut with an adze)
farm–fleg (a fright, scare)
neart (be)–nescience
rebless–recurse (to recur)
scenter–sedge
scold–sheat (a pig under one year old)
scold–swarm
scool (school)–swarm
Adie (a name)–alive
undies (under garments)–unlives (deprives of life)
redress (reparation of a wrong)–restrip (w2)
bedrop (to drop upon, cover or wet with drops)–behold
pearly–plate*
uneasy–unhard (soft)
miseasy (miserably)–mistrying (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 (to rise in opposition)
forefeet (the front feet of a quadruped)–forehands (shots in tennis)
afind (to find out)–alose (a fish)
afoot (astir)–ahead
refresh–retired
unfriendly–unreserved (not put to one side)
forgive (to pardon)–fortake (to take away)
shave–slack
shere (share)–sthere (steer = a young ox)
chers (cheers)–chis (fastidious)
phot (a unit in physics = one lux maintained for one second)–picy (a manoeuvre in piquet)
sill–swell*
spinner–spouter
clad–class
landlady (runs a Bed and Breakfast)–landman (a countryman, peasant)
Roland (a name)–rosea (plant species name)
flax–frigid
underlay (for carpet)–understood
cleave–clinger
sleave (sleeve)–stake
slender–sower
underlie–understand
overlie–overtruth (a statement in excess of the truth)
clinger–crush
sloath (sloth)–swilling
alose (a fish)–awin (to win)
slow–stall
blower–braise
slower–supper
slowest–stop
Romany–roone (roan)
remiss–reobserve
ostomy (type of operation)–ostoyour (soldier)
smyth (smite v.; also a surname)–struth (strewth)
gnew (past tense of gnaw)–gold
snippy–swarm
doff–don* (themselves antonyms)
Dover–dunder (the dregs of cane juice used in the West Indies in the fermentation of rum)
groover–grounder
apeace (appease)–Awar (a member of the people of the North Caucasus)
repure (to purify again)–revile (to use abusive language)
squeer (squire)–swell
unrest (disturbance)–unwork (to undo or detach from something)
trough–twell (till)
ALL POSSIBLE EXCHANGES
The same pair of 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 may be split and appear in two, corresponding, separate places in each word. Below, each different pair of antonyms appears in at least 3 of the 4 columns.
ADDITIONAL SPLITS
Here are some more examples of split antonym exchanges:
(a) Beginning and End
chame (a fissure)–whent (quaint)
drey (a squirrel’s nest)–weet (to know)
easily–tensile
hale–shale
heard–trail
loess–Moore (a name)
louse–mauke (maggot)
pumill (pommel)–pumish (pumice)
rinse–snag
shafe (sheaf)–wheak (a squeak or whine) … weak in the sense of unguarded
trender (a wool winder)–trough
theorem–uores (journeys)
treuce (truce)–wear
(b) Beginning and Middle
flinder (to break into fiinders or pieces)–sleeker
fletcher (an arrow-maker)–slender
(c) Middle and End
ranted–roter (one who repeats by rote)
minn (type of old Irish ornament)–mount
(d) Beginning, Middle and End
Here is a 3-way split pair of antonyms (‘these’ and ‘those’):
threstle (trestle)–throstle (a thrush)
ALTERNATIVE SPLITS
The 2 words FARER (traveller) and NEARER offer a choice of 2 positions for the antonyms FAR and NEAR: FARER–NEARER and FARER–NEARER.
There are, however, 2 words which go one stage further, offering a choice of 3 positions for the antonyms MAS (several mothers) and PAS (several fathers):
MASSES–PASSES
MASSES–PASSES
MASSES–PASSES
Both the above examples owe their existence to the presence in the words of repeated letters, R and S respectively.
