A Pinch of Magic: Chapters 15–21

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

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. simper
    smile in an insincere, unnatural, or coy way
    Fliss’s prettiness didn’t seem to affect him as it did other young men, who simpered when she looked their way.
  2. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    She could just make out a set of crude, chunky steps carved into the rocky surface.
  3. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    “There they are,” Betty murmured. “The Three Widows.”
    Fliss stared into the black caverns doubtfully. “Could they sound any more ominous?”
  4. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    How could I have trusted him? she berated herself.
  5. provisions
    a stock or supply of foods
    She watched as he hurriedly began loading the boat with sacking and food provisions.
  6. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    “How dare you complain?” Betty seethed. “Because of us, everything has gone to plan—for you!”
  7. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    His bravado had deserted him, leaving only a scared boy.
  8. feeble
    pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
    “You’re not having it,” Betty said in as fierce a voice as she could manage. But instead of sounding like a tiger, she sounded like a feeble kitten.
  9. snivel
    cry or whine with snuffling
    There’s still time before sunset...time to at least get my sisters out of Jarrod’s clutches and stop him from getting away with this. And sniveling in a cave wasn’t going to save any of them.
  10. grapple
    work hard to come to terms with or deal with something
    How many lives had the rocks claimed over the years? Too many to count, that was for sure. And now she and Colton were about to grapple with them, too.
  11. ebb
    flow back or recede
    She trained her eyes on the inky water, familiarizing herself with the push and pull, until she was able to see the little spots where the water ebbed differently.
  12. shorn
    having the hair, fur, or wool cut short
    Her eyes swept over him: his closely shorn hair, the rags he wore that barely classed as clothing.
  13. bemuse
    cause to be confused emotionally
    “You’re all crazy, you Widdershins girls,” Colton muttered in bemusement.
  14. spiteful
    showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt
    He was dressed in a warder’s uniform, and beneath a sparse mustache was an equally thin mouth that was spiteful in appearance.
  15. revulsion
    intense aversion
    The warder spat. Betty heard it hit the water. Phlat. Her lip curled in revulsion.
  16. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    The warder’s voice dripped with contempt.
  17. cretin
    a person of subnormal intelligence
    Those two cretins are out here somewhere, and I want to be the one to return them.
  18. grizzled
    having gray or partially gray hair
    Betty’s hand skimmed his grizzled hair as the action propelled him back, and he gave a slight shudder.
  19. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
    Pike’s face drained, becoming haggard.
  20. rife
    excessively abundant
    The prison bell echoed in Sorsha’s head from across the marshes. It had been going all morning, and the island was rife with gossip.
  21. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    Sorsha had never known anyone who made her laugh the way he did, for Ma and Prue never joked, and smiles were wry or did not reach the eyes.
  22. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    Instead, her gaze met with the palest of eyes, rimmed with sparse, fair eyelashes.
  23. nettle
    plant having stinging hairs that cause skin irritation
    It was always Prue who’d fall into nettles, or have a coughing fit during Mass, or break dishes when washing them.
  24. stifling
    characterized by oppressive heat and humidity
    Sorsha ducked outside, grateful to escape the stifling heat.
  25. wheedle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    Why did Prue always have to push and wheedle?
  26. coddle
    treat with excessive indulgence
    She was too worried and irritable to be touched or coddled...or to notice the hurt on Prue’s face.
  27. roil
    be agitated
    Sorsha’s stomach roiled. “Did anyone else see?”
  28. enrapture
    hold spellbound
    During Fingerty’s tale he had listened, as enraptured as Betty.
  29. perturbed
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    “Hearing crows?” Colton asked, perturbed. “That’s part of the curse?”
  30. mesmerize
    attract strongly, as if with a magnet
    Betty had never seen a wisp so closely before. It had a mesmerizing quality, and she could suddenly believe all the stories about them as wraiths luring travelers to danger.
  31. escapade
    a wild and exciting undertaking
    She hadn’t foreseen that she would be quite such a bossy leader, but in her imagined escapades the stakes had been about adventure. This was about survival.
  32. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    It was deserted but for a beggar woman selling matches, intent on counting her meager takings.
  33. incessant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    If she concentrated hard, the wagon’s rumbling almost drowned out the incessant cawing of the crows in her head.
  34. remorse
    a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed
    “Doesn’t change anything, though, does it? I’ve escaped, but you three girls are paying the price.” His voice cracked with remorse.
  35. gilt
    a coating of gold or of something that looks like gold
    In the end, Sorsha chose the set of wooden nesting dolls that her mother had owned as a child, an old gilt-edged mirror that they had dug up while planting the herb garden, and the traveling bag that had carried her mother’s few possessions to Torment on the night Sorsha had come into the world.
  36. balmy
    mild and pleasant
    So Sorsha snatched the water pail and hurried out into the balmy evening before her mother could protest further.
  37. precipice
    a very steep cliff
    Her legs dangled over the precipice, feeling air.
  38. manacle
    shackle that can be locked around the wrist
    Heavy iron manacles were snapped onto her wrists, tethered by a thick chain.
  39. demure
    suggestive of modesty or reserve
    Her hands were clasped demurely in front of her, resting on her neat white apron.
  40. fester
    gnaw into; make resentful or angry
    Ma had seen the resentment festering there, and so had Sorsha, deep in her own gut.
Created on Wed Sep 21 15:49:23 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Jul 31 16:18:05 EDT 2023)

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