"The Highwayman"

The title of the poem by Alfred Noyes glorifies the highwayman, but Bess, the landlord's daughter, is the one who will steal your heart.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 7 Unit 4's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, maggie and milly and molly and may, Mother to Son, Haikus, It Happened in Montgomery, Monologues, The Raven, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Casey at the Bat, Outlaws and Highwaymen, The Highwayman, We Wear the Mask, Twelfth Night
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. torrent
    a violently fast stream of water or other liquid
    The wind was a torrent of darkness upon the gusty trees
  2. galleon
    a large square-rigged sailing ship with three or more masts
    The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas
  3. claret
    a dark purplish-red color
    A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of fine doe-skin
  4. rapier
    a straight sword with a narrow blade and two edges
    His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky
  5. plait
    make by braiding or interlacing
    He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
    But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
    Bess, the landlord's daughter,
    Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
  6. wicket
    a small gate or door, often part of a larger door
    And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable- wicket creaked
  7. ostler
    someone employed in a stable to take care of the horses
    Where Tim the ostler listened. His face was white and peaked.
  8. harry
    annoy continually or chronically
    Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
    Then look for me by moonlight
  9. casement
    a window framework that is hinged on one side
    But she loosened her hair in the casement
  10. jest
    a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
    They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest
  11. strain
    exert much effort or energy
    They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years
  12. muzzle
    the open circular discharging end of a gun
    Up, she stood up to attention, with the muzzle beneath her breast.
  13. prime
    insert an igniter to initiate the burning of a propellant
    The red-coats looked to their priming!
  14. musket
    a muzzle-loading shoulder gun with a long barrel
    Her musket shattered the moonlight
  15. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    Back, he spurred like a madman, shouting a curse to the sky,
    With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high.
Created on September 15, 2014 (updated September 15, 2014)

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