-
nauseate
upset and make ill
Dizzy and
nauseated, I lay on the cement and shook my head still, pounded my ears to silence, and heard Jem's voice: "Scout, get away from there, come on!"
-
asinine
devoid of intelligence
Lastly, we were to stay away from that house until we were invited there, we were not to play an
asinine game he had seen us playing or make fun of anybody on this street or in this town.
-
delete
cut or eliminate
Atticus told me to
delete the adjectives and I'd have the facts.
-
douse
wet thoroughly
There went with the house the usual legend about the Yankees: one Finch female, recently engaged, donned her complete trousseau to save it from raiders in the neighborhood; she became stuck in the door to the Daughters' Staircase but was
doused wit
-
crumple
gather something into small wrinkles or folds
Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and
crumpled on the sidewalk in a brown-and-white heap.
-
motivate
give an incentive for action
Tim Johnson was advancing at a snail's pace, but he was not playing or sniffing at foliage: he seemed dedicated to one course and
motivated by an invisible force that was inching him toward us.
-
mutilate
destroy or injure severely
Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events: people's chickens and household pets were found
mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie, who eventually drowned himself in Barker's Eddy, people still looked at the Radley
-
ravel
disentangle
"Gracious child, I was
raveling a thread, wasn't even thinking about your father, but now that I am I'll say this: Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets.
-
arbitrate
act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
Jem
arbitrated, awarded me first push with an extra time for Dill, and I folded myself inside the tire.
-
ambrosia
the food and drink of the gods
But her cooking made up for everything: three kinds of meat, summer vegetables from her pantry shelves; peach pickles, two kinds of cake and
ambrosia constituted a modest Christmas dinner.
-
whittle
cut small bits or pare shavings from
Boo bit it off one night when he couldn't find any cats and squirrels to eat.); she sat in the living room and cried most of the time, while Boo slowly
whittled away all the furniture in the house.
-
amble
walk leisurely
They
ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of the stores around it, took their time about everything.
-
begrudge
be envious of
I don't know of any landowner around here who
begrudges those children any game their father can hit."
-
gouge
an impression in a surface, as made by a blow
"Don't blame me when he
gouges your eyes out.
-
suffocate
deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing
Ground, sky and houses melted into a mad palette, my ears throbbed, I was
suffocating.
-
obstreperous
noisily and stubbornly defiant
It was
obstreperous, disorderly and abusive -"
"You gonna give me a chance to tell you?
-
clapper
metal striker that hangs inside a bell and makes a sound
Dill grabbed the
clapper; in the silence that followed, I wished he'd start ringing it again.
-
chameleon
lizard of Africa and Madagascar able to change skin color
She was a widow, a
chameleon lady who worked in her flower beds in an old straw hat and men's coveralls, but after her five o'clock bath she would appear on the porch and reign over the street in magisterial beauty.
-
perpetrate
perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
You've
perpetrated a near libel here in the front yard.
-
vapid
lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest
But by the end of August our repertoire was
vapid from countless reproductions, and it was then that Dill gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out.
-
magisterial
of or relating to a civil officer who administers the law
She was a widow, a chameleon lady who worked in her flower beds in an old straw hat and men's coveralls, but after her five o'clock bath she would appear on the porch and reign over the street in
magisterial beauty.
-
trudge
walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
He
trudged along, dragging the pole behind him on the sidewalk.
-
fractious
easily irritated or annoyed
She had always been too hard on me, she had at last seen the error of her
fractious ways, she was sorry and too stubborn to say so.
-
repertoire
the range of skills in a particular field or occupation
But by the end of August our
repertoire was vapid from countless reproductions, and it was then that Dill gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out.
-
ramshackle
in deplorable condition
The back of the Radley house was less inviting than the front: a
ramshackle porch ran the width of the house; there were two doors and two dark windows between the doors.
-
foolhardy
marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
But I kept aloof from their more
foolhardy schemes for a while, and on pain of being called a g-irl, I spent most of the remaining twilights that summer sitting with Miss Maudie Atkinson on her front porch.
-
nebulous
lacking definite form or limits
Boo's transition from the basement toback home was
nebulous in Jem's memory.
-
quibble
evade the truth of a point by raising irrelevant objections
Jem decided there was no point in
quibbling, and was silent.
-
paralyze
cause to be immobile
Jem was
paralyzed.
-
unsullied
free from blemishes
Atticus's office in the courthouse contained little more than a hat rack, a spittoon, a checkerboard and an
unsullied Code of Alabama.
-
torso
the body excluding the head and neck and limbs
Jem scooped up an armful of dirt, patted it into a mound on which he added another load, and another until he had constructed a
torso.
-
swelter
be uncomfortably hot
Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer's day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the
sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square.
-
lineament
the characteristic parts of a person's face
A flip of the coin revealed the uncompromising
lineaments of Aunt Alexandra and Francis.
-
contentious
showing an inclination to disagree
"Ain't got no mother," was the answer, "and their paw's right
contentious."
-
domicile
housing that someone is living in
According to neighborhood legend, when the younger Radley boy was in his teens he became acquainted with some of the Cunninghams from Old Sarum, an enormous and confusing tribe
domiciled in the northern part of the county, and they formed the neare
-
complicate
make less simple
I returned to the front yard and busied myself for two hours erecting a
complicated breastworks at the side of the porch, consisting of a tire, an orange crate, the laundry hamper, the porch chairs, and a small U.S. flag Jem gave me from a popcorn
-
assuage
provide physical relief, as from pain
When it healed, and Jem's fears of never being able to play football were
assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury.
-
dynamics
mechanics concerned with forces that cause motions of bodies
Indeed, they were an endless Project that slowly evolved into a Unit, in which miles of construction paper and wax crayon were expended by the State of Alabama in its well-meaning but fruitless efforts to teach me Group
Dynamics.
-
fascinate
attract; cause to be enamored
The Radley Place
fascinated Dill.
-
sibling
a person's brother or sister
Aunt Alexandra was Atticus's sister, but when Jem told me about changelings and
siblings, I decided that she had been swapped at birth, that my grandparents had perhaps received a Crawford instead of a Finch.
-
shambles
a condition of great disorder
With most of her possessions gone and her beloved yard a
shambles, she still took a lively and cordial interest in Jem's and my affairs.
-
huddle
a disorganized and densely packed crowd
Dill and Jem emerged from a brief
huddle: "If you stay you've got to do what we tell you," Dill warned.
-
stricture
severe criticism
Mindful of John Wesley's
strictures on the use of many words in buying and selling, Simon made a pile practicing medicine, but in this pursuit he was unhappy lest he be tempted into doing what he knew was not for the glory of God, as the putting on
-
malevolent
wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
Inside the house lived a
malevolent phantom.
-
mausoleum
a large burial chamber, usually above ground
But I must say Providence was kind enough to burn down that old
mausoleum of mine, I'm too old to keep it up-maybe you're right, Jean Louise, this is a settled neighborhood.
-
aberration
a state or condition markedly different from the norm
Mr. Avery said it was written on the Rosetta Stone that when children disobeyed their parents, smoked cigarettes and made war on each other, the seasons would change: Jem and I were burdened with the guilt of contributing to the
aberrations of natu
-
ooze
pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
Microscopic grains
oozed out.
-
palette
a board on which an artist mixes paints
Ground, sky and houses melted into a mad
palette, my ears throbbed, I was suffocating.
-
furor
an interest followed with exaggerated zeal
The cootie's host showed not the faintest interest in the
furor he had wrought.
-
isolate
place or set apart
Aunty had continued to
isolate me long after Jem and Francis graduated to the big table.
-
hone
sharpen with a whetstone
Mr. Avery averaged a stick of stovewood per week; he
honed it down to a toothpick and chewed it.
-
babble
utter meaningless sounds
"Mr. Nathan was at the fire," he
babbled, "I saw him, I saw him, he was tuggin' that mattress - Atticus, I swear .
-
motivated
given incentive for action
Tim Johnson was advancing at a snail's pace, but he was not playing or sniffing at foliage: he seemed dedicated to one course and
motivated by an invisible force that was inching him toward us.
-
abusive
characterized by physical or psychological maltreatment
The town decided something had to be done; Mr. Conner said he knew who each and every one of them was, and he was bound and determined they wouldn't get away with it, so the boys came before the probate judge on charges of disorderly conduct, disturbing t
-
muddle
make clouded as with sediment
Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply
muddles 'em.
-
misdemeanor
a crime less serious than a felony
In Maycomb County, hunting out of season was a
misdemeanor at law, a capital felony in the eyes of the populace.
-
scuttle
an entrance equipped with a hatch
"You all hush," said Jem. He
scuttled beneath the house and came out with a yellow bamboo pole.
-
disapprobation
pronouncing as wrong or morally culpable
"I'm afraid our activities would be received with considerable
disapprobation by the more learned authorities."
-
gingerly
in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
I see it-"
Jem looked around, reached up, and
gingerly pocketed a tiny shiny package.
-
giggle
laugh nervously
I
giggled at the thought of Jem in an apron.
-
navigate
direct carefully and safely
When I was able to
navigate, I ran back to them as fast as my shaking knees would carry me.
-
predilection
a predisposition in favor of something
The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a
predilection unforgivable in Maycomb.
-
baffle
be a mystery or bewildering to
The sixth grade seemed to please him from the beginning: be went through a brief Egyptian Period that
baffled me-he tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one foot behind the other.
-
taciturn
habitually reserved and uncommunicative
Their sister Alexandra was the Finch who remained at the Landing: she married a
taciturn man who spent most of his time lying in a hammock by the river wondering if his trot-lines were full.
-
residential
of or relating to the act of dwelling in a place
We lived on the main
residential street in town-Atticus, Jem and I, plus Ca1purnia our cook.
-
scurry
move about or proceed hurriedly
Soft taffeta-like sounds and muffled
scurrying sounds filled me with helpless dread.
-
rudiment
the elementary stage of any subject
Uncle Jack instructed us in the
rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn't interested in guns.
-
evolve
undergo development
Indeed, they were an endless Project that slowly
evolved into a Unit, in which miles of construction paper and wax crayon were expended by the State of Alabama in its well-meaning but fruitless efforts to teach me Group Dynamics.
-
synonymous
meaning the same or nearly the same
Atticus had urged them to accept the state's generosity in allowing them to plead Guilty to second-degree murder and escape with their lives, but they were Haverfords, in Maycomb County a name
synonymous with jackass.
-
retrieve
get or find back; recover the use of
I
retrieved my plate and finished dinner in the kitchen, thankful, though, that I was spared the humiliation of facing them again.
-
allege
report or maintain
The Haverfords had dispatched Maycomb's leading blacksmith in a misunderstanding arising from the
alleged wrongful detention of a mare, were imprudent enough to do it in the presence of three witnesses, and insisted that the-son-of-a-bitch-had-itco
-
mystify
be a mystery or bewildering to
That cat thing was real fine this mornin'ÃÃÃÃâÃÃÃÃæÃÃÃÃâ
Miss Caroline smiled, blew her nose, said, "Thank you, darlings," dispersed us, opened a book and
mystified the first grade with a long n
-
puny
of inferior size
You look right
puny for goin' on seven."
-
chattel
personal as opposed to real property
So Simon, having forgotten his teacher's dictum on the possession of human
chattels, bought three slaves and with their aid established a homestead on the banks of the Alabama River some forty miles above Saint Stephens.
-
discernible
perceptible by the senses or intellect
Atticus kept us in fits that evening, gravely reading columns of print about a man who sat on a flagpole for no
discernible reason, which was reason enough for Jem to spend the following Saturday aloft in the treehouse.
-
foray
a sudden short attack
Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us, not waiting to see if his
foray was successful.
-
dedicate
give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
Tim Johnson was advancing at a snail's pace, but he was not playing or sniffing at foliage: he seemed
dedicated to one course and motivated by an invisible force that was inching him toward us.
-
phenomenal
exceedingly or unbelievably great
Little Chuck Little, whose patience with all living things was
phenomenal, said, "Which way did he go, Miss Caroline?
-
dictum
an authoritative declaration
So Simon, having forgotten his teacher's
dictum on the possession of human chattels, bought three slaves and with their aid established a homestead on the banks of the Alabama River some forty miles above Saint Stephens.
-
respiration
a single complete act of breathing in and out
Respiration normal, the three of us strolled as casually as we could to the front yard.
-
sniff
perceive by inhaling through the nose
I
sniffed it and it smelled all right.
-
wallow
roll around
I never deliberately learned to read, but somehow I had been
wallowing illicitly in the daily papers.
-
tacit
implied by or inferred from actions or statements
Our
tacit treaty with Miss Maudie was that we could play on her lawn, eat her scuppernongs if we didn't jump on the arbor, and explore her vast back lot, terms so generous we seldom spoke to her, so careful were we to preserve the delicate balance
-
auspicious
auguring favorable circumstances and good luck
Chapter 4
The remainder of my school days were no more
auspicious than the first.
-
ingenuous
lacking in sophistication or worldliness
He was a year older than I, and I avoided him on principle: he enjoyed everything I disapproved of, and disliked my
ingenuous diversions.
-
apothecary
a health professional trained in the art of preparing drugs
All we had was Simon Finch, a fur-trapping
apothecary from Cornwall whose piety was exceeded only by his stinginess.
-
confuse
mistake one thing for another
According to neighborhood legend, when the younger Radley boy was in his teens he became acquainted with some of the Cunninghams from Old Sarum, an enormous and
confusing tribe domiciled in the northern part of the county, and they formed the neare
-
erratic
liable to sudden unpredictable change
She was furious, and when she was furious Calpurnia's grammar became
erratic.
-
persevere
be persistent, refuse to stop
Apparently she had revived enough to
persevere in her profession.
-
invective
abusive language used to express blame or censure
He simply murmured, "Her use of bathroom
invective leaves nothing to the imagination.
-
indigenous
originating where it is found
The class murmured apprehensively, should she prove to harbor her share of the peculiarities
indigenous to that region.
-
nocturnal
belonging to or active during the night
Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid
nocturnal events: people's chickens and household pets were found mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie, who eventually drowned himself in Barker's Eddy, people still looked at the Radley
-
fang
canine tooth of a carnivorous animal
Shoulder tip, I reeled around to face Boo Radley and his bloody
fangs; instead, I saw Dill ringing the bell with all his might in Atticus's face.
-
reassure
cause to feel confident
I
reassured him: "Can't anybody tell what you're gonna do lest they live in the house with you, and even I can't tell sometimes."
-
reinforce
strengthen and support with rewards
He waited in amiable silence, and I sought to
reinforce my position: "You never went to school and you do all right, so I'll just stay home too.
-
benign
kind in disposition or manner
Until Jem and Dill excluded me from their plans, she was only another lady in the neighborhood, but a relatively
benign presence.
-
imprudent
not wise
The Haverfords had dispatched Maycomb's leading blacksmith in a misunderstanding arising from the alleged wrongful detention of a mare, were
imprudent enough to do it in the presence of three witnesses, and insisted that the-son-of-a-bitch-had-itco
-
jagged
having a sharply uneven surface or outline
There was a long
jagged sear that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.
-
immune
of the condition in which an organism can resist disease
Miss Caroline seemed unaware that the ragged, denim-shirted and floursack-skirted first grade, most of whom had chopped cotton and fed hogs from the time they were able to walk, were
immune to imaginative literature.
-
plait
a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
Jem procured some peach-tree switches from the back yard,
plaited them, and bent them into bones to be covered with dirt.
-
obsession
an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something
Dr. Buford's profession was medicine and his
obsession was anything that grew in the ground, so he stayed poor.
-
disperse
move away from each other
That cat thing was real fine this mornin'ÃÃÃÃâÃÃÃÃæÃÃÃÃâ
Miss Caroline smiled, blew her nose, said, "Thank you, darlings,"
dispersed us, opened a book and mystified the first grade with a long n
-
simultaneous
occurring or operating at the same time
With movements so swift they seemed
simultaneous, Atticus's hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as he brought the gun to his shoulder.
-
onslaught
an offensive against an enemy
His fists were half cocked, as if expecting an
onslaught from both of us.
-
diminutive
very small
He was among the most
diminutive of men, but when Burris Ewell turned toward him, Little Chuck's right hand went to his pocket.
-
palate
the surface of the mouth separating oral and nasal cavities
One time I asked her to have a chew and she said no thanks, that---chewing gum cleaved to her
palate and rendered her speechless," said Jem carefully.
-
fraught
filled with or attended with
If the remainder of the school year were as
fraught with drama as the first day, perhaps it would be mildly entertaining, but the prospect of spending nine months refraining from reading and writing made me think of running away.
-
spat
a quarrel about petty points
"There goes the meanest man ever God blew breath into," murmured Calpurnia, and she
spat meditatively into the yard.
-
flick
throw or toss with a quick motion
Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer's day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts
flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square.
-
indicative
pointing out or revealing clearly
The internal arrangements of the Finch house were
indicative of Simon's guilelessness and the absolute trust with which he regarded his offspring.
-
analogous
similar or equivalent in some respects
Had I ever harbored the mystical notions about mountains that seem to obsess lawyers and judges, Aunt Alexandra would have been
analogous to Mount Everest: throughout my early life, she was cold and there.
-
entity
that which is perceived to have its own distinct existence
The Radley Place was inhabited by an unknown
entity the mere
description of whom was enough to make us behave for days on end; Mrs. Dubose was plain hell.
-
mortify
cause to feel shame
I guess it ain't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I'm here to tell you it certainly does
mortify the rest of the family."
-
meddle
intrude in other people's affairs or business
For some reason, my first year of school had wrought a great change in our relationship: Calpurnia's tyranny, unfairness, and
meddling in my business had faded to gentle grumblings of general disapproval.
-
quell
suppress or crush completely
Through all the head-shaking,
quelling of nausea and Jem-yelling, I had heard another sound, so low I could not have heard it from the sidewalk.
-
mishap
an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate
I sometimes thought of asking her if she would let me sit at the big table with the rest of them just once, I would prove to her how civilized I could be; after all, I ate at home every day with no major
mishaps.
-
impotent
(of a male) unable to copulate
Simon would have regarded with
impotent fury the disturbance between the North and the South, as it left his descendants stripped of everything but their land, yet the tradition of living on the land remained unbroken until well into the twentieth
-
involvement
the act of sharing in the activities of a group
Why?"
"He didn't have any lunch," I said, and explained my
involvement in Walter's dietary affairs.
-
contributing
tending to bring about; being partly responsible for
Mr. Avery said it was written on the Rosetta Stone that when children disobeyed their parents, smoked cigarettes and made war on each other, the seasons would change: Jem and I were burdened with the guilt of
contributing to the aberrations of natu
-
dogged
stubbornly unyielding
"I'll be
dogged," I said.
-
accost
approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
When we were on the sidewalk in front of Miss Maudie's, Mr. Avery
accosted us.
-
ensue
issue or terminate in a specified way
Jem said Mr. Avery misfigured, Dill said he must drink a gallon a day, and the
ensuing contest to determine relative distances and respective prowess only made me feel left out again, as I was untalented in this area.
-
locate
determine the place of by searching or examining
He searched the scalp above his forehead,
located his guest and pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
-
pestilence
any epidemic disease with a high death rate
Miss Maudie's face likened such an occurrence unto an Old Testament
pestilence.
-
caricature
a representation of a person exaggerated for comic effect
"You can't go around making
caricatures of the neighbors."
-
teem
be abuzz
Thus we came to know Dill as a pocket Merlin, whose head
teemed with eccentric plans, strange longings, and quaint fancies.
-
articulate
express or state clearly
Jem became vaguely
articulate: "'d you see him, Scout? 'd you see him just standin' there? . . . 'n' all of a sudden he just relaxed all over, an' it looked like that gun was a part of him . . . an' he did it so quick, like .
-
chuckle
a soft partly suppressed laugh
When we left her, she was still
chuckling.
-
tangle
twist together or entwine into a confusing mass
Rather than risk a
tangle with Calpurnia, I did as Jem told me.
-
scoop
the shovel or bucket of a dredge or backhoe
Jem
scooped up an armful of dirt, patted it into a mound on which he added another load, and another until he had constructed a torso.
-
dynamic
characterized by action or forcefulness of personality
-
morbid
suggesting the horror of death and decay
Once the town was terrorized by a series of
morbid nocturnal events: people's chickens and household pets were found mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie, who eventually drowned himself in Barker's Eddy, people still looked at the Radley
-
filthy
disgustingly dirty
He was the
filthiest human I had ever seen.
-
rusty
covered with or consisting of an oxide coating
His neck was dark gray, the backs of his hands were
rusty, and his fingernails were black deep into the quick.
-
concede
give over
It was all right to shut him up, Mr. Radley
conceded, but insisted that Boo not be charged with anything: he was not a criminal.
-
sear
become superficially burned
There was a long jagged
sear that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.
-
hamper
prevent the progress or free movement of
He went in the house, returned with the laundry
hamper, filled it with earth and carried it to the front yard.
-
apparel
clothing in general
Mindful of John Wesley's strictures on the use of many words in buying and selling, Simon made a pile practicing medicine, but in this pursuit he was unhappy lest he be tempted into doing what he knew was not for the glory of God, as the putting on of gol
-
discard
anything that is cast aside
Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events: people's chickens and household pets were found mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie, who eventually drowned himself in Barker's Eddy, people still looked at the Radley Place,
-
poke
thrust abruptly
Miss Caroline walked up and down the rows peering and
poking into lunch containers, little at others.
-
verge
the limit beyond which something happens or changes
I was on the
verge of leavin'- I done done my time for this year."
-
furthermore
in addition
Furthermore, I couldn't help noticing that my father had served for years in the state legislature, elected each time without opposition, innocent of the adjustments my teachers thought essential to the development of Good Citizenship.
-
gallon
United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters
Jem said Mr. Avery misfigured, Dill said he must drink a
gallon a day, and the ensuing contest to determine relative distances and respective prowess only made me feel left out again, as I was untalented in this area.
-
contradict
prove negative; show to be false
"There's some folks who don't eat like us," she whispered fiercely, "but you ain't called on to
contradict 'em at the table when they don't.
-
fret
be agitated or irritated
"Now don't you
fret, ma'am," he said.
-
emerge
come out into view, as from concealment
Dill and Jem
emerged from a brief huddle: "If you stay you've got to do what we tell you," Dill warned.
-
define
show the form or outline of
Jem and I had always enjoyed the free run of Miss Maudie's yard if we kept out of her azaleas, but our contact with her was not clearly
defined.
-
relaxed
without strain or anxiety
Jem and I
relaxed.
-
overall
including everything
He did have on a clean shirt and neatly mended
overalls.
-
confine
place limits on
Uncle Jack Finch
confined his passion for digging to his window boxes in Nashville and stayed rich.
-
plunge
dash violently or with great speed or impetuosity
Dill would walk by, cough at Jem, and Jem would fake a
plunge into Dill's thigh.
-
bluff
a high steep bank
Hours of wintertime had found me in the treehouse, looking over at the schoolyard, spying on multitudes of children through a two-power telescope Jem had given me, learning their games, following Jem's red jacket through wriggling circles of blind man's <
-
dreary
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
After a
dreary conversation in our living room one night about his entailment, before Mr. Cunningham left he said, "Mr. Finch, I don't know when I'll ever be able to pay you."
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contribute
provide
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register
an official written record of names or events
I suppose she chose me because she knew my name; as I read the alphabet a faint line appeared between her eyebrows, and after making me read most of My First Reader and the stock-market quotations from The Mobile
Register aloud, she discovered that
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pasture
a field covered with grass and suitable for grazing
We ran across the schoolyard, crawled under the fence to Deer's
Pasture behind our house, climbed our back fence and were at the back steps before Jem would let us pause to rest.
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announce
make known
Miss Blount, a native Maycombian as yet uninitiated in the mysteries of the Decimal System, appeared at the door hands on hips and
announced: "If I hear another sound from this room I'll burn up everybody in it.
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rigid
incapable of or resistant to bending
In your case, the law remains
rigid.
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layer
a single thickness of some substance or material
When we ran to the back yard, it was covered with a feeble
layer of soggy snow.
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stalk
a slender or elongated structure that supports a plant
She picked up the limp sprout and squeezed her thumb up its tiny
stalk.
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definition
a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase
Jem's
definitions are very nearly accurate sometimes."
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whistle
the sound made by something moving rapidly
A Negro would not pass the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and
whistle as he walked.
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defined
showing clearly the outline or profile or boundary
Jem and I had always enjoyed the free run of Miss Maudie's yard if we kept out of her azaleas, but our contact with her was not clearly
defined.
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concession
the act of yielding
Jem stood in thought so long that Dill made a mild
concession: "I won't say you ran out on a dare an' I'll swap you The Gray Ghost if you just go up and touch the house."