frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

performance level: This piano action has an excellent touch.
18 signature, trade mark, characteristic, influence, approach,
style, manner, technique, execution, method: I thought I
recognized your touch in the furniture selection. A woman's
touch might have helped.
touching adj. moving, stirring, emotional, tender, poignant, pathetic,
soul-stirring, heart-rending, heart-breaking, sad, pitiful,
distressing, distressful: The most touching scene is the one
where the boy meets his father for the first time.
touchstone
n. standard, yardstick, criterion, reference, benchmark, test,
norm, measure: His craftsmanship is the touchstone by which the
others are judged.
touchy adj. 1 (over-)sensitive, supersensitive, hypersensitive,
highly-strung, tense, thin-skinned, crabby, crabbed, testy,
irascible, irritable, tetchy, temperamental, grouchy, peevish,
querulous, petulant, pettish, splenetic, captious, bad-tempered,
short-tempered, hot-tempered, quick-tempered, crusty, cross,
curmudgeonly, cantankerous, choleric, dyspeptic, waspish,
bearish, snarling, snappish, argumentative, disputatious,
contentious, US high-strung, cranky: She is very touchy on the
subject of her family. He's always touchy in the morning. 2
critical, touch-and-go, sensitive, ticklish, risky, precarious,
hazardous, chancy, unsure, uncertain, close, hairbreadth,
dangerous, hair-raising, frightening, terrifying, nerve-racking
or nerve-wracking, Jocular parlous, Colloq hairy: There was a
touchy moment when the fuel leaked into the astronauts' cabin.
tough adj. 1 hard, firm, durable, long-lasting, wear-resistant,
substantial, strong, stout, rugged, sturdy, sound, well-built:
Only one kind of material is tough enough to endure such
conditions for so long. 2 stiff, hard, leathery, inflexible,
chewy, fibrous, cartilaginous, sinewy, ropy, wiry, stringy:
That steak was as tough as shoe-leather. 3 strong, stalwart,
brawny, burly, muscular, powerful, virile, manly, sturdy,
doughty, intrepid, stout, rough, vigorous, strapping, athletic:
Two tough-looking characters moved towards us, so we left. 4
difficult, demanding, exacting, hard, troublesome; laborious,
taxing, strenuous: We deal with tough complaints every day.
It's a tough job. 5 baffling, thorny, puzzling, perplexing,