Lifeboat 12: List 3

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 "Up from the Sea"–"A Visitor."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
30 words 90 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. thrash
    move or stir about violently
    Splashing, thrashing
    through the water,
    we see him...
  2. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    I sing too as I row...
    “Roll out the barrel....”
    Then loudly, defiantly, everyone joins in.
  3. quicksilver
    a metallic element that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
    Reflections,
    quicksilver twinkles
    dot the water
    as hissing red flares
    dash upward
    to the clearing skies
    and the gaping moon.
  4. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    “Half an hour,” says Cooper, grimacing.
  5. forge
    move ahead steadily
    From that moment on,
    Peard is on the move,
    forging his way through the crowd,
    foul-mouthed and loud
    bossy, unbowed.
  6. raucous
    unpleasantly loud and harsh
    One man reserved,
    one raucous.
  7. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    Father O’Sullivan, weak with flu,
    sprawling in the bottom of the boat.
  8. casualty
    someone injured or killed in a military engagement
    After a U-boat attack,
    naval rules require
    all convoy ships
    to scatter to avoid further casualties.
  9. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
    We’ll have to use
    the rising and setting sun
    to gauge east and west
    and look to the stars
    to find true north.
  10. sextant
    an instrument for measuring angular distance
    I think of my books
    about adventure at sea
    and only then do I realize what else we’re missing:
    a radio
    a sextant
    charts
    flags
    fishing gear
    No way to find our way.
  11. douse
    wet thoroughly
    I roll it over
    my cheeks and tongue—
    a cool bath
    that douses the fire
    of that devil thirst.
  12. pram
    a baby carriage with four wheels
    I made my go-cart
    out of old pram wheels.
  13. nimble
    moving quickly and lightly
    Two men are bridges
    between us—
    only Gunner Harry Peard
    and Ramjam Buxoo
    are nimble enough
    to move carefully
    about the boat...
  14. negotiator
    someone who confers with others to reach a settlement
    Buxoo and Peard act as ambassadors,
    messengers, negotiators.
  15. sulk
    be in a huff and display one's displeasure
    “No use sulking, boys!” he shouts,
    standing up,
    stripping down to his shorts.
  16. spinster
    an elderly unmarried woman
    Yes, Peard calls Mary “spinster”
    under his breath,
    with scorn in his voice,
    but we boys call her Auntie Mary
    because she takes care of us.
  17. scorn
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Yes, Peard calls Mary “spinster”
    under his breath,
    with scorn in his voice,
    but we boys call her Auntie Mary
    because she takes care of us.
  18. chemise
    a long, loose, sleeveless undergarment
    Auntie Mary turns,
    slips inside her jacket
    and thin silk blouse,
    and pulls out her chemise.
  19. stifle
    conceal or hide
    The boys and I stifle snorts
    and the men turn as pink
    as our new flag,
    but Signalman Mayhew
    shinnies up the mast
    and ties it to the top.
  20. synchronize
    cause to indicate the same time or rate
    Officer Cooper
    and Father O’Sullivan
    synchronize their wristwatches—
    the only two on board.
  21. whisk
    move quickly and nimbly
    With flattening seas,
    this stiff westerly wind
    could whisk us along.
  22. relentless
    never-ceasing
    There’s nothing to break
    the horizon
    or the rows of relentless waves
    marching us to the ends of the earth.
  23. doldrums
    a state of inactivity
    It sounds odd to say
    but it’s true,
    we may die of the doldrums
    as the days drift by.
  24. scoundrel
    someone who does evil deliberately
    We all know about Bulldog—
    the hero of dozens of British books and films
    who always beats the scoundrels.
  25. snivel
    cry or whine with snuffling
    “Did you ever hear of a hero who sniveled?”
    Right she is.
    Bulldog Drummond would never snivel.
  26. listless
    marked by low spirits; showing no enthusiasm
    A few of the men look over,
    startled at my outburst,
    but most slump and stare,
    growing listless.
  27. alias
    as known or named at another time or place
    Captain Hugh Drummond, alias Bulldog Drummond, knocked on Mary’s door.
  28. delirious
    experiencing hallucinations
    At the hospital, Drummond found the injured pilot delirious, babbling nonsense about estates and elm trees.
  29. tandem
    an arrangement of objects or persons one behind another
    We kneel in awe,
    watching the two
    perform for us,
    arching up, curling down,
    twins in tandem
    who surface and dive,
    surface and dive.
  30. diversion
    an activity that amuses or stimulates
    We sit smiling at each other,
    grateful for diversion,
    even for just a little while
    as we listen
    to the priest’s prayer of thanks
    for sunsets,
    for whales,
    for the marvels
    of this world.
Created on Sun Jul 26 20:33:53 EDT 2020 (updated Fri Mar 12 08:37:48 EST 2021)

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