Impressions
The dialogue. Although the dialogue was in a relatively short and simple form, it delivered depth and expression; it seemed so natural, and the lines were congruent with the characters’ personalities and the overall pace of the story.
The characters. The characters’ depth and personality contributed substantially to the story.
How the story unfolded. There was a very unusual way to how the story unfolded. A strange magnet kept you wanting to know what would happen next without any apparent effort from the author.
New words
- wean = accustom (someone) to managing without something which they have become dependent on. “the doctor tried to wean her off the sleeping pills”
- sodden = saturated with liquid, especially water; soaked through. “his clothes were sodden”
- leaden = dull, heavy, or slow. “his eyelids were leaden with sleep”
- deft = neatly skilful and quick in one’s movements. “a deft piece of footwork”
- gaudy = extravagantly bright or showy, typically so as to be tasteless. “silver bows and gaudy ribbons”
- pall = a cloth spread over a coffin, hearse, or tomb. OR a dark cloud of smoke, dust, etc. “a pall of black smoke hung over the quarry”
- bootlegger = a person who makes, distributes, or sells goods illegally. “bootleggers cheat consumers and place a drain on our economy”
- woodenly = stiffly or awkwardly in movement or manner. “she woodenly made a joke”
- frowning = the action of forming an expression of disapproval, displeasure, or concentration by furrowing one’s brows. “unfortunately, frowning is contagious”
- curlicue = a decorative curl or twist in calligraphy or in the design of an object. “the wide bridge was decorated with gilded wrought-iron curlicues”
- coy = making a pretence of shyness or modesty that is intended to be alluring (typically used of a woman). “she treated him to a coy smile of invitation”
- clasp = grasp (something) tightly with one’s hand. “he clasped her arm”
- swathe = wrap in several layers of fabric. “his hands were swathed in bandages”
- perdition = (in Christian theology) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unrepentant person passes after death. OR complete and utter ruin. “she used her last banknote to buy herself a square meal before perdition”
- exacting = making great demands on one’s skill, attention, or other resources. “the exacting standards laid down by the organic food industry”
- pauper = a very poor person. “he died a pauper”
- doodad = a gadget or other object whose name the speaker does not know or cannot recall. “the latest electronic doodads”
- droop = bend or hang downwards limply. “a long black cloak drooped from his shoulders”
- gusher = an oil well from which oil flows profusely without being pumped.
- pasture = land covered with grass and other low plants suitable for grazing animals, especially cattle or sheep. “areas of rich meadow pasture”
- cagey = reluctant to give information owing to caution or suspicion. “a spokesman was cagey about the arrangements his company had struck”
- ritzing = to behave superciliously toward
- buick = (slang) to vomit. “I felt like I was going to buick from seasickness out on that boat.”
- snicked = cause (something) to make a sharp clicking sound. “he placed the pen in the briefcase and snicked it shut”
- loathe = feel intense dislike or disgust for. “she loathed him on sight”
- pinched = tense and pale from cold, worry, or hunger. “her pinched, sallow face”
- cunning = having or showing skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or evasion. “a cunning look came into his eyes”
- gleeful = exuberantly or triumphantly joyful. “she gave a gleeful chuckle”
- derrick = a kind of crane with a movable pivoted arm for moving heavy weights, especially on a ship.
- teeter = be unable to decide between different courses; waver. “she teetered between tears and anger” OR move or balance unsteadily; sway back and forth. “she teetered after him in her high-heeled sandals”
- beads = a small piece of glass, stone, or similar material that is threaded with others to make a necklace or rosary or sewn on to fabric. “long strings of beads”
- (her) get-up = to dress in a particular way. “In spite of her get-up she looked as if she would have a hall bedroom accent”
- hall bedroom accent = someone who grew up in a house where she had to sleep in the hall.
- stampede = a sudden panicked rush of a number of horses, cattle, or other animals. “the herd was fleeing back to the high land in a wild stampede”
- purr = (of a cat) make a low continuous vibratory sound expressing contentment. “the cat purred loudly, rubbing against her legs”
- tuppence = a trivial sum; anything at all. “he didn’t care twopence for her”
- alderman = an elected member of a city council.
- mumps = a contagious and infectious viral disease causing swelling of the parotid salivary glands in the face, and a risk of sterility in adult males.
- toot = sound (a horn or similar) with a short, sharp sound. “an impatient motorist tooted a horn” OR (informal) snort (cocaine). “the drawbacks of tooting cocaine”
- celery = a cultivated plant of the parsley family, with closely packed succulent leaf stalks which are used as a salad or cooked vegetable.
- wheezing = high-pitched whistling sound made while breathing.
- bungalow = a low house having only one storey or, in some cases, upper rooms set in the roof, typically with dormer windows. “a modest white bungalow”
- cypress = an evergreen coniferous tree with small rounded woody cones and flattened shoots bearing small scale-like leaves.
- wisps = a small thin or twisted bunch, piece, or amount of something. “wisps of smoke rose into the air”
- larded = insert strips of fat or bacon in (meat) before cooking. “he larded the joint with garlic and anchovies”
- slicker = a raincoat made of smooth material.
- glistening = shining with a sparkling light. “the glistening golden dome”
- bawl out = reprimand someone angrily. “he could make actors burst into tears when he bawled them out for some trivial error”
- straddle = sit or stand with one leg on either side of. “he turned the chair round and straddled it”
- gopher = a burrowing rodent with fur-lined pouches on the outside of the cheeks, found in North and Central America.
- wad = a mass or lump of a soft material, used for padding, stuffing, or wiping. “a wad of lint-free rag”
- gargoyle = a grotesque carved human or animal face or figure projecting from the gutter of a building, typically acting as a spout to carry water clear of a wall.
- pungent = having a sharply strong taste or smell. “the pungent smell of frying onions”
- cordite = a smokeless explosive made from nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine, and petroleum jelly, used in ammunition.
- ether = the clear sky; the upper regions of air beyond the clouds. “nasty gases and smoke disperse into the ether”
- dope = (informal) a drug taken illegally for recreational purposes, especially cannabis. “my dad caught me smoking dope”
- teak = hard durable timber used in shipbuilding and for making furniture.
- pie crust = the baked pastry crust of a pie.
- majolica = a kind of earthenware made in imitation of Italian maiolica, especially in England during the 19th century.
- tweed = a rough-surfaced woollen cloth, typically of mixed flecked colours, originally produced in Scotland. “a tweed sports jacket”
- blotter = a temporary recording book, especially a police charge sheet. “the boys ended up on police blotters for property crimes”
- squeaky = having or making a high-pitched sound or cry. “a high, squeaky voice”
- swivel = a coupling between two parts enabling one to revolve without turning the other.
- stooge = (derogatory) a subordinate used by another to do unpleasant routine work. “party stooges put there to do a job on behalf of central office”
- toupee = a small artificial hairpiece worn to cover a bald spot.
- hatchet = a small axe with a short handle for use in one hand.
- rake = an implement consisting of a pole with a toothed crossbar or fine tines at the end, used especially for drawing together cut grass or smoothing loose soil or gravel.
- inquest = a judicial inquiry to ascertain the facts relating to an incident.
- burly = (of a person) large and strong; heavily built. “I saw a burly figure approaching”
- wisped = a small thin or twisted bunch, piece, or amount of something. “wisps of smoke rose into the air”
- briar = any of a number of prickly scrambling shrubs, especially a wild rose.
- croup = a childhood condition that affects the windpipe (trachea), the airways to the lungs (the bronchi) and the voice box (larynx).
- jerkin = a sleeveless jacket.
- prickly = (of a person) ready to take offence. “she came across as prickly and generally difficult”
