The Fighting Ground: List 1

by Avi
In this historical novel, thirteen-year-old Jonathan defies his father's wishes and joins the fight for American independence.

This list covers April 3, 1778: 9:58–12:50.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5

Here are links to our lists for other works by Avi: Crispin: The Cross of Lead, Nothing but the Truth
35 words 317 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. regiment
    army unit smaller than a division
    His older brother was a soldier with General Washington in Pennsylvania. His cousin had joined a county regiment.
  2. tyrannical
    characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule
    For he had heard his father and his father’s friends talk many times about the tyrannical British; their cruel mercenary allies, the German-speaking Hessians; and the hated Tories, those American traitors who had sided with the brutal English king.
  3. mercenary
    profit oriented
    For he had heard his father and his father’s friends talk many times about the tyrannical British; their cruel mercenary allies, the German-speaking Hessians; and the hated Tories, those American traitors who had sided with the brutal English king.
  4. toll
    ring slowly
    The bell, at the tavern a mile and a half away, was used to call the men to arms. This time it tolled only once.
  5. musket
    a muzzle-loading shoulder gun with a long barrel
    Jonathan looked over at the edge of the field, where his father’s flintlock musket leaned against a stump.
  6. prime
    insert an igniter to initiate the burning of a propellant
    The gun was primed, ready to be used.
  7. yield
    be flexible under stress of physical force
    The beating of his hoe against the earth made a soft, yielding sound, as if a clock had begun to count a familiar piece of time.
  8. absentminded
    lost in thought; showing preoccupation
    Absentmindedly, he rubbed his wounded leg.
  9. unveil
    make visible
    Jonathan felt his stomach turn all queer, for in that moment his father’s eyes became unveiled, and they revealed themselves to be full of fear.
  10. copse
    a dense growth of trees, shrubs, or bushes
    Quickly, Jonathan turned away and began to run through the copse of trees that separated, the field from their house.
  11. vault
    jump across or leap over, as an obstacle
    Jonathan vaulted the split-rail fence, hardly breaking stride.
  12. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    Each stroke of the distant bell seemed to make her wince.
  13. fret
    worry unnecessarily or excessively
    She had always hated the war, even talk of war, fretting so about his brother, who had gone off and yet never sent a word, not one.
  14. turncoat
    a disloyal person who betrays or deserts a cause
    There were lots of Tories like that around, spies and turncoats all.
  15. cackle
    squawk shrilly and loudly, characteristic of hens
    A swirl of red-breasted pigeons coursed the air. A squirrel scolded, a crow cackled.
  16. vibrant
    (of sounds) strong and resonating
    And even as he stood there, unsure what to do, the bell resumed its vibrant call.
  17. militia
    civilians trained as soldiers, not part of the regular army
    The bell hung in its own rack, set up to sound alarms. It stood to one side of the green where the men practiced for militia duty, an exercise that Jonathan dearly loved to watch.
  18. survey
    look over carefully or inspect
    He stood in front of the tavern door, surveying the gathered men who, in turn, kept keen eyes on him.
  19. keen
    demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
    He stood in front of the tavern door, surveying the gathered men who, in turn, kept keen eyes on him.
  20. crest
    reach a high point
    A man came running, cresting the hill.
  21. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    The Corporal glowered, then shifted around once more and drifted toward the men.
  22. appraise
    consider in a comprehensive way
    The Corporal appraised them, then turned to the tavern keeper.
  23. bound
    move forward by leaping
    Jonathan bounded up the steps.
  24. inadvertently
    without knowledge or intention
    Jonathan turned, inadvertently smashing the gun butt against the doorframe.
  25. hasten
    move fast
    The shock made him almost drop the gun. Recovering, he hastened outside into the light.
  26. astride
    with one leg on each side
    The Corporal, astride his horse, was rounding past the bend.
  27. fringe
    the outside boundary or surface of something
    Jonathan, on the outer fringe of the group, strained to listen, glad to be able to rest his gun on the ground.
  28. downcast
    directed toward a lower place
    He saw downcast eyes, furtive and unsure.
  29. furtive
    secret and sly
    He saw downcast eyes, furtive and unsure.
  30. brisk
    quick and energetic
    The men followed briskly.
  31. perspire
    excrete sweat through the pores in the skin
    A large man, he was already perspiring.
  32. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    Even though they hadn’t gone long, some of the men threw themselves on the ground as if exhausted. Others sprawled against trees.
  33. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    Off to one side of the ridge he could see a small, meandering creek and two small ponds that fed it.
  34. reluctantly
    with a certain degree of unwillingness
    Reluctantly, he decided he would just have to wait, and learn by watching the others.
  35. stony
    showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings
    The Corporal shifted slowly and gazed stony faced down the road.
Created on Sun Jan 20 16:30:06 EST 2019 (updated Tue Feb 12 09:49:23 EST 2019)

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