How to say the opposite of "check" (for lists)?
Suppose you enumerate points of some list, adding "check" after each one. How to speak about the reverse of a "check" (i.e. omission or an opposite for the item)?
Like if you have:
- Big scary horns ☑
- 180° mounth ☑
- 50-cm claws ☑
- Predatory glare ☒
and say
Look there! Such a beast: big scary horns — check; yawning mouth — check; loooong claws — check; predatory glare — _____, hovewer..
Variants that come to mind:
- "no check"
- "ex"
- "miss"
- "no"
- "without check"
- "cross"
Solution 1:
I usually say uncheck in this context.
Solution 2:
The word you select must be strong enough to overcome the assumption by the listener that the characteristic you have just named is present. That is, the listener will have mentally "checked it off" as you say it.
To overcome this tendency, you need to place the negative indicator before the label when speaking. I suggest:
"Look there! Such a beast: big scary horns - check, yawning mouth - check, loooong claws - check; but no predatory glare ....".