Nesting Instinct

by Ian Tullis
Answer: ROW

Each box within the chart contains synonyms of the same word, which is linked directly above it. (Different parts of speech and even different pronunciations of the same string of letters can count as the same word.) A word never serves as a clue in any of the exact senses that were used to clue it; that is, each word is used in a different sense each time. By filling in the tree with the proper synonyms, you can eventually discover the word at the top: ROW.

ROW: QUARREL (argument), RANK (file), STROKE (with an oar), WAY (street lined with houses)

• QUARREL: BEEF (point of contention), BOLT (shaft)
  • BEEF: brawn (muscle), cow, hamburger
  • BOLT: BAR (rod), DASH (run fast), SCARF (devour), SPLIT (flee suddenly)
    • BAR: attorneys, BLOCK (estop), DIVE (tavern), STANDARD ("set the bar")
      • BLOCK: cube (like a wooden block), group, head, neighborhood
      • DIVE: chanteuses (pl. of diva), plunge, submerge
      • STANDARD: banner (flag), usual
    • DASH: FOIL (ruin), PINCH (small amount), SMASH (hit something against something), SPIRIT (elan)
      • FOIL: antithesis, fencing, leaf
      • PINCH: predicament, squeeze, steal
      • SMASH: blockbuster, squish
      • SPIRIT: alcohol, ghost
    • SCARF: muffler, RUNNER (table scarf)
      • RUNNER: blade (as on an ice skate), jogger, smuggler (like gun runner)
    • SPLIT: fork (bifurcate), RENT (torn), share (divvy up)
      • RENT: hire, let

• RANK: FUNKY (smelly), GRADE (class), GROSS (flagrant), LUSH (profuse, as vegetation)
  • FUNKY: HIP (groovy), ODD (unconventional), panicky
    • HIP: haunch, WISE
      • WISE: cheeky, sage
    • ODD: leftover, UNEVEN
      • UNEVEN: bumpy, erratic, inequitable
  • GRADE: INCLINE (slope), MARK (assign a grade)
    • INCLINE: dispose (make someone more likely to do something), LEAN, TILT
      • LEAN: depend, meager, slender
      • TILT: bias, joust
    • MARK: OBJECTIVE (goal), OBSERVE (take note of), SCRATCH (a physical mark), SUCKER
      • OBJECTIVE: concrete, lens, prepositional, unbiased
      • OBSERVE: commemorate, monitor, obey, opine
      • SCRATCH: dough, Satan, scrawl, withdraw
      • SUCKER: lollipop, nurser
  • GROSS: CRUDE, FAT, SICKENING, TOTAL
    • CRUDE: petroleum, rudimentary
    • FAT: excess, fertile, lard
    • SICKENING: infecting, relapsing
    • TOTAL: add, demolish
  • LUSH: DRUNK, EXTRAVAGANT, succulent
    • DRUNK: imbibed, PISSED
      • PISSED: irritated, urinated
    • EXTRAVAGANT: extortionate, spendthrift

• STROKE: BLOW (a wallop), FIT (e.g., a stroke of genius), FLATTER (e.g., stroke one's ego), RUB
  • BLOW: BLAST, CRACK (blow is a slang term), HUFF, WASTE (go through, e.g., money quickly)
    • BLAST: BANG, DAMN (as in "damn it!"), PARTY (birthday blast), SPEED (blast through a checkpoint)
      • BANG: forelock, screw, whack
      • DAMN: curse, denounce, freaking, hoot
      • PARTY: faction, individual
      • SPEED: meth, rate
    • CRACK: ACE (a crack pilot), DIG (a putdown), SNAP (break in two), TRY (a whirl)
      • ACE: beat, one, primo
      • DIG: comprehend, enjoy, excavation
      • SNAP: cinch, extemporaneous, photograph, zing
      • TRY: judge, tax, test
    • HUFF: BLUSTER (huff and puff), brag, INHALE (huffing paint), TEMPER (in a huff)
      • BLUSTER: bombast, windstorm
      • INHALE: devour, inspire
      • TEMPER: harden, soften
    • WASTE: DEGENERATE (waste away), DESERT (trackless waste), REFUSE (garbage), RUIN (lay waste to)
      • DEGENERATE: pervert, regress, superdense
      • DESERT: abandon, comeuppance
      • REFUSE: decline, remeld
      • RUIN: bankruptcy, wreckage
  • FIT: MEET (fitting), MESH (work well with), SOUND (of mind, e.g.), SUPPLY (outfit with)
    • MEET: JOIN (at an appointment), MATCH (competition), SATISFY (fulfill requirements), TOUCH (be adjacent to)
      • JOIN: connect, enlist, weld
      • MATCH: correspond, counterpart, marriage
      • SATISFY: convince, indulge, quench
      • TOUCH: affect, bit, knack
    • MESH: ENGAGE (come together, as gears), NET, TANGLE (v. for enmesh)
      • ENGAGE: assail, betroth, engross, retain
      • NET: capture, Intarwebs, takehome
      • TANGLE: confusion, snarl, wrestle
    • SOUND: CHANNEL (of water), FAST (secure), fathom, TONE (a musical sound)
      • CHANNEL: band, conduit, medium, pipeline
      • FAST: starve, swift
      • TONE: elasticity, inflection, strengthen, tint
    • SUPPLY: flexibly, STORES
      • STORES: keeps, shops
  • FLATTER: smoother, SUIT
    • SUIT: APPEAL (lawsuit), exec, PLEASE (make happy), THREADS (clothes)
      • APPEAL: allure, entreaty
      • PLEASE: kindly, pshaw, wish
      • THREADS: filaments, narratives, navigates
  • RUB: efface, GRATE, HITCH (that's the rub)
    • GRATE: GRILL (syn. of grille), GRIND, SHRED
      • GRILL: barbecue, interrogate
      • GRIND: pulverize, sharpen, skateboard, toil
      • SHRED: iota, snowboard
    • HITCH: enlistment, JERK, marry, thumb
      • JERK: asshole, cure, spasm

• WAY: BENT (personal habit/inclination), CLEARANCE (make way), FASHION (method), VERY (like, way cool)
  • BENT: BOWED (pronounced differently), RESOLVED
    • BOWED: debuted, YIELDED
      • YIELDED: ceded, produced
    • RESOLVED: DISTINGUISHED (told apart), redeciphered, SETTLED
      • DISTINGUISHED: differentiated, eminent
      • SETTLED: colonized, perched, sedimented
  • CLEARANCE: closeout, headroom, LEAVE
    • LEAVE: BREAK, GO, WILL
      • BREAK: estrangement, publicize, shatter, violate
      • GO: advance, attempt, deteriorate, operational
      • WILL: resolve, shall
  • FASHION: MOLD (e.g. to fashion something out of clay), STYLE
    • MOLD: DIE (into which things are poured), MUST (must-y), TYPE
      • DIE: abate, bone, expire
      • MUST: juice, necessity, ought
    • STYLE: DO (hairstyle), NEEDLE (stylus), panache, TITLE
      • DO: complete, execute, hump, suffice
      • NEEDLE: embroider, irritate, prick
      • TITLE: championship, heading, ownership
  • VERY: mere, selfsame