Guide words in a dictionary show the first and last words on a page, helping you quickly locate entries. For the word "adage," the guide words would be the closest words before and after it alphabetically.
Among the options you've given, the most fitting pair of guide words for "adage" would be acumen and adactyly. This is because "adage" falls alphabetically between these two words.
Here's the reasoning:
- "acumen" comes before "adage"
- "adactyly" comes after "adage"
The other pairs do not fit as they are either too far from "adage" or do not contain it within their range.