Lamb to slaughter

Jennifer M.
105 words 551 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. a trifle
    to a small degree; somewhat
    The four men searching the rooms seemed to be growing weary, a trifle exasperated.
  2. acquire
    come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
    Her skin -for this was her sixth month with child-had acquired a wonderful translucent quality, the mouth was soft, and the eyes, with their new placid look, seemed larger darker than before.
  3. administer
    supervise or be in charge of
    Her husband, he told her, had been killed by a blow on the back of the head administered with a heavy blunt instrument, almost certainly a large piece of metal.
  4. amber
    a hard yellowish to brownish translucent fossil resin
    When he came back, she noticed that the new drink was dark amber with the quantity of whiskey in it.
  5. awfully
    in a terrible manner
    Would they mind awfully of she stayed just where she was until she felt better.
  6. awkwardly
    in a clumsy manner
    They stood around rather awkwardly with the drinks in their hands, uncomfortable in her presence, trying to say consoling things to her.
  7. belch
    expel gas from the stomach
    One of them belched.
  8. bent
    stooped (used of the back and knees)
    The drop of a head as she bent over her sewing was curiously tranquil.
  9. bewilder
    cause to be confused emotionally
    She lowered herself back slowly into the chair, watching him all the time with those large, bewildered eyes.
  10. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    She lowered herself back slowly into the chair, watching him all the time with those large, bewildered eyes.
  11. blame
    an accusation that one is responsible for some misdeed
    I hope you won’t blame me too much.”
  12. blink
    a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
    She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a while blinking at the body, still holding the ridiculous piece of meat tight with both hands.
  13. blissful
    completely happy and contented
    For her, this was always a blissful time of day.
  14. blunt
    not sharp (used of a knife or other blade)
    Her husband, he told her, had been killed by a blow on the back of the head administered with a heavy blunt instrument, almost certainly a large piece of metal.
  15. cabinet
    a storage compartment for clothes and valuables
    Everything was automatic now-down the steps to the cellar, the light switch, the deep freeze, the hand inside the cabinet taking hold of the first object it met.
  16. chink
    a narrow opening as e.g. between planks in a wall
    She could hear their footsteps on the gravel outside, and sometimes she saw a flash of a torch through a chink in the curtains.
  17. clink
    a short light metallic sound
    He didn’t answer, so she bent her head again and went on with her sewing; bet each time he lifted the drink to his lips, she heard the ice cubes clinking against the side of the glass.
  18. clinking
    like the light sharp ringing sound of glasses being tapped
    He didn’t answer, so she bent her head again and went on with her sewing; bet each time he lifted the drink to his lips, she heard the ice cubes clinking against the side of the glass.
  19. clock on
    register one's arrival at work
    It began to get late, nearly nine she noticed by the clock on the mantle.
  20. club
    a formal association of people with similar interests
    She might just as well have hit him with a steel club.
  21. congeal
    solidify, thicken, or come together
    While she was talking, crying and talking, Noonan discovered a small patch of congealed blood on the dead man’s head.
  22. console
    give moral or emotional strength to
    They stood around rather awkwardly with the drinks in their hands, uncomfortable in her presence, trying to say consoling things to her.
  23. content
    satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
    She knew he didn’t want to speak much until the first drink was finished, and she, on her side, was content to sit quietly, enjoying his company after the long hours alone in the house.
  24. cracker
    a thin crisp wafer made of flour and water with or without leavening and shortening; unsweetened or semisweet
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    Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com “Anyway,” she went on, “I’ll get you some cheese and crackers first.”
  25. crackers
    informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
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    Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com “Anyway,” she went on, “I’ll get you some cheese and crackers first.”
  26. daze
    confusion characterized by lack of clarity
    It didn’t take long, four or five minutes at most, and she say very still through it all, watching him with a kind of dazed horror as he went further and further away from her with each word.
  27. drain
    emptying something by allowing liquid to run out of it
    He lifted his glass and drained it in one swallow although there was still half of it, at least half of it left..
  28. drained
    emptied or exhausted of
    He lifted his glass and drained it in one swallow although there was still half of it, at least half of it left..
  29. empty
    holding or containing nothing
    The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight-hers and the one by the empty chair opposite.
  30. exasperate
    make furious
    The four men searching the rooms seemed to be growing weary, a trifle exasperated.
  31. extraordinary
    highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
    It was extraordinary, now, how clear her mind became all of a sudden.
  32. flash
    emit a brief burst of light
    She could hear their footsteps on the gravel outside, and sometimes she saw a flash of a torch through a chink in the curtains.
  33. frown
    a facial expression of dislike or displeasure
    He had finished the second drink and was staring down into the glass, frowning.
  34. frowning
    showing displeasure or anger
    He had finished the second drink and was staring down into the glass, frowning.
  35. giggle
    laugh nervously
    And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle.
  36. glance
    take a brief look at
    Now and again she would glance up at the clock, but without anxiety, merely to please herself with the thought that each minute gone by made it nearer the time when he would come.
  37. gut
    the part of the alimentary canal between the stomach and the anus
    “That’s the hell of a big club the gut must’ve used to hit poor Patrick,” one of them was saying.
  38. hesitating
    lacking decisiveness of character
    There was a good deal of hesitating among the four policemen, but they were clearly hungry, and in the end they were persuaded to go into the kitchen and help themselves.
  39. hum
    sing with closed lips
    Therefore, when she entered the kitchen by the back door, she was humming a little tune to herself and smiling.
  40. humming
    the act of singing with closed lips
    Therefore, when she entered the kitchen by the back door, she was humming a little tune to herself and smiling.
  41. lean
    incline or bend from a vertical position
    He paused a moment, leaning forward in the chair, then he got up and went slowly over to fetch himself another.
  42. lop
    cut off from a whole
    She sat down before the mirror, tidied her hair, touched up her lops and face.
  43. mantle
    a sleeveless garment like a cloak but shorter
    It began to get late, nearly nine she noticed by the clock on the mantle.
  44. murderer
    a criminal who commits homicide
    What were the laws about murderers with unborn children?
  45. mutter
    talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
    There was a great deal of whispering and muttering beside the corpse, and the detectives kept asking her a lot of questions.
  46. muttering
    a low continuous indistinct sound
    There was a great deal of whispering and muttering beside the corpse, and the detectives kept asking her a lot of questions.
  47. pan
    shallow container made of metal
    She carried the meat into the kitchen, placed it in a pan, turned the oven on high, and shoved t inside.
  48. parcel
    a wrapped package
    She put the parcel down on the table and went through into the living room; and when she saw him lying there on the floor with his legs doubled up and one arm twisted back underneath his body, it really was rather a shock.
  49. patch
    a small contrasting part of something
    While she was talking, crying and talking, Noonan discovered a small patch of congealed blood on the dead man’s head.
  50. pea
    a leguminous plant of the genus Pisum with small white flowers and long green pods containing edible green seeds
    Yes, and I think a can of peas.”
  51. peculiar
    beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
    It came out rather peculiar.
  52. persuade
    cause somebody to adopt a certain position or belief
    One by one the others came in and were persuaded to take a little nip of whiskey.
  53. placid
    calm and free from disturbance
    Her skin -for this was her sixth month with child-had acquired a wonderful translucent quality, the mouth was soft, and the eyes, with their new placid look, seemed larger darker than before.
  54. reject
    refuse to accept or acknowledge
    Her first instinct was not to believe any of it, to reject it all.
  55. ridiculous
    incongruous or absurd
    She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised, and she stood for a while blinking at the body, still holding the ridiculous piece of meat tight with both hands.
  56. sew
    create (clothes) with cloth
    The drop of a head as she bent over her sewing was curiously tranquil.
  57. shape
    a perceptual structure
    She loved intent, far look in his eyes when they rested in her, the funny shape of the mouth, and especially the way he remained silent about his tiredness, sitting still with himself until the whiskey had taken some of it away.
  58. shove
    come into rough contact with while moving
    She carried the meat into the kitchen, placed it in a pan, turned the oven on high, and shoved t inside.
  59. sip
    drink in sips
    “No.”

    She watched him as he began to sip the dark yellow drink, and she could see little oily swirls in the liquid because it was so strong.
  60. slam
    close violently
    When the clock said ten minutes to five, she began to listen, and a few moments later, punctually as always, she heard the tires on the gravel outside, and the car door slamming, the footsteps passing the window, the key turning in the lock.
  61. sledgehammer
    a heavy long-handled hammer used to drive stakes or wedges
    “The doc says his skull was smashed all to pieces just like from a sledgehammer.”
  62. slice
    a thin flat piece cut off of some object
    “How about a nice big slice of cheesecake?
  63. slight
    small in quantity or degree
    She couldn’t feel anything at all- except a slight nausea and a desire to vomit.
  64. slop
    deep soft mud in water or slush
    She told how she’d put the meat in the oven-”it’s there now, cooking”- and how she’d slopped out to the grocer for vegetables, and come back to find him lying on the floor.
  65. slopped
    very drunk
    She told how she’d put the meat in the oven-”it’s there now, cooking”- and how she’d slopped out to the grocer for vegetables, and come back to find him lying on the floor.
  66. sloppy
    lacking neatness or order
    The woman stayed where she was, listening to them speaking among themselves, their voices thick and sloppy because their mouths were full of meat.
  67. smash
    hit violently
    “The doc says his skull was smashed all to pieces just like from a sledgehammer.”
  68. smashed
    very drunk
    “The doc says his skull was smashed all to pieces just like from a sledgehammer.”
  69. sob
    weep convulsively
    “I think so,” she sobbed.
  70. spanner
    a hand tool that is used to hold or twist a nut or bolt
    Would she mind having a look around to see if anything was missing-a very big spanner, for example, or a heavy metal vase.
  71. steel
    an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon
    She might just as well have hit him with a steel club.
  72. step
    the act of changing location by raising the foot and setting it down
    Everything was automatic now-down the steps to the cellar, the light switch, the deep freeze, the hand inside the cabinet taking hold of the first object it met.
  73. stretcher
    a device for transporting someone who is ill or wounded
    After a while, the photographer and the doctor departed and two other men came in and took the corpse away on a stretcher.
  74. sway
    move back and forth
    She stepped back a pace, waiting, and the funny thing was that he remained standing there for at least four or five seconds, gently swaying.
  75. swing
    change direction with a swinging motion; turn
    At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause she swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head.
  76. swirl
    turn in a twisting or spinning motion
    “No.”

    She watched him as he began to sip the dark yellow drink, and she could see little oily swirls in the liquid because it was so strong.
  77. switch
    device for making or breaking the connections in a circuit
    Everything was automatic now-down the steps to the cellar, the light switch, the deep freeze, the hand inside the cabinet taking hold of the first object it met.
  78. take off
    remove clothes
    It was wrapped in paper, so she took off the paper and looked at it again.
  79. tearful
    filled with or marked by weeping
    When the sergeant returned the second time, she looked at him with her large, dark tearful eyes.
  80. thick
    not thin
    The woman stayed where she was, listening to them speaking among themselves, their voices thick and sloppy because their mouths were full of meat.
  81. tinkle
    make or emit a high sound
    Then she walked over and made the drinks, a strongish one for him, a weak one for herself; and soon she was back again in her chair with the sewing, and he in the other, opposite, holding the tall glass with both hands, rocking it so the ice cubes tinkled against the side.
  82. tome
    a large and scholarly book
    “Jack,” she said, the next tome Sergeant Noonan went by.
  83. torch
    a light usually carried in the hand
    She could hear their footsteps on the gravel outside, and sometimes she saw a flash of a torch through a chink in the curtains.
  84. touch
    make physical contact with, come in contact with
    When she walked across the room she couldn’t feel her feet touching the floor.
  85. touch up
    alter so as to produce a more desirable appearance
    She sat down before the mirror, tidied her hair, touched up her lops and face.
  86. touched
    having come into contact
    She sat down before the mirror, tidied her hair, touched up her lops and face.
  87. tough
    substantially made or constructed
    Personally I couldn’t tough a thing, certainly not what’s been in the house when he was here.
  88. translucent
    allowing light to pass through diffusely
    Her skin -for this was her sixth month with child-had acquired a wonderful translucent quality, the mouth was soft, and the eyes, with their new placid look, seemed larger darker than before.
  89. trifle
    a detail that is considered insignificant
    The four men searching the rooms seemed to be growing weary, a trifle exasperated.
  90. tune
    a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
    Therefore, when she entered the kitchen by the back door, she was humming a little tune to herself and smiling.
  91. twist
    cause an object to assume a curved or distorted shape
    She put the parcel down on the table and went through into the living room; and when she saw him lying there on the floor with his legs doubled up and one arm twisted back underneath his body, it really was rather a shock.
  92. twisted
    having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
    She put the parcel down on the table and went through into the living room; and when she saw him lying there on the floor with his legs doubled up and one arm twisted back underneath his body, it really was rather a shock.
  93. vas
    a tube in which a body fluid circulates
    They didn’t have any heavy metal vases, she said.
  94. whisper
    speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
    “I’ll get the supper,” she managed to whisper, and this time he didn’t stop her.
  95. wrap
    cloak that is folded or wrapped around a person
    It was wrapped in paper, so she took off the paper and looked at it again.
  96. wrapped
    covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak
    It was wrapped in paper, so she took off the paper and looked at it again.
  97. rheumy
    watery and red, as of the eyes
  98. equivocal
    open to two or more interpretations
  99. samphire
    fleshy maritime plant having fleshy stems with rudimentary scalelike leaves and small spikes of minute flowers; formerly used in making glass
  100. remarkable
    unusual or striking
  101. neurotic
    affected by worry due to a mental disturbance
  102. attempt
    make an effort
  103. sheer
    so thin as to transmit light
  104. cliff
    a steep high face of rock
  105. ripple
    a small wave on the surface of a liquid
Created on Thu Jun 09 11:10:16 EDT 2011 (updated Thu Jun 09 11:14:45 EDT 2011)

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