The host welcomed an affable group of guests, each reputed to know more about one subject than anyone else in town. (affable: friendly, amiable, genial) An affluent collector arrived with a silver fork that had its own traveling case and a much better seat than its owner. (affluent: wealthy, prosperous, well-off) A teacher was adroit at steering the conversation away from the price of the fork and toward the excellent soup. (adroit: skillful, deft, adept) The cook remained demure until someone demanded a detailed account of the soup's philosophical significance. (demure: reserved, modest, quiet)
She offered an analogous explanation: cooking was an addition to her real hobby, which was eating with people she liked. (analogous: comparable, similar, parallel) The guests regarded this succinct answer with relief, particularly those whose soup had begun to cool during the question. (succinct: concise, brief, terse) One expert insisted on a dogmatic distinction between an ordinary dinner and a truly meaningful encounter with vegetables. (dogmatic: rigid, opinionated, doctrinaire) His neighbor asked for plausible evidence that an onion required a formal introduction before it could be chopped. (plausible: believable, credible, convincing)
A deft movement from the host redirected a falling bowl before it reached the collector's expensive shoes. (deft: skillful, adroit, dexterous) The minor crisis revealed a predominant interest shared by everyone: keeping the remaining soup on the table. (predominant: dominant, prevailing, principal) An arbitrary seating rule was abandoned when the guests needed more room to move the dishes. (arbitrary: capricious, random, discretionary) Their accord developed more easily around a practical task than around a contest to produce the longest sentence. (accord: agreement, harmony, consensus)
The teacher observed a discrepancy between the expert's stated admiration for conversation and his reluctance to let anyone else finish a sentence. (discrepancy: inconsistency, mismatch, difference) He was initially disgruntled when the host suggested a pause, but the return of warm bread improved his willingness to listen. (disgruntled: dissatisfied, discontented, aggrieved) The cook's discerning question about his actual work produced an interesting answer that none of his earlier declarations had invited. (discerning: perceptive, astute, observant) His didactic enthusiasm became enjoyable once it took the form of answering questions rather than correcting every casual remark. (didactic: instructive, educational, teaching-oriented)
The collector showed discernment by admitting that the ordinary kitchen spoon worked better for serving soup than his decorative fork. (discernment: judgment, insight, discrimination) A cordial exchange about favorite meals displaced the earlier effort to arrange the guests in order of importance. (cordial: friendly, warm, gracious) The host recognized a qualitative improvement in the evening without attempting to measure the precise value of every laugh. (qualitative: descriptive, concerned with quality, nonnumerical) The cook's unassuming pleasure came from seeing the empty bowls, which required less interpretation than the elaborate compliments. (unassuming: modest, unpretentious, self-effacing)
The collector displayed unexpected prowess at drying plates, using an ordinary cloth without asking about its cultural importance. (prowess: skill, expertise, ability) The host could allay the cook's remaining concern by pointing to a room full of people talking without competing. (allay: ease, calm, soothe) No one needed to equivocate when asked whether they would like another helping. (equivocate: hedge, evade, speak ambiguously) The answer was a definitive yes, expressed without reference to the fork's insurance policy. (definitive: conclusive, decisive, unambiguous)