All Creatures Great and Small: Chapters 13–27

by James Herriot
This classic novel, inspired by the author's own life, recounts the daily life of a veterinary surgeon living and working in the Yorkshire Dales of England.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–12, Chapters 13–27, Chapters 28–41, Chapters 42–54, Chapters 55–67
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. recourse
    act of turning to for assistance
    I expressed my sincere hopes that the festive fare had not upset his delicate digestion and suggested that if he did experience any discomfort he should have recourse to the black powder his uncle always prescribed.
  2. prescribe
    issue commands or orders for
    I expressed my sincere hopes that the festive fare had not upset his delicate digestion and suggested that if he did experience any discomfort he should have recourse to the black powder his uncle always prescribed.
  3. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
    It took a long time to get them all back into the hen house and the tedious business had to be repeated several times a day thereafter.
  4. sustenance
    a source of food or nourishment
    They became nomads, ranging ever further afield in their search for sustenance.
  5. vestige
    an indication that something has been present
    Siegfried shed the last vestiges of his self-control.
  6. unprecedented
    novel; having no earlier occurrence
    I felt a chill of horror. This sort of mutiny was unprecedented.
  7. construe
    make sense of; assign a meaning to
    I discarded the idea of asking for another piece in case this would be construed as another complaint.
  8. benign
    not dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive
    He had been brought in with an ugly growth over his ribs and I had decided that it was a simple lipoma, quite benign and very suitable for surgery.
  9. malevolent
    wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
    The toad-skin jowls flushed darker and he gave me a malevolent glance before turning away; but half way across the yard he stopped and stood for a few moments in thought before coming back to the car.
  10. concerted
    involving the joint activity of two or more
    We made slow progress but after several concerted heaves the cow took over herself and settled on her chest.
  11. alacrity
    liveliness and eagerness
    I had obeyed all her commands with alacrity and I gave an involuntary yelp as I made contact with the bubbling mixture.
  12. protege
    a person who receives support from an influential patron
    Kenny, smug and full of self-importance, was holding the twitch and beaming round the company as his protégé prepared to disinfect the operation site...
  13. debonair
    having a sophisticated charm
    He was a debonair figure as he shook hands with his friend.
  14. bedraggled
    limp, untidy, and soiled
    Siegfried threw his bedraggled jacket over his shoulder.
  15. indomitable
    impossible to subdue
    Siegfried drove for a mile or two in silence, then he turned to me and his streaked features broke into a grin. There was something indomitable about him. “You never know what’s round the corner in this game, my boys, but just think of this—that operation was a success.”
Created on Tue Apr 14 08:27:54 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Apr 21 15:50:18 EDT 2026)

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