Bridging Lexicographical Gaps

Transformations. Metamorphoses. Evolutions. There are lots of great visual examples of course. But in E.J. Kahn, Jr.'s Year of Change: More About The New Yorker and Me (NY: Viking, 1988), he talks about his preoccupation with "bridging the lexicographical gap" between two (preferably antonymous) words, for example, love and hate (love-lave-have-hate); cock and crow (cock-cook-cool-fool-foul-soul-sour-slur-slum-glum-glim-grim-gram-cram-craw-crow); and frown and smile (frown-grown-grows-glows-slows-stows-stops-stope-stole-stile-smile).