cockatoo- [kok-uh-too, kok-uh-too]-noun- any of numerous large, noisy,
crested parrots of the genera Cacatua,
Callocephalon, Calyptorhynchus,
etc., of the Australasian region, having chiefly white plumage tinged
with yellow, pink, or red: popular as a pet.
Cockatoos
will eat certain people foods
including rice, oranges, cheese, corn, pasta and some types of meat.
keelhaul- [keel-hawl]-verb- Nautical-to
haul (an offender) under the bottom of a ship and up on the other side as a
punishment. The captain had to
keelhaul the mutineers to restore order.
harpoon-[hahr-poon]-noun-
a barbed, spearlike missile attached to a rope, and thrown byhand or
shot from a gun, used for killing and capturing whales and large fish. The Harpoon was rigged with a hot wire that electrocutes the fish.
furlough- [fur-loh]-noun- Military.
A vacation or leave of absence granted to an enlisted person. The forced furlough has meant the new
regulations will not be available until the spring.
bowery- [bou-uh-ree]-adjective- leafy; shady: a bowery maze. Once
upon a time, the Bowery was all flophouses, whiskey joints,
and legendary bums.
easel- [ee-zuhl]-noun-a stand or frame for supporting or displaying
at an angle an artist’s canvas, a blackboard, a china plate, etc. Mounted on rails, the camera faced a railmounted easel holding the print paper.
holster- [hohl-ster]-noun- a sheath like
carrying case for a firearm, attached to a belt, shoulder sling, or
saddle. You get to wear gear on your belt-hooks a holster for tools.
freebooter- [free-boo-ter]-noun- a person who goes about in search
of plunder; pirate; buccaneer. These men were
notorious freebooters, famed for their cunning and bravery, and often for
their generosity.
waffle- [wof-uhl]-noun-
a batter cake with a pattern of deep indentations on each side,
formed by the grid like design on each of the two hinged parts of the metal
appliance in which the cake is baked. The batter is poured into a fish-shaped mold and
cooked in a waffle -iron.
trawl- [trawl]-noun-
a strong fishing net for dragging along the sea bottom. Fish have been snared by gill and trawl nets
with only a few hundred surviving.
uproar- [uhp-rawr, -rohr]-noun- a state of violent and noisy disturbance, as of a multitude. Keep pushing the boundaries on privacy until an
uproar is provoked.
beleaguer- [bih-lee-ger]-verb- a surround
with military forces. The many pests and diseases that beleaguer commercial growers are not likely to plague
home gardeners.
cruller- [kruhl-er]-noun-
a rich, light cake cut from a rolled dough and deep-fried, usually
having a twisted oblong shape and sometimes topped with sugar or icing.
They made war upon the dark hall in the double-decker, and upon the cruller bakery.
yacht- [yot]-noun-
a vessel used for private cruising, racing, or other
noncommercial purposes. No vessel seems safe, be it a supertanker or a
private yacht.
wiseacre- [wahyz-ey-ker]-noun- a person who possesses or affects to possess great
wisdom. Baby Bob is a strange
and, I think, wildly unpleasant sitcom about a baby that talks like an wiseacre adult.
brackish- [brak-ish]-adjective- slightly salt; having a salty or briny flavor.
Each morning, brackish water is pumped from
them into pans on the surface.
decoy- [dee-koi]-noun- a person who entices or lures another person or thing, as into
danger, a trap, or the like. Decoy weapons are a time-honored military
tradition.
caboose- [kuh-boos]-noun-
a car on a freight train, used chiefly as the crew's quarters
and usually attached to the rear of a train.
Kids can enjoy a working video arcade inside a
train caboose on the campgrounds.
buckwheat- [buhk-hweet]-noun- a plant, especially Fagopyrum esculentum, cultivated for
its triangular seeds, which are used as a feed for animals or made into a flour
for human consumption, as in pancakes or cereal. Soba is a kind of thin noodle made of
buckwheat flour, served hot or cold.
walrus- [wawl-ruhs]-noun-a large marine mammal, Odobenus nosmarus, of arctic seas,
related to the seals, and having flippers, a pair of large tusks, and tough,
wrinkled skin.
Walrus tusk ivory comes from two modified
upper canines.
howitzer- [hou-it-ser]-noun- a cannon having a comparatively short barrel, used
especially for firing
shells at a high angle of elevation, as for reaching a target behind
cover or in a trench. Two gun embrasures and one howitzer embrasure were closed later on to make room
for a torpedo casemate.
crimp- [krimp]-verb-
to press into small regular folds; make wavy. Fold overhang under and press against rim of pie
plate, then crimp decoratively.
bluff- [bluhf]-adjective-
good-naturedly direct, blunt, or frank; heartily outspoken:
a big,bluff, generous man. The government, perhaps unsurprisingly,
failed to call their bluff.
stipple- [stip-uhl]-noun-
to paint, engrave, or draw by means of dots or small touches.
Abandonments may be indicated by stipple or
crosshatch shading.
floss-
[flaws, flos]-noun-
the cottony fiber yielded by the silk-cotton tree.
Children should never floss without an adult's
help.
cruiser- [kroo-zer]-noun- a person or thing that cruises. The beach cruiser bike comes fully loaded with helmet, basket, and total adorableness.
hustle- [huhs-uhl]-verb-to proceed or work rapidly or energetically. People hustle to put each animal on a clean towel in a cardboard box that once held bananas.
klompen-[klopmn]-noun- a full-size wooden shoe worn in the low
countries of the Netherlands. Approximately 3 million pairs of
klompen are made each year.
polder- [pohl-der]-noun-a tract of low land, especially in the Netherlands, reclaimed from the
sea or other body of water and protected by
dikes. Few things are more beautiful than one of the
narrow roads that run along the polder dikes.
bundle- [buhn-dl]-noun-several objects or a quantity of material gathered or boundtogether: a bundle of hay. The objection maintains that language causes confusion that supports bundle theory.
catkin- [kat-kin]-noun-a spike of unisexual, a
petalous flowers having scaly, usually
deciduous
bracts, as of a willow or birch. Fall treatment is effective during catkin development.
splice- [splahys]-verb-
to join together or unite (two ropes or parts of a rope) by the
interweaving of strands. Only now can both ends of the cable be brought
aboard the ship at the same time and the final
splice made.
flemish- [flem-ish]-adjective- of or pertaining to Flanders, its people, or their language.
Exhibition of works on paper that explores the Flemish
master's debt to Italian Renaissance painting.
grabble-
[grab-uhl]-verb- to feel or search with the hands; grope.
Every time the lights went out he had to grabble around
for a flashlight.
huckster-
[huhk-ster]-noun-a retailer of small articles, especially a peddler of fruits and
vegetables; hawker. But as a rogue, huckster and progressive, he is
extraordinary.
frolic-[frol-ik]-noun- merry play; merriment; gaiety;
fun. Visitors can frolic in the snow and bring
snowballs back down the mountain.
ravel- [rav-uh l]-verb- to tangle or entangle. The sailors began to ravel the twine
together to make a rope.
tattle- [tat-l]-verb- to let out secrets. She wanted to tattle on her older sister
for sneaking out.
scum- [skuhm]-noun- a film or layer of foul or
extraneous matter that forms on the surface of a liquid. Soap scum is formed when a calcium ion from
hard water binds to the soap.
trek- [trek]-verb- to travel or migrate, especially
slowly or with difficulty. The
pioneers made the long trek to the west from Nauvoo.
scrabble- [skrab-uh l]-verb- to jostle or struggle for possession
of something; grab or collect something in a disorderly way; scramble. Preventive health care has already become
neglected as the township hospitals scrabble to make ends meet.
clapboard- [klab-erd, klap-bawrd, ‐bohrd]-noun- Chiefly Northeastern U.S. a long, thin board, thicker along one edge than the
other, used in covering the outer walls of buildings, being laid horizontally,
the thick edge of each board overlapping the thin edge of the
board below
it. There is a
cluster of quaint yellow and blue rustic clapboard buildings.
gruff- [gruhf]-adj.- low and harsh; hoarse. Today, he chose to be brief and gruff in his comments.
isinglass- [ahy-zuh n-glas, -glahs, ahy-zing-]-noun- a pure, transparent or translucent
form of gelatin, obtained from the air bladders of certain fish, especially the
sturgeon: used in glue and jellies and as a clarifying agent. Isinglass
is used in clarifying wine and beer and making glues and cement.
excise- [ek-sahyz, -sahys]-noun- an internal tax or duty on certain
commodities, as liquor or tobacco, levied on their manufacture, sale, or
consumption within the country. Perez
said, levies an excise tax
on gasoline, but amounts vary.
blister-[blis-ter]-noun- a thin vesicle on the skin,
containing watery matter or serum, as from a burn or other injury. Warm or cold compresses can relieve
pain and swelling and may keep a blister
from forming.
rabbit- [rab-it]-noun-any of several soft-furred,
large-eared, rodentlike burrowing mammals of the family Leporidae, allied with the hares and
pikas in the order Lagomorpha, having
a divided upper lip and long hind legs, usually smaller than the hares and
mainly distinguished from them by bearing blind and furless young in nests
rather than fully developed young in the open. It may be the end of the road for an
endangered species of rabbit.
package- [pak-ij]-noun- a container, as a box or case, in which something is or may be packed. It arrived in a plain brown package by registered mail, insured for one million dollars.
muddle- [muhd-l]-verb- to mix up in a confused or bungling
manner; jumble. Marijuana is
infamous for its ability to muddle thoughts
and dull reactions.
handsome- [han-suh m]-adj.- having an attractive,
well-proportioned, and imposing appearance suggestive of health and strength;
good-looking. He was a handsome gentleman, and the ladies liked him.
foist- [foist]-verb- to force upon or impose fraudulently or
unjustifiably (usually followed by on or upon ). This is
the single most unpopular, unwanted nanny state legislation ever foisted upon the Scottish nation.
staple- [stey-puh l]-noun- a short piece of wire bent so as to
bind together papers, sections of a book, or the like, by driving the ends
through the sheets and clinching them on the other side. Repeat on remaining two sides, then staple all around the edges, pulling cloth tight.
gulden- [gool-dn]-noun- the former standard monetary unit of
the Netherlands, divided into 100 cents; replaced by the euro in 2002. The Netherlands formerly used
the gulden, in 2002 they switched to the
euro.
mart- [mahrt]-noun- market; trading center; trade
center. At a nearby grocery mart, bags of organic carrots sat
right next to the non-organic ones.
screen- [skreen]-noun- a movable or fixed device, usually
consisting of a covered frame, that provides shelter, serves as a partition,
etc. They brought in many screens
to partition off sections of the office for workspaces.
guilder- [gil-der]-noun- a silver or nickel coin and monetary
unit of the Netherlands until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 cents;
florin. The guilder is another
name for gulden.
etch- [ech]-verb- to cut, bite, or corrode with an acid
or the like; engrave with an acid or the like, as to form a design in furrows
that when charged with ink will give an impression on
paper. Braided
dried rivulets etch white
patterns over the surface as well.
Netherlands- [neth-er-luh ndz]-noun- a kingdom in W Europe, bordering on
the North Sea, Germany, and Belgium. 13,433 sq. mi. (34,790 sq. km). Capitals: Amsterdam and The
Hague. They visited the beautiful
windmill in the Netherlands.
dune- [doon, dyoon]-noun- a sand hill or sand ridge formed by
the wind, usually in desert regions or near lakes and oceans. We trudge down the dune, surprising the lady who lives in
the valley.
croon- [kroon]-verb- to sing or hum in a soft, soothing
voice. Entertainment
is provided at the piano bar, where locals and tourists have also been known to
croon their
favorites.
ticket- [tik-it]-noun- a slip, usually of paper or
cardboard, serving as evidence that the holder has paid a fare or admission or
is entitled to some service, right, or the like. He does not ask for a round-trip ticket, but for a
return ticket.
buckwagon-[buk-wagn]-noun- a large strong wagon with the frame
projecting over the wheels that is used in southern Africa for hauling
loads. We took a hayride on the
buckwagon.
hock- [hok]-noun- the joint in the hind leg of a horse,
cow, etc., above the fetlock joint, corresponding anatomically to the ankle in
humans. The strength of the hocks are very important as this is
the most active
joint in the horse hind legs.
boodle- [bood-l]-noun- stolen goods; loot; booty;
swag. They are supposed to have a
pile of boodle stashed away.
guy- [gahy]-noun- Informal- a man or boy. Knowing human resources, they will
probably find an excuse to fire
the guy.
daffodil- [daf-uh-dil]-noun- a bulbous plant, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, of the
amaryllis family, having solitary, yellow, nodding flowers that bloom in the
spring. Burton incorporated the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock into the lace.
loiter- [loi-ter]-verb- to linger aimlessly or as if aimless
in or about a place. Residents
are asked to move along if they loiter
on streets at night.
potash- [pot-ash]-noun- potassium carbonate, especially the crude impure form obtained from wood
ashes. Potash is
a mineral which is an essential ingredient in fertilizer.
scow- [skou]-noun- any of various vessels having a
flat-bottomed rectangular hull with sloping ends, built in various sizes with
or without means of propulsion, as barges, punts, rowboats, or sailboats. The trouble begins when the husband
decides to move the scow to
a better location.
wintergreen- [win-ter-green]-noun- a small, creeping, evergreen shrub, Gaultheria procumbens,
of the heath family, common in eastern North America, having
white, nodding, bell-shaped flowers, a bright-red, berrylike fruit, and
aromatic leaves that yield a volatile wintergreen oil. The wintergreen shrub further
adapts to its short growing season by retaining its leaves year-round.
trigger- [trig-er]-noun- a small projecting tongue in a
firearm that, when pressed by the finger, actuates the mechanism that
discharges the weapon. He removed
his finger from the trigger on advice from the police.
stripe- [strahyp]-noun- a relatively long, narrow band of a
different color, appearance, weave, material, or nature from the rest of a surface or
thing. There stood a beautiful zebra
with their magnificent stripes.
bruin- [broo-in]-noun- a bear, especially a European brown
bear. A bruin is another name for a brown bear.
skipper- [skip-er]-noun- the master or captain of a vessel,
especially of a small trading or fishing vessel. When a skipper dies
or retires, his quota goes back into a pool to be re-allocated.
waywiser-[way-wiyz-r]-noun- An instrument for measuring the
distance which one has traveled on the road; an odometer, pedometer, or
perambulator. She used a waywiser to
measure the distance she ran.
spoor- [spoor, spawr, spohr]-noun- a track or trail, especially that of
a wild animal pursued as game. They are looking for their dinner and sooner or later
they'll catch our spoor.
mizzle- [miz-uh l]-verb- to rain in fine drops; drizzle;
mist. Mizzle is a very light rain; stronger than mist
but less than a shower.
school- [skool]-noun- an institution where instruction is
given, especially to persons under college age. Dinosaurs regularly popped up during my early elementary school education.
pickle- [pik-uh l]-noun- a cucumber that has been preserved
in brine, vinegar, or the like.
Patrons can also order box lunches that include fruit,
homemade chips, a pickle and
a cookie.
snuff- [snuhf]-verb- to draw in through the nose by
inhaling. The English aristocracy
had a habit of snuffing powder-like tobacco.
Challenge Words
mynheer- [mahyn-hair, -heer]-noun- the term of address and title of
respect corresponding to sir and Mr. A Dutch
title of address equivalent to Sir when used alone or to Mr. when placed before
a name.
waterzooi-[vah-tuhr-zoi]-noun- a stew of fish or chicken and
vegetables in a seasoned stock thickened with cream and egg yolks. Some modern waterzooi versions feature
chicken and fish.
flense-[flens]-verb- to strip the blubber or the skin
from (a whale, seal, etc.). To flense is a whaling term that describes the
removal of the blubber from the carcass of the dead whale.
muishond- [mīs-hänt, ˈmās-]-noun- either of two southern African weasels
that are black with white stripes and that emit a fetid odor when
disturbed. There is small slender
burrowing muishond with white top of
the head.
witloof- [wit-lohf]-noun- widely cultivated herb with leaves
valued as salad green; either curly serrated leaves or broad flat ones that are
usually blanched. Another word
for witloof is endive.
springbok- [spring-bok]-noun- a gazelle, Antidorcas marsupialis, of southern Africa, noted for its habit of
springing into the air when alarmed. Gazelles
and springbok are known
for their speed and leaping abilities.
maelstrom- [meyl-struh m]-noun- a large, powerful, or violent
whirlpool. A maelstrom is a powerful circular current of
water usually the result of conflicting tides.
bobbejaan-[bob-buh-yahn]-noun- a baboon. They had many bobbejaan at the South
African zoo.
keeshond- [keys-hond, kees-]-noun- one of a Dutch breed of small dogs
having thick, silver-gray hair tipped with black and a tail carried over the
back. The Keeshond is lively, alert, and intelligent, qualities that won him
status as the most beloved dog in Holland.
voortrekker-[for-trek-ker]-noun- a So. African pioneer; esp : one of the Boers who took part in the
trek from Cape Colony to the Transvaal in 1834–37. The South African voortrekkers were
just like our American
pioneers.
uitlander- [ahyt-lan-der, oit-]-noun- a foreigner, especially a British
settler in the Boer republics prior to the formation of the Union of South
Africa. The prospect of gold lured large
numbers of uitlanders to
Johannesburg.
hollandaise-[ha-luhn-dayz]-noun- a rich sauce made basically of butter,
egg yolks, and lemon juice or vinegar. Hollandaise sauce is always served with ‘Eggs
Benedict’.
galjoen-[gal-yuh n]-noun- a compressed deep-bodied percoid food
and sport fish (Dichistius
capensis)
common in shallow water and surf along the coasts of southern Africa; also : any of several related fishes —often
used with a qualifying term. The galjoen is the national fish
of South Africa.
schipperke- [skip-er-kee, -kuh]-noun- one of a Belgian breed of small dogs
having erect ears and a thick, black coat, originally used as a watchdog on
boats in the Netherlands and Belgium. Schipperke in Dutch literally means little boatman.
apartheid- [uh-pahrt-heyt, -hahyt]-noun- (in the Republic of South Africa) a rigid policy of segregation of the
nonwhite population. Apartheid, which means apartness in
Afrikaans, started in 1948 in
South Africa as a political movement of the National Party.
hartebeest- [hahr-tuh-beest, hahrt-beest]-noun- any large African antelope of the
genus Alcelaphus, having ringed
horns that curve backward: some species are endangered. The hartebeest can digest a larger
quantity of food than other bovids.
keest-[keest]-noun- inner vital substance : marrow. She needed a keest transplant soon.
wainscot- [weyn-skuh t, -skot, -skoht]-noun- wood, especially oak and usually in
the form of paneling, for lining interior walls. Paralelling the stair is a handsomely
paneled wainscot with a rounded chair rail.
roodebok-[roo-duh-bahk]-noun-an impala. They had many roodeboks at the national
reserve.
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