The Mysterious Benedict Society: Of Families Lost and Found–The Mouse in the Culvert

by Trenton Lee Stewart
After taking a strange exam, four children are admitted to a secret society and tasked with infiltrating the sinister Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened.

Here are links to our lists for the novel:
Pencils, Erasers, and Disqualification–The Trouble with Children
The Sender and the Messages–Traps and Nonsense
Beware the Gemini–Everything as It Should Be
Of Families Lost and Found–The Mouse in the Culvert
Sacrifices, Narrow Escapes, and Something Like a Plan–For Every Exit, an Entrance
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. subdued
    restrained in style or quality
    The mood in their meeting that night was subdued: no bickering, no laughter, only a general feeling of grim resolve.
  2. misshapen
    so badly formed or distorted as to be ugly
    Reynie helped him shred the other attempted drawings, too, most of which resembled misshapen balls of yarn with numbered threads.
  3. dolt
    a person who is not very bright
    He still felt like a dolt, but he preferred not to dwell on the feeling.
  4. precipice
    a very steep cliff
    Reynie had a panicky feeling in his belly, the kind he always got when he dreamed he’d fallen from a precipice.
  5. gall
    the trait of being rude and impertinent
    If anyone had the gall to ask why the door had been locked, Jackson would respond that it hadn't been locked; the students had simply been unable to open it.
  6. petrify
    change into stone
    Kate was already working on it—she pointed to a large petrified tree limb lying among the stony rubble nearby.
  7. copse
    a dense growth of trees, shrubs, or bushes
    When Kate thought they’d put enough distance between themselves and the gym, and was convinced they hadn’t been followed, the two children hunkered beneath a scraggly copse of stunted cedar trees to rest.
  8. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    For a moment—a fleeting moment—Kate looked desperately sad.
  9. accost
    approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
    Nobody accosted him in the student dormitory, where he slipped into his room and changed.
  10. askance
    with suspicion or disapproval
    And no one looked askance at him as he crossed the plaza.
  11. dour
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Constance resembled a wet hen—same shape, same dour crankiness, and only slightly larger—but Kate smiled when he came in, and the sight of her sunny face gave Reynie a pinprick of hope.
  12. flub
    blunder; make a mess of something
    “Not for much longer,” Sticky said miserably. “I’m going to crack, Reynie. You know how badly I handle pressure. I’ll flub it tomorrow, and you’ll all be caught. What kind of friend will I be then?”
  13. livid
    furiously angry
    Livid though he was, Reynie fought to regain control of himself.
  14. genial
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
    “Thought it would be. Mr. Curtain hates a cheater more than anything. Otherwise he’s a genial fellow. So just keep that in mind during your meeting—the most important thing is not to admit you cheated.”
  15. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    “Thank you, sir,” Sticky said humbly.
  16. downtrodden
    abused or oppressed by people in power
    You can’t fool me. I know downtrodden faces when I see them.
  17. good egg
    (old-fashioned slang) a good person
    “Now don’t tell me you’re fretting about not making the Messenger list yet! Is that it? Listen here,” he said confidentially, leaning in close to them, “I’ll tell you a secret, because you’re good eggs. You’re closer than you think!”
  18. implicate
    bring into intimate and incriminating connection
    Thus Mr. Curtain must know that Sticky lied, and no doubt Reynie had been implicated as his accomplice.
  19. forego
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
    “Wear them with pride. And then...who knows? One day you may forego those striped pants for solid blue ones, just as Martina Crowe did today!”
  20. stymie
    hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
    But a start was all they had, for even after a long discussion, the children were left stymied.
  21. stifle
    smother or suppress
    “We’ll have to try again tomorrow,” Kate said finally, stifling a yawn.
  22. resolutely
    showing firm determination or purpose
    They shook hands resolutely.
  23. astir
    on the move
    It was just before dawn, with no one astir but a few silent Helpers mopping floors, sweeping walkways, or scaling ladders to scrub mildew from ceilings.
  24. candor
    the quality of being honest and straightforward
    After all the secrecy that had come before, it was very strange indeed—in fact it was thrilling—to be spoken to with such candor and trust.
  25. austere
    severely simple
    “If you’re wondering why the Whispering Gallery is so austere,” said Mr. Curtain, “the answer is security. You will find no heavy metal objects or sharp devices lying about, nothing with which my Whisperer might be damaged, nothing to be used as a weapon..."
  26. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    “Why else would such security be necessary? It is a great honor to be made Messenger, and I hope you will not squander it.”
  27. malady
    impairment of normal physiological function
    Once my modifications are complete, the Whisperer will become a wondrous healing device, boys—a device capable of curing maladies of the mind.
  28. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    “One package, many thoughts. If you have mastered the material, then the proper phrase will conjure it—like the magic words that coax a genie from a bottle. Do you see?”
  29. grudging
    unwilling or reluctant
    Jillson eyed the boys with grudging approval.
  30. boon
    something that is desirable, favorable, or beneficial
    The more he thought about his response to the Whisperer, the more convinced he was that becoming a Messenger had been a bad development, a blow to their mission rather than a boon—because he was too weak to handle it.
  31. rueful
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    Constance lowered her hands and looked at Reynie with a mixture of ruefulness and irritation.
  32. terse
    brief and to the point
    “Sorry about that,” she said tersely.
  33. flabbergasted
    as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
    The others looked at one another in amazement. Reynie was flabbergasted.
  34. interminable
    tiresomely long; seemingly without end
    None of the children spoke. They only waited. An interminable hour passed.
  35. misgiving
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    “Maybe he does,” Reynie said with misgiving, “and is waiting to see it.”
  36. culvert
    a transverse and enclosed drain under a road or railway
    “Not far from here an old drainage culvert empties into the channel. It’s a good marker. To leave me a message, hide it in a dry spot within twenty paces of the culvert, and stack two stones upon it. I’ll check the place often, and meanwhile I’ll keep an eye on you as best I can.”
  37. winch
    a lifting device consisting of a cylinder turned by a crank
    Then, squeezing past the winch and machinery at the top of the elevator shaft (if the elevator had started just then, she’d have been killed), Kate discovered that a vent cover she’d spotted was welded shut.
  38. derisive
    expressing contempt or ridicule
    Kate heard a derisive snort, then Jackson’s voice saying, “Hold on, you two.”
  39. reverie
    an abstracted state of absorption
    Here Mr. Curtain paused, his face adopting an expression of fond reverie.
  40. grisly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    “I suspect that’s something you do remember, grisly details being the most memorable.”
Created on Mon Apr 09 20:06:19 EDT 2018 (updated Thu Apr 12 15:36:24 EDT 2018)

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