All Creatures Great and Small: Chapters 55–67

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. fervently
    with strong emotion or zeal
    I hoped fervently that he might hit upon a seam of good payers because I didn’t think his nervous system could take much more.
  2. impeccable
    without error or flaw
    He presented an elegant, patrician front to the world; beautiful Shakespearean actor voice, impeccable manners and an abundance of sheer presence.
  3. benevolence
    disposition to do good
    At times he would fly into a fury at the mention of their names, at others he would regard them with a kind of wry benevolence.
  4. quandary
    state of uncertainty in a choice between unfavorable options
    Siegfried was in a quandary because he didn’t like getting tough with such a cheerful, hospitable man.
  5. torrent
    an overwhelming number or amount
    I had known Siegfried long enough to realise that some of his ideas were brilliant and others barmy; and he had so many ideas and they came in such a constant torrent that I often had difficulty in deciding which was which.
  6. painstakingly
    in a very careful manner
    Watching closely as the farmers slapped their cheque books on the desk for Miss Harbottle to write (they never wrote their own cheques) then signed them slowly and painstakingly.
  7. queue
    a line of people or vehicles waiting for something
    The queue began to thin out and sometimes we were left alone in the room.
  8. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
    He put down his knife and fork and a haggard look spread over his face.
  9. inveterate
    habitual
    As an inveterate non-payer he fulfilled the main qualification for the function but he was singularly lacking in charm.
  10. averse
    strongly opposed
    Siegfried had described him as totally unambitious, averse to study, disinclined to wash or shave; in fact, his idea of the young man least likely to succeed.
  11. impecunious
    not having enough money to pay for necessities
    Compared with him, an unknown, impecunious young vet was a poor bargain.
  12. amiable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
    He had an amiable, completely inoffensive nature which was very appealing and under other conditions we would have got along very well.
  13. germinate
    come into being and develop
    I thought his opinions ridiculous at the time but he planted a seed which germinated and flowered almost overnight.
  14. limpid
    clear and bright
    And I couldn’t blame him because it was like something out of Disney; a pale gold fawn, unbelievably tiny with large dark limpid eyes and an expression of trusting innocence.
  15. omniscient
    knowing, seeing, or understanding everything
    Siegfried was about six years older than I but he had donned the mantle of the omniscient greybeard without effort.
Created on Tue Apr 14 08:28:22 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Apr 21 18:03:48 EDT 2026)

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