Wan (Wan) :

1. Pale and looking ill. 2. Indicating that one is tired, ill or nervous.

Synonyms: 1. Colourless, pale, palled, sallow, ghastly. 2. Weak, feeble, ineffective, limp.

Antonyms: 1. Flushed, florid. 2. Strong, forceful, convincing, effective.

— Sally looked very weak and wan.

— He made a wan attempt to defend himself.

Towering (Tow-ering) :

1. Extremely high. 2. Very great.

Synonyms: 1. High, lofty, soaring. 2. Supreme, foremost, paramount, extraordinary.

Antonyms: 1. Low, short, submerged. 2. Inferior, insignificant, ordinary, lowly.

— The towering building seemed to be touching the sky.

— Mahatma Gandhi was a towering leader.

Sumptuous (Sump ‘chu’ us) : Looking expensive and splendid.

Synonyms: Splendid, luxurious, grand, regal, lavish, superb.

Antonyms: Plain, ordinary, cheap.

— We had a sumptuous meal at the wedding party last night.

Exalt (Eqz-awlt) :

1. To praise highly. 2. To make somebody higher in rank or greater in power or feeling.

Synonyms: 1. Laud, praise, honour, applaud, acclaim. 2. Inspire, elevate, elate.

Antonyms: 1. Damn, condemn, disgrace. 2. Dispirit, dishearten, disarray.

— The victorious soldiers were exalted by the crowds waiting to receive them.

— The sermon truly exalted the listeners.

Effusive (effu-sive) : lavish.

Synonym: Extravagant

Antonyms: Sparing, restrained.

— The effusive praise embarrassed the chief guest.

Egress (e’gres) : exit

Synonym: Departure, escape, leakage.

Antonym: Entrance.

— The hostage made his egress through one of the rear windows.

Onomatopoeia means the formation of words in imitation of natural sounds. Fill in the blanks to find such words.

1. B_ _Z

2. C_I_K

3. C_A_K

4. C_ _K_O

5. S_L_ _H

6. _ _W_ _ W

7. H_ _S

8. T_ _D.

Looking back

Red Cross

Geneva Convention was a convention signed at a conference of representatives of leading European powers in 1864. The neutrality of ambulances, hospitals, sanitary officers, chaplains and others engaged in relieving the sick and the wounded was guaranteed. All persons in such service were and are still required to wear a Geneva cross (Red Cross on a white ground) as a badge of office.

Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which, if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or a Shakespear. — Hedge.

Buzz, click, crack, cuckoo, splash, bow-bow, hiss, thud.

— Illa Vij