A catalog could encompass a remarkable spectrum of blues. (encompass: include, embrace, cover; spectrum: range, continuum, gamut) It could also bewilder a buyer who wanted the particular blue of a childhood bicycle. (bewilder: confuse, baffle, perplex) One sample appeared too sedate, the next too festive. (sedate: staid, composed, sober; festive: celebratory, merry, joyous) The salesman suggested a shade in vogue that spring. (vogue: fashion, trend, style) The artist looked distinctly unenthusiastic. (unenthusiastic: lukewarm, indifferent, apathetic)
They quarreled over semantics. (semantics: word meanings, matters of meaning) Were sea blue and ocean blue synonymous? (synonymous: equivalent, alike in meaning, similar in meaning) Labels could obscure a difference or suggest one where none existed. (obscure: hide, conceal, mask) The artist's language was inexact, the salesman said. Her experience of the bike was precise enough, she replied. The difficulty lay in finding an equivalent among the tins on his shelf. (equivalent: equal, corresponding, matching)
An apprentice spilled a drop of white into the darkest sample. The new blue made her think of a bell ringing at the end of the street. It was the color. The salesman suggested writing the formula on the catalog. The artist suggested putting a dab of the paint beside it. The apprentice noted exactly how much white she had spilled.