Lifeboat 12: List 2

by Susan Hood
During World War II, six boys struggle to survive in a lifeboat after their ship is hit by a torpedo.

This list covers "Cabin Mates"–"Horror."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
35 words 112 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    Another looks bewildered.
  2. carafe
    a bottle with a stopper
    ...the striped rugs on the floor,
    the carafe of fresh water
    and the vase of sunny flowers—
    everything much finer
    than my things at home.
  3. gawk
    look with amazement
    We troop in a group
    to the children’s playroom,
    gawking at the baskets of new toys.
  4. allotment
    distribution according to a plan
    Things I played with came from
    the allotment field
    up the street.
  5. jester
    a clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman
    Life-size paintings of jesters
    and ballerinas dance round the walls.
  6. posh
    elegant and fashionable
    We continue down the halls,
    peering in posh shops,
    dazzling with spotlights, mirrors,
    chandeliers, and candelabras,
    golden statues and gilded signs
    that showcase furs, satins, silks.
  7. gilded
    made from or covered with gold
    We continue down the halls,
    peering in posh shops,
    dazzling with spotlights, mirrors,
    chandeliers, and candelabras,
    golden statues and gilded signs
    that showcase furs, satins, silks.
  8. galley
    the area for food preparation on a ship
    We pass the bustling galley
    with aromas I remember
    from the time
    before rations.
  9. brocade
    thick expensive material with a raised pattern
    I sit down on a soft brocade chair
    and stare at the menu card
    and three different kinds
    of knives and forks.
  10. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    “Two life jackets?” I ask, incredulous.
  11. provisions
    a stock or supply of foods
    “You’ll see each boat has
    provisions stowed aboard.
    Over here is the Fleming gear.”
  12. convoy
    a collection of merchant ships with an escort of warships
    We’re to sail in a convoy of eighteen ships
    escorted by a destroyer and two corvettes.
  13. lark
    play boisterously
    After our drills,
    we have free time
    to lark about and run the decks.
  14. gruff
    blunt and unfriendly or stern
    A heavy hand claps me on the shoulder.
    “Caught you!” says a gruff voice.
  15. moor
    secure with cables or ropes
    That night
    bombs rain down
    round the ship,
    now moored
    in the middle of the river.
  16. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    We crawl under a stairway
    and peer out at the black clouds,
    ominous with a growl of thunder.
  17. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    I close my eyes
    and the fresh breeze
    blows all my troubles behind me
    like the black smoke
    billowing back from the stacks.
  18. incessant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    The incessant
    rolling has stopped.
  19. fray
    a noisy fight
    “Pillow fight!” they yell,
    thumping us good.
    I jump into the fray,
    feeling like a kid again.
  20. swanky
    impressively fashionable and elegant
    “Don’t mind me. Go on with your games,”
    says swanky Miss Grierson, puffing away.
  21. ballast
    any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship
    But then they go back in,
    a bit green round the gills,
    but ready to take on more ballast!
  22. prowl
    move about in or as if in a predatory manner
    ...we sail farther
    and farther
    from where the planes
    and the U-boats prowl.
  23. infirmary
    a health facility where patients receive treatment
    “It’s off to the infirmary for you two,”
    says Father O’Sullivan
    who coughs and sneezes—
    ACHOO!
  24. bile
    a digestive juice secreted by the liver
    Bile rising,
    I swallow it down.
  25. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    I have to push my way
    against the surge of children
    scrambling to the stairs
    and wade through floating debris.
  26. bawl
    cry loudly
    I catch sight of an escort
    carrying a girl covered in blood,
    hear shouting,
    whimpering,
    calling,
    bawling.
  27. fiendish
    extremely evil or cruel
    ...we drop,
    falling,
    frantic,
    on a fiendish ride
    bound
    where?
  28. roiling
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    ...children,
    officers,
    crewmen and cooks,
    screaming
    forty feet down
    to the sea,
    to the roiling sea.
  29. bail
    remove (water) from a vessel with a container
    Water slops in
    and the crew bails with buckets,
    hands, shoes, and hats.
  30. gunwale
    a plank or ridge at the top of the side of a boat
    The other boys and I
    clutch the gunwales,
    white-knuckled,
    open-mouthed...
  31. flail
    thrash about
    ...people clinging to
    overturned lifeboats,
    swimming to
    overloaded rafts,
    grabbing at
    floating deck chairs
    with flailing arms
    beseeching hands.
  32. beseech
    ask for or request earnestly
    ...people clinging to
    overturned lifeboats,
    swimming to
    overloaded rafts,
    grabbing at
    floating deck chairs
    with flailing arms
    beseeching hands.
  33. crest
    reach a high point
    Twenty-foot waves
    cresting,
    crashing,
    smashing.
  34. jetsam
    part of a ship's cargo thrown overboard to lighten the load
    People are swimming and sinking,
    slamming into boats, rafts,
    jetsam and flotsam,
    slipping and surfacing,
    sliding and
    OH!
  35. flotsam
    the floating wreckage of a ship
    People are swimming and sinking,
    slamming into boats, rafts,
    jetsam and flotsam,
    slipping and surfacing,
    sliding and
    OH!
Created on Sun Jul 26 20:14:55 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Mar 11 16:03:54 EST 2021)

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