A Visit to Grandmothers

Maggie M.
13 words 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sheathe
    enclose with a protective covering
    She was wearing a white sheathe.
  2. clench
    squeeze together tightly
    His father was standing now, his fists clenched tight.
  3. lacquer
    a black resinous substance that is used as a natural varnish
    A man with a new, lacquered straw hat came in.
  4. swindler
    a person who steals by means of deception or fraud
    Now, I reckon you can expect one swindler to be in every town, but you don’t rightly think there’ll be two, and God forbid they should ever meet- but they did, GL and his chair, this man and his horses.
  5. ungainly
    lacking grace in movement or posture
    You see, I was sure that boy’d come by that animal ungainly.
  6. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    That was when Chig saw his face, grimacing.
  7. Don Juan
    a legendary Spanish nobleman and philanderer who became the hero of many poems and plays and operas
    His father had never talked much about his family, with the exception of his brother, GL, who seemed part con man, part practical joker and part Don Juan; he had spoken of GL with the kind of indulgence he would have shown a cute, but ill-behaved and potentially dangerous, five-year-old.
  8. timidly
    in a shy or timid or bashful manner
    He had always known his father to be the warmest of men, a man so kind that when people ventured timidly into his office, it took only a few words from him to make them relax, and even laugh.
  9. clenched
    closed or squeezed together tightly
    His father was standing now, his fists clenched tight.
  10. indulgence
    the act of gratifying a desire
    His father had never talked much about his family, with the exception of his brother, GL, who seemed part con man, part practical joker and part Don Juan; he had spoken of GL with the kind of indulgence he would have shown a cute, but ill-behaved and potentially dangerous, five-year-old.
  11. parlor
    a room in a house where people can sit, relax, and talk
    His father spoke only when spoken to, and then, only one word at a time, as if by coming back home, he had become a small boy again, sitting in the parlor while his mother spoke with her guests.
  12. elegant
    refined and tasteful in appearance, behavior, or style
    GL came around and stood at the bottom of the steps, and took off his hat and bowed and said: “Madam,” and reached out his hand to me and I was feeling real elegant like a fine lady.
  13. exception
    an instance that does not conform to a rule
    His father had never talked much about his family, with the exception of his brother, GL, who seemed part con man, part practical joker and part Don Juan; he had spoken of GL with the kind of indulgence he would have shown a cute, but ill-behaved and potentially dangerous, five-year-old.
Created on Wed Dec 12 16:03:03 EST 2012

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