Winesburg, Ohio: A Man of Ideas

by Sherwood Anderson
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Here are links to our lists for the Winesburg, Ohio anthology of short stories:
The Book of the Grotesque, Hands, Paper Pills, Mother, The Philosopher, Nobody Knows, Godliness, A Man of Ideas, Adventure, Respectability, The Thinker, Tandy, The Strength of God, The Teacher, Loneliness, An Awakening, "Queer," The Untold Lie, Drink, Death, Sophistication, Departure
20 words 16 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. complexion
    texture and appearance of the skin of the face
    He lived with his mother, a grey, silent woman with a peculiar ashy complexion.
  2. uncanny
    surpassing the ordinary or normal
    He was like a tiny little volcano that lies silent for days and then suddenly spouts fire. No, he wasn't like that—he was like a man who is subject to fits, one who walks among his fellow men inspiring fear because a fit may come upon him suddenly and blow him away into a strange uncanny physical state in which his eyes roll and his legs and arms jerk.
  3. visitation
    an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event
    He was like that, only that the visitation that descended upon Joe Welling was a mental and not a physical thing.
  4. throes
    violent pangs of suffering
    He was beset by ideas and in the throes of one of his ideas was uncontrollable.
  5. compel
    necessitate or exact
    The excited man breathed into his face, peered into his eyes, pounded upon his chest with a shaking forefinger, demanded, compelled attention.
  6. excessive
    beyond normal limits
    In and out of the stores of Winesburg went Joe Welling—silent, excessively polite, intent upon his business.
  7. intent
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    In and out of the stores of Winesburg went Joe Welling—silent, excessively polite, intent upon his business.
  8. seizure
    a sudden attack characterized by spasms or convulsions
    Although the seizures that came upon him were harmless enough, they could not be laughed away. They were overwhelming.
  9. overwhelming
    very intense
    They were overwhelming.
  10. astride
    with one leg on each side
    Astride an idea, Joe was overmastering.
  11. override
    prevail or be more important than
    His personality became gigantic. It overrode the man to whom he talked, swept him away, swept all away, all who stood within sound of his voice.
  12. subterranean
    being or operating under the surface of the earth
    I thought of subterranean passages and springs.
  13. delve
    inquire into
    Down under the ground went my mind, delving about.
  14. besiege
    harass, as with questions or requests
    When George Willard went to work for the Winesburg Eagle he was besieged by Joe Welling.
  15. stature
    the height of a standing person
    Old Edward King was small of stature and when he passed people in the street laughed a queer unmirthful laugh.
  16. mirth
    great merriment
    Old Edward King was small of stature and when he passed people in the street laughed a queer unmirthful laugh.
  17. spry
    moving quickly and lightly
    In spite of the terror that made his body shake, George Willard was amused at the sight of the small spry figure holding the grasses and half running along the platform.
  18. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    "I've got something here," he announced solemnly.
  19. shrill
    having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
    His voice was shrill with excitement.
  20. exposition
    a systematic interpretation or explanation of a topic
    Then again Joe plunged into the exposition of his idea.
Created on Thu Feb 18 13:35:08 EST 2021 (updated Wed Feb 24 16:23:33 EST 2021)

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