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I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. expert, adept; particle, iota. See skill, littleness, aviation. —adj. excellent, first-rate. See superiority. —v. t. See success.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

Syn. expert, first-rate, outstanding; see able 2 , distinguished 2 .

n.

1. [A pilot who has shot down five planes or more]

Syn. veteran, combat pilot, fighter pilot, expert, seasoned aviator, dogfighter*.

2. [An expert in an activity]

Syn. expert, master, champion; see specialist .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

expert, champion, master, star, hero, *crack hand, *crackerjack, *hotshot, *pistol, *whiz, *whiz kid.

ANT.: loser, benchwarmer, second-stringer

II

v.

hit it, nail it, score, execute, succeed, hit the bullseye, defeat, *smoke the competition.

ANT.: *blow it, *choke, lose

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun A person with a high degree of knowledge or skill in a particular field: adept, authority, dab hand, expert, master, past master, professional, proficient, wizard. Informal: whiz. Slang: cracker jack. Chiefly British: dab2. See ABILITY. II adjective Exceptionally good of its kind: banner, blue-ribbon, brag, capital, champion, excellent, fine1, first-class, first-rate, prime, quality, splendid, superb, superior, terrific, tiptop, top. Informal: A-one, bully, dandy, great, swell, topflight, topnotch. Slang: boss. Chiefly British: tophole. See GOOD. III verb Slang. To win a victory over, as in battle or a competition: beat, best, conquer, defeat, master, overcome, prevail against (or over), rout, subdue, subjugate, surmount, triumph over, vanquish, worst. Informal: trim, whip. Slang: lick. Idioms: carry (or win) the day, get (or have) the best of, get (or have) the better of, go someone one better. See WIN.