Elf Dog and Owl Head: Chapters 15–21

by M.T. Anderson
With a virus shutting down most of his world aboveground, young Clay O'Brian decides to play in the woods, where he meets an elf-hound that belongs to the People Under the Mountain and an owl-head boy who lives in a hidden village.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–21
35 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. rejoice
    express great happiness
    “No, I love watching people have more fun than me,” he said. “Nothing better than lying here, depressed, not able to move my arms, with creatures around me rejoicing, dancing, and falling in love on my stomach.”
  2. faun
    a mythological creature that is half human and half goat
    When Clay and DiRossi arrived, the owl-head people and a race of people with horns and the spotted legs of fauns were having a dance-off.
  3. kaleidoscope
    an optical toy in a tube
    But when he stared, he felt as if someone had smashed a kaleidoscope on his head.
  4. bearing
    the direction or path along which something moves or lies
    There were routes and aisles to other places there, directions that should not exist. For a second, the two friends just tried to get their bearings.
  5. caper
    jump about playfully
    Then they found a bunch of other kids—mostly owl-head friends of Amos’s, but also kids with shells and kids with snouts—and Clay took out his Super Ball, and they spent an hour bouncing the Super Ball into different universes while Elphinore capered between them.
  6. consort
    the spouse or companion of a reigning monarch
    There was the Duchess of the Lake of Wishes dressed in blue velvet; next to her was her consort, the spirit of the River of Time and Shadow, a woman clad in a sheath of pond weed.
  7. clad
    wearing or provided with clothing
    There was the Duchess of the Lake of Wishes dressed in blue velvet; next to her was her consort, the spirit of the River of Time and Shadow, a woman clad in a sheath of pond weed.
  8. ricochet
    spring back; spring away from an impact
    They went back to their ball game. Clay now kept his eye out for the mirrored figure while still trying to watch the ball ricochet in six directions at once.
  9. calico
    coarse cloth with a bright print
    DiRossi, meanwhile, was dancing with Mosef and his friends—pretty owl-head girls in calico dresses.
  10. anguish
    suffer great pains or distress
    “Elphinore!” he screamed, anguished.
  11. pike
    weapon consisting of a spearhead attached to a long pole
    Several guards armed with pikes stepped between him and the dogs.
  12. crop
    a short whip typically used by horseback riders
    The Master of the Hunt walked over to her and waved his leather riding crop.
  13. cower
    show submission or fear
    She cowered. She remembered what it felt like to be hit with it when she disobeyed.
  14. crane
    stretch, so as to see better
    She craned her neck. She said, “Look, I’m going to see if he’s headed home. He must be really upset. Can you check to see if he’s up on the dancing green? And if he’s there, tell him I’m looking for him?”
  15. galumph
    move around heavily and clumsily
    One rode his horse galumphing up the steps. The carpet tore. The banister on the stairs collapsed.
  16. squire
    a young nobleman attendant on a knight
    The duke said a word; the squires blew on their hunting horns.
  17. blustery
    blowing in violent and abrupt bursts
    The night had turned blustery. The treetops blew back and forth restlessly, as if they were unhappy at the meeting of the worlds.
  18. procession
    the action of a group moving ahead in regular formation
    At one point, a magical procession went by. They were beasts dressed in long green robes, with crowns of flowers on their heads. They carried torches and walked in two straight lines, chanting some old song from the beginning of time.
  19. hatch
    a movable barrier covering an entrance
    The hatch popped open. Cold, underground air tumbled out into the warm summer night.
  20. brocade
    thick expensive material with a raised pattern
    Finally, he found one that was just the kind of thing he was looking for: a long coat of silver brocade.
  21. musty
    covered with or smelling of mold
    It was musty on the old staircase.
  22. waver
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
    Amos carefully climbed onto Clay’s shoulders. Clay steadied himself against the wall and stood with Amos wavering above him.
  23. spite
    meanness or nastiness
    Clay, of course, could not understand the words, but he could tell from the anger and spite in the voice exactly what was being said.
  24. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
    Suddenly, Sloppy Dragon-Head lurched to the side and almost fell over.
  25. frolic
    play boisterously
    The elf dog frolicked around the two boys, barking with joy, licking at their faces as they squirmed and struggled out of the four-armed silver coat.
  26. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    A few of them started to clamber down staircases.
  27. barrel
    move headlong at high speed
    He and Amos barreled right into the guard, knocked him over, and kept pounding after Elphinore.
  28. gilded
    made from or covered with gold
    It was an odd machine, covered in plaster cupids and wreaths and gilded grapes, with cables that reached all the way up to the ceiling of the cavern.
  29. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    Their arms ached. They were breathing hard. Even the owl boy’s alert eyes looked weary.
  30. defy
    resist or confront with resistance
    The crowd was startled to see anyone defy the People Under the Mountain. The music stopped. The dancing stopped. Everyone looked on in horror at the two boys and the dog fleeing into the woods with the guards behind them.
  31. snobbish
    tending to associate only with people of a similar background
    So all the beasts who lived in roots and rocks and under ponds were secretly delighted to see Clay and Amos and Elphinore stand up to the chilly, snobbish lords and ladies who lived deep beneath Mount Norumbega.
  32. culprit
    someone or something responsible for harm or wrongdoing
    The windows were broken and everything inside was smashed to pieces. Nobody could say who had done it, though they figured it was the same set of crazy rich horse people who had probably knocked Clay over the head and made him forget everything. The police were looking for the culprits.
  33. sequin
    a small disk of shiny material used to decorate clothing
    She held up the cardboard mask. It looked awful: the eyes were holes bashed through with scissors, and the mouth was crooked, and it was covered with glue and sequins.
  34. gape
    look with amazement
    She said, “I took them off that collar when I saw it in the trash. I wanted to make my mask good.”
    Her brother and sister and mother and father gaped at her.
  35. gush
    flow forth in a sudden stream or jet
    She lapped at the streams that gushed down from the mountain.
Created on Sun Apr 21 12:39:15 EDT 2024 (updated Mon Apr 22 11:43:49 EDT 2024)

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