A Pinch of Magic: Chapters 10–14

by Michelle Harrison
In this first book of the series, thirteen-year-old Betty Widdershin, with her sisters Felicity and Charlotte, must figure out how to use their inherited magical objects to reverse an ancient family curse that does not allow them to leave the island of Crowstone.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 3, Chapters 4–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–21, Chapter 22–Epilogue
40 words 8 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. obstinate
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
    Charlie’s bottom lip jutted out obstinately.
  2. keen
    having or showing interest and intense desire
    Betty nudged the crate of bottles with her toe, keen to get back inside.
  3. straggle
    go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
    Buster had indicated the thin, straggly-haired fellow who always looked as though he was plotting a murder.
  4. earnestly
    in a sincere and serious manner
    Fliss listened earnestly.
  5. livid
    furiously angry
    “Granny will be livid if she finds out I’m giving away free drinks, especially to a miserable old coot like him!”
  6. conscience
    conformity to one's own sense of right conduct
    But he needs you, her conscience whispered as she remembered his desperation.
  7. persevere
    be persistent, refuse to stop
    If persevering with Fingerty meant she might avoid breaking Colton out of jail, then persevere she would.
  8. petty
    small and of little importance
    “See, rumors of witchcraft tend to be small,” Fingerty continued. “Petty. Lotions for warts, potions for love or revenge. But Sorsha, she was different, or so I heard.”
  9. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    He stared into the fire, and his sullen expression softened to something that became almost haunted.
  10. grueling
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    Then came the grueling journey back to Torment. Along the way, one of the smugglers and the spy were lost to the marshes, and the next morning, after bringing mother and child safely back to land, the other smuggler died, too, his lungs having taken on too much water during the rescue.
  11. treacherous
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    She had been just a year old when he’d gone fishing out by Lament and never returned after his boat was swept onto the treacherous rocks known as the Devil’s Teeth.
  12. warble
    sing or play with trills
    The sound of Fliss’s self-conscious warbling snapped Betty out of Fingerty’s story and into the present.
  13. privy
    a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
    “Bang-bang! went the privy door! Bang-bang! for two days!
    And cackle-cackle went the jackdaws at the magpie's naughty ways!"
  14. rendition
    a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role
    Betty spied Granny behind the counter, just as Fliss’s rendition reached its earsplitting finale.
  15. cunning
    marked by skill in deception
    “Anything. A brawl in the prison, the ferry stuck on the marshes. Yer divert attention from what’s really going on.” He gave a cunning smile.
  16. ideal
    conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection
    “What kind of distraction?”
    “A rowdy night here, one where Granny wants us safely out the way, would be ideal.”
  17. mangy
    affected with a skin disease causing itching and hair loss
    “Fliss, feed that mangy cat before it starts eating the customers.”
  18. conspiratorial
    relating to or characteristic of a secret plot or agreement
    Fliss caught her eye and the two shared a conspiratorial look that, despite the circumstances, sent a thrilling tingle through Betty.
  19. apparition
    a ghostly appearing figure
    There, hovering in midair over the sink like an apparition, was a hazy, shimmering image of Fliss’s face. “Boo!” it said.
  20. trinket
    a small cheap ornament, knickknack, or piece of jewelry
    Fliss’s room was smaller than the one Betty and Charlie shared, and far tidier, which was just as well, due to the fussy trinkets, homemade rose-water scent, and love notes everywhere.
  21. vigorously
    in an energetic manner
    Charlie nodded vigorously, ready to agree to just about anything.
  22. wretched
    very unhappy; full of misery
    They would be the ones to break the wretched Widdershins curse.
  23. valiant
    having or showing heroism or courage
    “Victory favors the valiant,” she whispered, trying to draw strength from another of her invented mottos.
  24. wallop
    hit hard
    The next thing she noticed, as the three of them clambered to their feet, was the stench. It was like being walloped in the nose with a sack of stewed cabbages, though strangely, there was no sign of a prisoner.
  25. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    She made a grab for her sister, who was still clutching the traveling bag and oblivious to the movement behind her.
  26. muddle
    mix up or confuse
    “I said five-one-three, not five-three-one! You muddled it up.”
  27. scrutiny
    the act of examining something closely, as for mistakes
    She was already trembling a bit under the man’s scrutiny; he really did look mean.
  28. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    Colton was incredulous. “Luck? One of Crowstone’s most feared prisoners is here, in my cell! How is that lucky?”
  29. mystified
    totally perplexed and mixed up
    Colton looked slightly mystified, then shook himself.
  30. mirth
    great merriment
    Colton gave a mirthless chuckle. “You don’t want to see him mad. You really don’t.”
  31. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    “Gladly,” Betty answered, trying to organize her thoughts over the din of prisoners’ voices.
  32. confines
    a bounded scope
    They should have just left immediately; a bellowing Jarrod signaling the escape from the confines of a cell was much better than a broken-out Jarrod—even if he was tied up.
  33. copse
    a dense growth of trees, shrubs, or bushes
    A small copse of trees surrounded them.
  34. constraint
    a device that impedes something's motion
    Angry grunts came from behind the gag as he struggled against his constraints.
  35. gossamer
    characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy
    All she could see of mainland Crowstone were gossamer threads of light in the distance.
  36. bearing
    the direction or path along which something moves or lies
    He looked up at the glittering stars, then across the marshes to the lights on the mainland. “I thought I’d be able to get my bearings, but...”
  37. niggle
    worry unnecessarily or excessively
    But the thought of the curse pushed her sympathy aside as her earlier doubts niggled.
  38. grovel
    show submission or fear
    If Colton didn’t give them the answers they needed, it was back to groveling to Fingerty...which held no guarantees, either.
  39. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Charlie marched up to Colton, glaring with as much disdain as she could muster.
  40. squelch
    suppress or crush completely
    A short way in front of them, squelched into the mud, was a torn piece of rag, its loose end fluttering as if waving cheerily.
Created on Wed Sep 21 15:49:12 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Jul 31 16:17:59 EDT 2023)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.