a. immature; half-baked, like a sophomore
ONE MARCH EVENING in my sophomore year I was sitting alone in my room after supper.
n. duration; distance; cover; extent or measure of space between two points
Well, Bill, I see you have a new span of horses.
And even the miserable lives we lead are not allowed to reach their natural span.
I struck downstream and shouted, as the open spring wagon came into view on the middle span.
a. affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; periodic
There could be seen spasmodic gulpings at his throat.
A quick impulse that was somewhat spasmodic impelled her fingers to close in a sort of clutch upon his hand.
She heard her own breath pass from loud evenness to spasmodic sobbing but her eyes were dry and burning as though there would never be tears in them again.
n. necessary foods or commodities; basic elements; secure or fasten; a short U-shaped wire nail for securing cables
After that no wood is used, except as a means of quick ignition to the staple fuel.
The hook was soldered into the staple: a circumstance observed by me when awake, but forgotten.
The staple to which my chains were fixed, was more rusted than I or the villain Abbot had supposed.
n. strong, foul odor; stink; foul quality; offensive odor
The stench was almost overpowering, but to Jurgis it was nothing.
His soaked clothing began to steam, and the horrible stench of fertilizer to fill the room.
So he came at last to the stockyards, to the black volcanoes of smoke and the lowing cattle and the stench.
a. hard, harsh, or severe in manner or character; firm or unyielding
And now I, sitting in the stern, could see, with a faster beating heart, Mill Pond Bank and Mill Pond stairs.
I lay down in the old little bed in the stern of the boat, and the wind came moaning on across the flat as it had done before.
David Copperfield By Charles DickensContext Highlight In CHAPTER 10. I BECOME NEGLECTED, AND AM PROVIDED FOR Mr. Trabb never removed his stern eye from the boy until he had deposited number four on the counter and was at a safe distance again.
n. elaborate and systematic plan; plan of action intended to accomplish a specific goal
They had been full of strategy.
The reddleman, stung with suspicion of wrong to Thomasin, was aroused to strategy in a moment.
Return of the Native By Thomas HardyContext Highlight In BOOK 1: 9 Love Leads a Shrewd Man into Strategy They had learned retreating under Old Joe, who had made it as great a feat of strategy as advancing.
v. endeavor; struggle or fight forcefully; exert much effort or energy
She did not strive to hide them.
It was of no purpose to strive against walls.
I must struggle on: strive to live and bend to toil like the rest.
a. stout; lacking sufficient ventilation; close; dull and boring
The little cottage was close and stuffy after leaving the outer air.
There were small stuffy corn-fields and brick-yards and greasy oil-wells.
In her stuffy room at the hotel to which she had gone on landing, Lily Bart that evening reviewed her situation.
a. appropriate to a purpose or an occasion
We acknowledged his politeness, and made suitable replies.
David Copperfield By Charles DickensContext Highlight In CHAPTER 49. I AM INVOLVED IN MYSTERY And here is Mr. Micawber without any suitable position or employment.
David Copperfield By Charles DickensContext Highlight In CHAPTER 28. Mr. MICAWBER'S GAUNTLET Little Alick in a frock has already made arrangements for his union with a suitable young person at Kew.
n. director; overseer; one who is in charge of a particular unit, as in government or school system
v. add as something seems insufficient; complement; extension; addition
She was not, however, without purveyors of information ready to supplement her deficiencies.
At the other side of the chimney stood the settle, which is the necessary supplement to a fire so open that nothing less than a strong breeze will carry up the smoke.
Return of the Native By Thomas HardyContext Highlight In BOOK 2: 6 The Two Stand Face to Face It seemed to her natural that Lily should spend all her money on dress, and she supplemented the girl's scanty income by occasional "handsome presents" meant to be applied to the same purpose.
a. most outstanding; highest; superior
Hermine looked at the banker with supreme disdain.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre DumasContext Highlight In Chapter 65. A Conjugal Scene. diplomacy and success in arms he became almost supreme ruler.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre DumasContext Highlight In Chapter 77. Haidee. What passed in the mind of this man at the supreme moment of his agony cannot be told in words.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre DumasContext Highlight In Chapter 30. The Fifth of September. v. admit as valid; keep in existence; lengthen or extend in duration or space
But until this very day, two hopes had been left to sustain her.
I could hardly sustain the multitude of feelings that crowded into my mind.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 7 Earnestness is what that Somebody must look for, to sustain him and improve him, Trot.
n. compassion; pity; feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune
During our walk, Clerval endeavoured to say a few words of consolation; he could only express his heartfelt sympathy.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 7 Human sympathy has its limits and we were content to let all their tragic arguments fade with the city lights behind.
Meagre, indeed, and cold, was the sympathy that a transgressor might look for, from such bystanders, at the scaffold.
The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel HawthorneContext Highlight In II. THE MARKET-PLACE n. sign; indication; any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient
Her indisposition was a symptom that she was with child.
Half an hour passed away, and the favourable symptom yet blessed her.
Much to the discomfiture of Mr. Dick, who knew this to be a bad symptom.
David Copperfield By Charles DickensContext Highlight In CHAPTER 62. A LIGHT SHINES ON MY WAY n. combining parts into a coherent whole; putting of two or more things togethe
a. late; delayed; moving slowly
At last I looked up at the tardy speaker: he was looking eagerly at me.
But the fortune, which had been so tardy in coming, was his only one twelvemonth.
Sometimes she had gone into the kitchen to administer a tardy rebuke to the cook.
n. tax on goods coming into a country
You think Jack hasn't got any ideas about anything but manufacturing and the tariff on lumber.
a. not permanent; lasting for only a limited period of time
We had a temporary lodging in Covent Garden.
That bloodless lip quivered to a temporary spasm.
On hearing this information I suffered a temporary access of despair.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 24 a. hesitant; not fully worked out or developed; experimental; not definite or positive
He had asked Harry Haydock to be tentative president.
Both Hilda and Constance had had their tentative love-affairs by the time they were eighteen.
She spoke with the intention of making him see that, if his words implied a tentative allusion to her private affairs, she was prepared to meet and repudiate it.
n. piece of ground having specific characteristics or military potential; area of land; ground
a. causing extreme terror; very great; extraordinarily good
While I watched the tempest, so beautiful yet terrific, I wandered on with a hasty step.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 7 As he spoke a sea broke over him with such terrific fury that the raft reeled again, and he was carried overboard a long way off.
But the sea, having upon it the additional agitation of the whole night, was infinitely more terrific than when I had seen it last.
n. large extent of land; organized portion of country
of Albania, Epirus, and adjacent territory.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre DumasContext Highlight In Chapter 77. Haidee. Even small children could recite with hate and fear the horrors the Yankees had inflicted upon the conquered territory.
Before him lay three hundred miles of territory virtually undefended save by a few state militia and the old men and young boys of the Home Guard.
a. curative; having or exhibiting healing powers; relating to healing art
a. careful about money; economical
She was a thrifty and kind mistress, a good mother and a devoted wife.
a. being in proper time; timely; arranged in good order; orderly; appropriate; neat; kept in proper
You look very prosperous and very, very tidy.
It was beautifully clean inside, and as tidy as possible.
David Copperfield By Charles DickensContext Highlight In CHAPTER 3. I HAVE A CHANGE You must let her have a maid to keep things tidy about her, and you must treat her kindly.
a. poisonous; caused by a toxin or other poison
v. follow, discover; make a mark or lines on a surface
And yet I could not trace this to Miss Havisham.
A little longer, and thou needest not to be afraid to trace whose child she is.
The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel HawthorneContext Highlight In XIX. THE CHILD AT THE BROOKSIDE The spirit of elder days found a dwelling here, and we delighted to trace its footsteps.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 19 n. shifting; conveyance or removal of something from one place, person, or thing to another
When at last the time came for her to get out, she asked for the transfer, and was refused.
The instruments of transfer were drawn out: St. John, Diana, Mary, and I, each became possessed of a competency.
I see you are contemplating the transfer of your tempestuous affections from Ashley to me and I fear for my liberty and my peace of mind.
v. carry from one place to another; carry away; deport
This man was a returned transport, and his name was Kags.
I got into such a transport, that I felt quite sorry my coat was not a little shabby already.
I had the wildest dreams concerning him, and woke unrefreshed; I woke, too, to recover the fear which I had lost in the night, of his being found out as a returned transport.
a. dangerous; dangerously unstable and unpredictable; disloyal; tending to betray
She tried to go away, but her feet were treacherous, and carried her to the group instead.
Then Tom became Robin Hood again, and was allowed by the treacherous nun to bleed his strength away through his neglected wound.
It was not a scorching, hard, dusty day like the treacherous intruder of a week before, but soaked with languor, softened with a milky light.
n. act of treating for the adjustment of differences; negotiation
The treaty will cease to be secret in a few months.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes By Arthur Conan DoyleContext Highlight In XI. The Adventure of The Naval Treaty Some one, then, was in that room where my precious treaty lay upon the table.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes By Arthur Conan DoyleContext Highlight In XI. The Adventure of The Naval Treaty Peggotty was not slow to respond, and ratify the treaty of friendship by giving me one of her best hugs.
David Copperfield By Charles DickensContext Highlight In CHAPTER 8. MY HOLIDAYS. ESPECIALLY ONE HAPPY AFTERNOON n. travel; journey or leg of a journey, especially when slow or difficult
n. shaking or vibrating movement; slight quiver
Her lids sank and a tremor crossed her face.
She was silent, but he felt a slight tremor in the shoulder against his.
His eyes were wide and blazing queerly and the tremor in his arms frightened her.
v. unlawfully enter boundaries of some else's property; commit an offense or a sin
I want nobody to trespass in it, said Clifford.
I will be entirely at your service in three minutes, if I might trespass upon your patience so far.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes By Arthur Conan DoyleContext Highlight In IV. The Adventure of The Stockbroker's Clerk At this trespass, Mr. Bondly took offence, and with his musket came down to the shore, and blew its deadly contents into the poor old man.
a. relating to region on either side of the equator; hot and humid
The night was tropical and voluptuous.
My own face had now assumed a deep tropical burn.
An old seaman, bronzed by the tropical sun, advanced, twirling the remains of a tarpaulin between his hands.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre DumasContext Highlight In Chapter 29. The House of Morrel & Son. a. causing difficulty or annoyance; bothersome
One day the child was very troublesome, and the mother could not quiet it, do what she would.
Mrs. Crupp was taken with a troublesome cough, in the midst of which she articulated with much difficulty.
David Copperfield By Charles DickensContext Highlight In CHAPTER 23. I CORROBORATE Mr. DICK, AND CHOOSE A PROFESSI... It was very strange that he should come to Longbourn instead of to Lucas Lodge; it was also very inconvenient and exceedingly troublesome.
v. walk or march with labor; jog along; move wearily
My aunt, the best and most cheerful of nurses, would trudge after us, a moving mass of shawls and pillows.
He fancied that she nodded her comprehension; and with that scant solace he had to trudge off through the rain.
And when he got home perhaps he would have to trudge several blocks, and come staggering back through the snowdrifts with a bag of coal upon his shoulder.
n. absolute ruler; sovereign unrestrained by law or constitution
A tyrant, remember, is half a slave.
Linton can play the little tyrant well.
I really saw in him a tyrant, a murderer.
a. not easy; difficult; restless; disturbed by pain, anxiety
Her mother was surprised, and Elinor again became uneasy.
My mind grew very uneasy on the subject of the pale young gentleman.
Very well, and very happy, only a little uneasy that they hear from you so seldom.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 5 a. difficult or impossible to discipline, control, or rule; not according to rule; irregularly
And if Peter tried to put him to bed, he might get unruly.
Let swains and nymphs lead on the play, while Zephyr sleeps, and the unruly tribes of Heaven confess my sway.
Elzbieta was sick a good deal now, and the boys were wild and unruly, and very much the worse for their life upon the streets.
a. not harmed or damaged in any way; untouched
But the men did not go unscathed either.
Her vanity was stung by the sight of his unscathed smile.
The lieutenant, also, was unscathed in his position at the rear.
n. violent disturbance; sudden, violent disruption or upset
He could not think at all, he was stunned; yet he knew that in the mighty upheaval that had taken place in his soul, a new man had been born.
He had dwelt in a land of strange, squalling upheavals and had come forth.
Suddenly the waters around them slowly swelled in broad circles; then quickly upheaved, as if sideways sliding from a submerged berg of ice, swiftly rising to the surface.
Moby Dick By Herman MelvilleContext Highlight In CHAPTER 135. The Chase.—Third Day. a. practical and functional, not just for show
His own person was the exact embodiment of his utilitarian character.
The jolly tombstone-yard, where a utilitarian sculptor in a red calfskin overcoat whistled as he hammered the shiniest of granite headstones.
The luxury of lying late in bed was a pleasure belonging to the life of ease; it had no part in the utilitarian existence of the boarding-house.
a. void of thought or knowledge; without an occupant or incumbent
On the whole island there were but three miserable huts, and one of these was vacant when I arrived.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 19 I had counselled Catherine to dine up-stairs; but, as soon as he perceived her vacant seat, he sent me to call her.
After turning over as many as I thought proper, I tied them in a handkerchief and set them aside, relocking the vacant drawer.
n. harmless form of the germs that cause a disease to prevent people getting the actual disease
v. disappear; pass out of sight, especially quickly; die out
I clung to it as if it might suddenly vanish.
If her heart chance to come uppermost, they vanish.
The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel HawthorneContext Highlight In XIII. ANOTHER VIEW OF HESTER Heyward drew back, all his ardor to proceed seeming to vanish on the instant.
The Last of the Mohicans By James Fenimore CooperContext Highlight In CHAPTER 18 n. quality or state of being vain; emptiness; feelings of excessive pride; conceit
So you may think what a blow it was to all her vanity and pride.
It will be good for my vanity, I was getting too proud of my wig.
But it was not vanity; it was only harmless delight in my admiration.
David Copperfield By Charles DickensContext Highlight In CHAPTER 44. OUR HOUSEKEEPING v. conquer; overcome; come out better in a competition
I guessed, however, by his irregular and intercepted breathing, that he struggled to vanquish an excess of violent emotion.
If he were vanquished, I should be a free man.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 22 This man and this whale again came together, and the one vanquished the other.
a. large; broad; extensive; very great in size, number, amount, or quantity
It must have been a work of vast ability in the somniferous school of literature.
The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel HawthorneContext Highlight In X. THE LEECH AND HIS PATIENT The sea, or rather the vast river of ice, wound among its dependent mountains, whose aerial summits hung over its recesses.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 10 If you consent, neither you nor any other human being shall ever see us again; I will go to the vast wilds of South America.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 17 n. one who can make his voice seem to come from another person or thing
Millers, who was the other nurse, retired into the house, and by degrees the child's wailing was hushed and stopped, as if it were a young ventriloquist with something in its mouth.
a. having many talents; capable of working in many fields
The smallness of the school, the fewness of rivals, permitted her to experiment with her perilous versatility.
It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble.
Mrs. Fisher lived in an East side street near the Park, and as the two men walked down Fifth Avenue the new architectural developments of that versatile thoroughfare invited Van Alstyne's comment.
n. severe dizziness; reeling sensation; feeling about to fall
Edmond was seized with vertigo; he cocked his gun and laid it beside him.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre DumasContext Highlight In Chapter 24. The Secret Cave. n. someone who has given long service
He was a mild, flurried old man, a Civil War veteran, with one sleeve hanging empty.
She was a veteran too, but she had no cronies with whom she could refight old battles.
Two of the members of the board, the old veteran in the service, Nikitin, and the Kammerjunker Grinevitch, went in with him.
n. a person who defeats an enemy or opponent in competition; winner
After tilts with him from which she seldom emerged the victor she vowed he was impossible, ill-bred and no gentleman and she would have nothing more to do with him.
The royal policy had long been to weaken, by every means, legal or illegal, the strength of a part of the population which was justly considered as nourishing the most inveterate antipathy to their victor.
While the conquered were still, sullen, and dejected, the victors triumphed.
The Last of the Mohicans By James Fenimore CooperContext Highlight In CHAPTER 17 a. seen or able to be seen by the eye; visible; optical
A curious and most puzzling question might be started concerning this visual matter as touching the Leviathan.
Moby Dick By Herman MelvilleContext Highlight In CHAPTER 74. The Sperm Whale's Head—Contrasted View. Her dramatic instinct was roused by the choice of subjects, and the gorgeous reproductions of historic dress stirred an imagination which only visual impressions could reach.
Despite all Frank had told her about the town burning to the ground, she had never really visualized complete destruction.
a. full of life; animated; necessary to continued existence; living or breathing
There was something vital and earthy and coarse about him that appealed to her.
But there was something stimulating about him, something warm and vital and electric.
It is a secret for me alone, of vital importance for me, and not to be put into words.
a. bright; lively; graphic; having striking color
Gatsby sprang to his feet, vivid with excitement.
Inspirited by this wind of promise, my daydreams become more fervent and vivid.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Letter 1 It had stupefied all blessed impulses, and awakened into vivid life the whole brotherhood of bad ones.
The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel HawthorneContext Highlight In XX.THE MINISTER IN A MAZE n. capacity; amount of space occupied by an object
In this house I chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 2 It contained a bookcase: I soon possessed myself of a volume, taking care that it should be one stored with pictures.
She screamed and shouted, too, with a terrific volume of sound, which, doubtless, caused the hearts of the fugitives to quake within them.
The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel HawthorneContext Highlight In VII. THE GOVERNOR'S HALL n. solemn promise made to God; promise of fidelity; pledge of love or affection
His comrades believed that his vow was fulfilled.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre DumasContext Highlight In Chapter 22. The Smugglers. He made, at that moment, a solemn vow to deliver him and then looked around for the means.
Frankenstein By Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) ShelleyContext Highlight In Chapter 14 I had once vowed that I would never call her aunt again: I thought it no sin to forget and break that vow now.
v. cause to go gently and smoothly through air or over water
She drew up the blinds and opened the window itself and a great waft of fresh, scented air blew in upon her.
The wedding is to take place quietly, in the church down below yonder; and then I shall waft you away at once to town.
The next minute she was in the room and had run across to his bed, bringing with her a waft of fresh air full of the scent of the morning.
n. guarantee; assurance by seller; authorization or certification
Madame Hester would have winced at that, I warrant me.
The Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel HawthorneContext Highlight In II. THE MARKET-PLACE The very next day showed me, while my mind was in the first agitation of what it had conceived, that Mrs. Micawber had not spoken of their going away without warrant.
David Copperfield By Charles DickensContext Highlight In CHAPTER 12. LIKING LIFE ON MY OWN ACCOUNT NO BETTER, I FO... When I told Herbert what had passed within the house, he was for our immediately going before a magistrate in the town, late at night as it was, and getting out a warrant.
a. spread or scattered over a considerable extent; occurring or accepted widely
Lightning may blast and blacken, but it rarely gives rise to widespread fire.
We left her standing upon the thin peninsula of firm, peaty soil which tapered out into the widespread bog.
The Hound of the Baskervilles By A. Conan DoyleContext Highlight In Chapter 14. The Hound of the Baskervilles Worn and exhausted, he leaned upon his rifle and shook his gaunt hand fiercely at the silent widespread city beneath him.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan DoyleContext Highlight In PART II: CHAPTER V. THE AVENGING ANGELS v. remove from; pull back; break from gathering; retreat; depart
He went: I watched the light withdraw.
The ladies rose; they seemed about to withdraw to the parlour.
You have already as good as put your hand to the plough: you are too consistent to withdraw it.
a. sufficiently valuable; important to be worth one's time, effort, or interest
And the end, on the whole, was worthwhile.