Chapters 6-10
Chapter 6:
collards (n.): a type of cabbage with very coarse leaves. It would be difficult to walk quietly through a patch of collards.
dismemberment (n.): To dismember someone is to tear or cut that person's limbs (arms and legs) off. Although it is unlikely that anyone would have actually pulled off Dill's arms and legs, Lee uses the word to point out how outraged Miss Rachel must have been to discover that the children had been playing strip poker.
eerily (adv.): weirdly; mysteriously
ensuing (adj.): Something that ensues is something that comes immediately after something else.
Franklin stove (n.): a cast iron heating stove, invented by Benjamin Franklin.
kudzu (n.): a quick-growing vine with large leaves, often found in the Southern United States.
lattice-work (adj.): A lattice is an openwork structure of crossed strips or bars, as in a screen. Light that passes through any kind of a lattice -work would produce lattice-work shadows.
malignant (adj.): dangerous; evil
prowess (n.): superior ability or skill
ramshackle (adj.): loose or rickety; about to fall apart
respiration (n.): breathing
rigid (adj.): stiff
waning (adj.): becoming less bright, intense, or strong. The moonlight is waning because it's getting closer to morning, and the moon is changing its position in the sky.
Chapter 7:
cleaved (vb.): stuck
gnats (n.): small, two-winged insects that can bite or sting.
meditative (adj.): To meditate is to reflect upon something, or think about it. When Jem givethe patch on the tree a meditative pat, he does so in a thoughtful manner.palate (n.): the roof of one's mouthperpetual.
embalming (adj. + n.): Something that is perpetual lasts forever. Embalming is theprocess of preserving a dead body. As Atticus later says, Jem would do well to get rid of the adjective (perpetual) . The Egyptians invented a type of paper (not toilet paper), as well asembalming (which, by its very nature, is perpetual)
rendered (her) speechless: (vb. + n.): made her unable to speak
vigil (n.): a watch. Jem is waiting and watching for Mr. Nathan to appear.
whittles (vb.): To whittle is to use a knife to cut away thin shavings of wood. Sometimes, awhittler may actually end up carving a recognizable object.
Chapter 8:
aberrations (n.): an aberration is a deviation, or a moving away from, something that is normal. The fact that winter comes so quickly in Maycomb is abnormal, thus, an aberration.
azaleas (n.): a colorful and decorative kind of flower.
cannas (n.): a beautiful tropical flower.
caricatures (n.): a representation of a person where certain features of that person are exaggerated or distorted.
cordial (adj.): warm and friendly
flue (n.): a channel in a chimney that allows smoke and flames to pass to the outside
meteorological (adj.): anything to do with meteorology or weather.
morphodite (n.): Scout has misheard Miss Maudie, who would actually have said the word hermaphrodite. Technically, a hermaphrodite is an animal or plant that has both female and male reproductive organs. Of course, the children's snowman is not really a hermaphrodite, but it does have both male and female characteristics.
near libel (adj. + n.): When you commit libel, you harm someone's reputation. Atticus tells the children that they have committed a near libel; that is, their snowman is almost libelous because it so closely represents one of their neighbours and could harm that neighbour's reputation.
perpetrated (vb.): carried out; committed
plaited (vb.): braided
procured (vb): got
prophets (n.): A prophet is someone able to predict the future.
quelled (vb.): To quell is to overwhelm something until it is powerless. The tin roof of Miss Maudie's house quelled the flames because tin cannot burn so the fire was eventually stopped.
roomers (n.): persons who rent and live in rooms in a house.
switches (n.): slender twigs or branches
taffeta (n.): a lustrous, stiff fabric, often used for women's dresses, especially formal wear
touchous (adj.) touchy; sensitive
treble (adj.): high
unfathomable (adj.): Something that is unfathomable is something that can not be understood.
Chapter 9:
ambrosia (n): a dessert made up of a mixture of fruits, nuts, and coconut.
analogous (adj.): similar; comparable
attire (n.): clothing
bawled (vb.) cried out noisily
bluff (n.): the broad, flat front of a cliff
catwalk (n.): a narrow, elevated walkway
changelings (n.): a child secretly put in the place of another
compensation (n.): To compensate means to pay for something or to make up for something. Aunt Alexandra's good cooking skills, in some ways, make up for the fact that, for Scout, spending the holidays with her and Francis is not a lot of fun.
constituted (vb.): made up
crooned (vb.): To croon is to sing in a low, gentle tone.
deportment (n.): behaviour
dim (adj.): unclear; not strong
donned (vb): put on
doused (vb.): to douse someone is to pour liquid, in this case water, all over that person.
evasion (n.): To evade is to avoid doing or answering something directly. Uncle Jack's evasion occurs when he doesn't directly answer Scout's question.
fanatical (adj.): A fanatic is a person whose extreme enthusiasm, interest, zeal, etc. goes beyond what is reasonable. Aunt Alexandra is fanatical about Scout's clothes because, according to
Scout, her aunt's interest in this subject goes beyond what is reasonable.
gallantly (adv.): politely; in the manner of a gentleman
gastric (adj.): of, in, or near the stomach. A stomach ache would be a gastric complaint.
gravitated (vb.): Gravity is, of course, the force that pulls you to earth and keeps you from floating into outer space. When you gravitate toward something or someone, you find yourself
being pulled in the direction of that object or person.
guilelessness (n.): Guile is craftiness and cunning in dealing with other. To be guileless is to have none of that craftiness. Here, Lee is being ironic since its obvious that Simon Finch didn't
trust his daughters at all, and planned his house accordingly.
harboured (vb.): to hold in the mind
hookah (n): An oriental tobacco pipe with a flexible tube that draws smoke through a bowl of water.
impaired (adj.): damaged; weakened
indecision (n.): When you're indecisive, you can't decide what to do. Scout's indecision revolves around whether she should obey Uncle Jack or run away from him.
indicative (adj.): Something that is indicative of something shows or displays something. The manner in which Simon Finch arranged his house showed something about him.
ingenuous (adj.): simple; innocent
innate (adj.): Something that is innate is a natural part of something else. To Scout, cuss words have a natural sort of attraction to them; an innate attractiveness. They have value all on their own for her.
inordinately (adv.): Inordinate means too great or too many. Cousin Ike Finch is too vain about his beard; inordinately vain.
invective (n.): Invectives are abusive terms, curses, insults, and/or cuss words
isolate (vb.): set apart from others
jar (vb.): shake up; disturb
jetty (n): a type of wall built out into water to protect a coastline or restrain currents
mishaps (n.): unlucky or unfortunate accidents
mortify (vb.) humiliate; embarrass
nocturnal (adj.): nightly
obsess (vb.): greatly preoccupy
obstreperous (adj.): noisy and unruly
pantry (n.): a small room or closet off the kitchen where foodstuffs and cooking ingredients are stored
porter (n.): a person who carries luggage, etc., in this case, at a railroad station.
provocation (n.): To provoke is to excite some sort of feeling; often anger or irritation. Uncle Jack tells Scout that, as far as cuss words are concerned, he doesn't see the use for them unless
they are used when one is very angry or provoked to use them.
ringworm (n.): a contagious skin disease caused by a fungus.
siblings (n.): brothers and/or sisters
still (n.): an apparatus for making alcoholic liquors. The sort of still to which Scout refers would be an illegal one.
subdued (vb.): Someone who has been subdued has been soothed or softened and made less intense.
tarried (vb.): delayed; waited
tentatively (adv.): To be tentative is to be hesitant or unsure. Francis asks Scout his question tentatively because he is unsure as to her reaction and more than a little afraid to face her.
tongs (n.): a device used to grab or lift objects. Tongs generally have two long arms that are hinged together.
trousseau (n.): all the new clothes a bride brings to her marriage
uncompromising lineaments (adj. + n.): Lineaments are distinctive features or characteristics. Uncompromising, in this instance, means unchanging; firm; set. Alexandra's and Francis's
uncompromising lineaments are their characteristics that are set and will never change.
wary (adj.): To be wary means to be cautious on your guard against something. In this instance, the children were never afraid of or cautious about their uncle's appearance.
widow's walk (n.): a platform with a rail around it, built onto the roof of a house.
Yankees (n.): Northerners; natives of Northern states. During the Civil War, the Yankees were the enemies of the South.
Chapter 10:
alist (adj.): tilted to one side
articulate (adj.): able to speak and express oneself
attributes (n.): characteristics; qualities of a person or thing
bout (n.): fight
corncribs (n.): A corncrib is a small structure used to store corn.
crook (of his arm) (n.): The crook of your arm is the inside part of your arm where it bends at the elbow.
erratically (adv.): strangely; differently than normal
feeble (adj.): weak; frail
gingerly (adv.): carefully; cautiously
inconspicuous (adj.) To be conspicuous is to attract attention. To be inconspicuous is to do the opposite; to not attract attention. Scout wishes that Atticus would be more inconspicuous; that
is, he would attract less attention to himself.
Jew's Harp (n): a small musical instrument that is played by plucking a piece of metal while holding the instrument to one's mouth.
mad dog (adj. + n.): a dog infected with a disease, such as rabies, which makes it act in a crazy, dangerous manner
mausoleum (n.): Literally, a mausoleum is a large, imposing tomb (a tomb is a place where dead bodies -- those that aren't buried -- are housed). However, Miss Maudie uses the term in its
humorous form. She refers to her old house as a mausoleum because, to her, it was too large and
too somber.
peril (n.): danger
Providence (n.): the care of God
rudiments (n.): principles; elements; subjects to be learned
tartly (adv.): sharply
torso (n.): the trunk of a body; that is, the part of the body that does not include the head, legs, or arms
vaguely (adv.): to be vague is to be unclear or not precise
