An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Janet M.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stockade
    fortification consisting of a fence set firmly for defense
    The other bank of the stream was open ground--a gentle acclivity topped with a stockade of vertical tree trunks, loopholed for rifles, with a single embrasure through which protruded the muzzle of a brass cannon commanding the bridge.
  2. percussion
    the act of exploding a detonator that explodes when struck
    Striking through the thought of his dear ones was a sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith's hammer upon the anvil; it had the same ringing quality.
  3. picket
    a wooden strip forming part of a fence
    "Only a picket post half a mile out, on the railroad, and a single sentinel at this end of the bridge."
  4. unaccompanied
    being without an escort
    These sensations were unaccompanied by thought.
  5. sergeant
    a noncommissioned officer ranking above a corporal
    Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners--two private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff.
  6. silhouette
    a filled-in drawing of the outline of an object
    They were in silhouette against the blue sky.
  7. executioner
    an official who inflicts capital punishment
    Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners--two private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff.
  8. pounce
    move down on as if in an attack
    He watched them with a new interest as first one and then the other pounced upon the noose at his neck.
  9. intonation
    the act of singing in a monotonous tone
    How coldly and pitilessly--with what an even, calm intonation, presaging, and enforcing tranquillity in the men--with what accurately measured inter vals fell those cruel words:
    "Attention, company!
  10. dictum
    an authoritative declaration
    No service was too humble for him to perform in aid of the South, no adventure too perilous for him to undertake if consistent with the character of a civilian who was at heart a soldier, and who in good faith and without too much qualification assented to at least a part of the frankly villainous dictum that all is fair in love and war.
  11. Corinth
    the modern Greek port near the site of the ancient city that was second only to Athens
    Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is unnecessary to relate here, had prevented him from taking service with the gallant army that had fought the disastrous campaigns ending with the fall of Corinth, and he chafed under the inglorious restraint, longing for the release of his energies, the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction.
  12. assassin
    a murderer, especially of a prominent political figure
    Evidently this was no vulgar assassin.
  13. delirium
    a usually brief state of excitement and mental confusion
    Doubtless, despite his suffering, he had fallen asleep while walking, for now he sees another scene--perhaps he has merely recovered from a delirium.
  14. blockade
    a war measure isolating an area of importance to the enemy
    It did not appear to be the duty of these two men to know what was occurring at the center of the bridge; they merely blockaded the two ends of the foot planking that traversed it.
  15. veranda
    a porch along the outside of a building
    As he pushes open the gate and passes up the wide white walk, he sees a flutter of female garments; his wife, looking fresh and cool and sweet, steps down from the veranda to meet him.
  16. plantation
    an estate where cash crops are grown on a large scale
    An hour later, after nightfall, he repassed the plantation, going northward in the direction from which he had come.
  17. commandant
    an officer in charge of a military unit
    The commandant has issued an order, which is posted everywhere, declaring that any civilian caught interfering with the railroad, its bridges, tunnels or trains will be summarily hanged.
  18. harp
    a chordophone with strings between the neck and the soundbox
    A strange, roseate light shone through the spaces among their trunks and the wind made in their branches the music of Æolian harps.
  19. grotesque
    distorted and unnatural in shape or size
    Their movements were grotesque and horrible, their forms gigantic.
  20. sheriff
    the principal law-enforcement officer in a county
    Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners--two private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff.
  21. dance
    taking a series of rhythmical steps in time to music
    A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed it down the current.
  22. statue
    a sculpture representing a human or animal
    The sentinels, facing the banks of the stream, might have been statues to adorn the bridge.
  23. infantry
    an army unit consisting of soldiers who fight on foot
    Midway of the slope between the bridge and fort were the spectators--a single company of infantry in line, at "parade rest," the butts of the rifles on the ground, the barrels inclining slightly backward against the right shoulder, the hands crossed upon the stock.
  24. perform
    get done
    No service was too humble for him to perform in aid of the South, no adventure too perilous for him to undertake if consistent with the character of a civilian who was at heart a soldier, and who in good faith and without too much qualification assented to at least a part of the frankly villainous dictum that all is fair in love and war.
  25. dancing
    taking a series of rhythmical steps in time to music
    A piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed it down the current.
  26. liberal
    showing or characterized by broad-mindedness
    The liberal military code makes provision for hanging many kinds of persons, and gentlemen are not excluded.
  27. consciousness
    an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself
    IIIAs Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the bridge he lost consciousness and was as one already dead.
  28. music
    an artistic form of auditory communication
    The humming of the gnats that danced above the eddies of the stream, the beating of the dragon flies' wings, the strokes of the water-spiders' legs, like oars which had lifted their boat--all these made audible music.
  29. military
    the armed forces of a nation
    In the code of military etiquette silence and fixity are forms of deference.
  30. judgment
    the act of assessing a person or situation or event
    The arrangement commended itself to his judgment as simple and effective.
  31. civil
    of or occurring between or among citizens of the state
    Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners--two private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff.
Created on Tue Sep 04 18:57:02 EDT 2012

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