English Vocabulary from Terry Pratchett Books
43 flashcards · English · by lakesare
She snatched a biscuit from the plate.
Quickly seize (something) in a rude or eager way.
She jumped up and seized his arm.
Take hold of suddenly and forcibly.
I stumbled to the swamp and drank the fetid water, coughing half of it back up again.
Smelling extremely unpleasant.
Of course, someone would have to use a crowbar to lever me away from my computer these days but for the vast majority who hate computers this should be a blessing.
An iron bar with a flattened end, used as a lever.
Her eyes were puffy and full of tears.
Unusually swollen.
A crushing pain seared through his chest.
Sudden, burning sensation.
Power, he believed, ought simply to be handed to patricians like himself.
An aristocrat or nobleman.
I grabbed a hold of it and started to slide but quickly felt the heat of the metal searing my hands from friction.
Burn the surface of (something) with a sudden, intense heat.
They hunched in the shelter of the gate arch, sharing one damp cigarette.
Slightly wet.
He stamped his foot in frustration.
Bring down (one's foot) heavily on the ground or on something on the ground.
He damped down the fire for the night.
Make a fire burn less strongly by reducing the flow of air to it. Reduce or stop the vibration of (the strings of a piano or other musical instrument) so as to reduce the volume of sound. Progressively reduce the amplitude of (an oscillation or vibration).
But can you imagine how taxing this must be on their self esteems?
Physically or mentally demanding.
Residents have complained about being awoken in the early hours by empty wagons rumbling through the town on their way to the quarries.
A continuous deep, resonant sound like distant thunder.
He'd be staggering and falling over and sometimes there was a gang of kids following and poking fun and laughing.
Walk or move unsteadily, as if about to fall.
Name 2 meanings of corporal.
A rank of officer in the army, above lance corporal or private first class and below sergeant. Relating to the human body. Usually, they move in teams of three to five men, with the senior man being a corporal or sergeant. Computers, waffle irons, toasters, you name it, all have one major advantage over us corporal beings: They aren't burdened with the ability to think. Origin: from Latin corpus, corpor- ‘body’.
It then started wobbling from side to side and he became frightened.
Move or cause to move unsteadily from side to side.
This was their big chance, so why not employ a bit of cunning to achieve it?
Skill in achieving one's ends by deceit.
Except by sleight of logic, the two positions cannot be harmonized.
The use of dexterity or cunning, especially so as to deceive.
He has a worldwide patent on the unique vehicle, now at its prototype stage after two and a half years of painstaking research.
Done with great care and thoroughness.
She held on tightly to the side of her seat as the carriage lurched into movement.
Make an abrupt, unsteady, uncontrolled movement or series of movements.
What is this?
A stamp. An instrument for stamping a pattern or mark, in particular an engraved or inked block or die. A mark made by a stamp, especially one indicating official validation.
The man is hunched over, bent by the difficulties in his life, but his expression is resolute to the point of defiance.
Raise shoulders and bend the top of one's body forward.
She was currently relying on the generosity of others to provide her lodging and sustenance.
Temporary accommodation.
The village depends on the sea for sustenance.
Food and drink regarded as a source of strength.
Some conjurers are even said to levitate or to have performed the famous Indian rope trick.
A performer of stage magic.
“Egg. Glass,” the class droned listlessly.
Lacking energy or enthusiasm.
He reached for another beer while Jim droned on.
Speak tediously in a dull monotonous tone.
What's this?
An oar. (A pole with a flat blade, used to row or steer a boat through the water.) He listened. There was the creak of an oar, far below
What's that?
A quill.
The stairs creaked as she went up them.
Make a harsh, high-pitched sound when pressure is applied. Show weakness under strain.
Snowflakes hissed in the congealing fat.
Become semi-solid, especially on cooling.
When the task force was putting together its original report, the world price of oil had slumped as low as $10 a barrel.
Undergo a sudden fall in price, value, or amount.
“I should have got a proper education like you,” said Dibbler despondently.
In low spirits from loss of hope or courage.
What's this?
Privy (/ˈprɪvi/, приви) A toilet located in a small shed outside a house or other building.
Who's this?
A ferret. Domesticated European polecat, a mammal belonging to the same genus as the weasel.
A thick bundle of envelopes.
A collection of things tied or wrapped up together.
With barely an apology, the bemused travelers were hustled off the train at Wellingborough and shovelled over the bridge to catch the next train south.
Force (someone) to move hurriedly or unceremoniously.
Three penalties kept the team firmly in contention.
Having a good chance of success in a contest.
All of us here express our sincere condolences to Roger's wife, family and friends.
An expression of sympathy, especially on the occasion of the death of a person's relative or close friend.
Tinted prints of Andy Warhol's inflated 'silver clouds' dangled on filaments in the first and second galleries.
A slender threadlike object or fibre, especially one found in animal or plant structures.
What were the most salient features of the impeachment crisis and its most important political lessons?
Most noticeable or important.
She stood, rapt, saturated in melodic emotion, more affected by it than she could have believed.
Completely fascinated or absorbed by what one is seeing or hearing. Filled with an intense and pleasurable emotion; enraptured.
There were rancorous battles over pronunciation.
Characterized by bitterness or resentment.