The Egypt Game: Chapters 14-18

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
When Melanie, April, and Marshall discover an abandoned yard, they think it's the perfect place to play games based on their shared love of ancient Egypt. But the children aren't prepared to deal with a creepy antiques dealer, mysterious oracles, and a shocking murder.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-4, Chapters 5-8, Chapters 9-13, Chapters 14-18, Chapters 19-23
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. tarantula
    large southern European spider
    There was a real skull of a medium-size animal, maybe a cat or a skunk, and a well-preserved dead tarantula.
  2. baleful
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    It sat there, in the shadows among the spiderwebs, and peered down balefully over its tooth-scarred beak.
  3. doom
    an unpleasant or disastrous destiny
    At first Toby suggested that it could be a servant of Set, whose duty was to carry the message of doom to Set’s victims; but later on someone remembered Thoth, the birdheaded god of wisdom and writing.
  4. intriguing
    capable of arousing interest or curiosity
    Bastet had always seemed especially intriguing to April.
  5. stocky
    having a short and solid form or stature
    Except for Mr. Schmitt’s cousin, a stocky redheaded young man with blotchy freckles, there was no one working in the store that day but Mr. Schmitt.
  6. scribe
    someone employed to make written copies of documents
    But the pens were worth the effort, and during the next few days Egypt was full of scribes practicing the ancient art of hieroglyphic writing.
  7. decipher
    convert something hidden or secretive into ordinary language
    Letters were written and exchanged and deciphered.
  8. adorn
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
    Decorative hieroglyphic borders were added to the poster-paint pictures that already adorned the walls of the temple.
  9. fluent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
    But, since he wasn’t even in kindergarten yet, he wasn’t exactly fluent in either one.
  10. rendezvous
    a meeting planned at a certain time and place
    It was Saturday afternoon and April, Melanie and Marshall had just come down to get Elizabeth to join the boys in Egypt for a previously scheduled rendezvous.
  11. deadlock
    a situation in which no progress can be made
    That broke the deadlock. Elizabeth didn’t want to decide against anybody, so she put a pebble in one hand and let them choose.
  12. loot
    goods or money obtained illegally
    As soon as they returned, loaded with loot, the procession got under way.
  13. populace
    people in general considered as a whole
    Then came April and Melanie as the mourning populace, scattering flowers and chanting, “Weep for Prince Pete-ho-tep—fallen in battle,” in a high mournful wail.
  14. wail
    a cry of sorrow and grief
    Then came April and Melanie as the mourning populace, scattering flowers and chanting, “Weep for Prince Pete-ho-tep—fallen in battle,” in a high mournful wail.
  15. indelicate
    insensitive to the feelings of others; tactless
    And there was another pause while everyone tried to comfort Queen Neferbeth, who got all upset when Ramose spoke indelicately about “taking out the guts.”
  16. dispense
    grant an exemption
    It turned out that Queen Neferbeth felt so strongly about “cutting holes in Petey,” even if he was dead, that it was decided to dispense with that part of the procedure.
  17. brine
    a strong solution of salt and water used for pickling
    Poor people, who couldn’t afford the more expensive process, had been simply soaked in brine.
  18. pomp
    ceremonial elegance and splendor
    So the rest of the afternoon was taken up in preparing a saltwater bath for Prince Pete-ho-tep and placing him in it with the proper pomp.
  19. queasy
    feeling nausea
    When Toby lifted him gingerly out of the brine by one claw, everybody felt a little queasy, and Elizabeth’s eyes became suspiciously liquid.
  20. mummification
    the act of embalming, drying, and wrapping a dead body
    When Pete-ho-tep was dry and his feathers rearranged, he did look almost as good as new, and the mummification process continued.
  21. anoint
    administer an oil or ointment to, often ceremonially
    In the next few days he was anointed with spices and perfume, wrapped in thin strips of oil-soaked cloth, and laid to rest with a supply of birdseed and a few of his favorite toys, in a smallish pyramid made of old bricks.
  22. sacred
    made, declared, or believed to be holy
    Melanie collected several new ceremonies to add to the sacred records; Ken began to find being an ancient Egyptian a little less embarrassing; and Elizabeth felt so proud of the important part that Petey had played, she almost forgot how much she missed him.
  23. oracle
    a shrine where a prophet is consulted
    It all grew out of the fact that an assignment the class was reading just barely mentioned something called an oracle.
  24. backfire
    return with an undesired effect
    But the way it turned out, the whole thing sort of backfired, because by the end of the period the whole class—Toby included—was as hung up on the whole oracle bit as Mrs. Granger was.
  25. spout
    talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner
    There was even one very famous one that was run by a priestess who went into a kind of trance or fit, and while she was clear off in this trance she spouted out a lot of messages and stuff that were supposed to come right straight from the mouths of the gods.
  26. grotto
    a small cave, usually with attractive features
    The oracles all had special sacred places, caves or grottoes or specially built temples, and there were all sorts of far-out things connected with them like sacred fires and mystic vapors and magical statues.
  27. mystic
    beyond ordinary understanding
    The oracles all had special sacred places, caves or grottoes or specially built temples, and there were all sorts of far-out things connected with them like sacred fires and mystic vapors and magical statues.
  28. consternation
    sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
    Ken was looking at April in consternation.
  29. sportsmanship
    fairness and courtesy in following the rules of a game
    “Now look,” Toby said; “You won and you can’t cop out on it. That’s poor sportsmanship. Anybody can think of a little old question about the future. I’ll bet even Marshall could think up a lot of questions, and he’s only four years old.”
  30. solemnity
    a trait of dignified seriousness
    The other Egyptians were so caught up in his smooth solemnity and exalted priestly expression that they found themselves almost believing—well, half-believing—that Toby was actually talking to an ancient and powerful being, and that something strange and supernatural was about to happen.
  31. exalted
    of high moral or intellectual value
    The other Egyptians were so caught up in his smooth solemnity and exalted priestly expression that they found themselves almost believing—well, half-believing—that Toby was actually talking to an ancient and powerful being, and that something strange and supernatural was about to happen.
  32. supernatural
    not able to be explained by physical laws
    The other Egyptians were so caught up in his smooth solemnity and exalted priestly expression that they found themselves almost believing—well, half-believing—that Toby was actually talking to an ancient and powerful being, and that something strange and supernatural was about to happen.
  33. tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    The huge tattered owl seemed to be leaning forward, staring into the incense burner; and as they watched, a final twist of fragrant smoke curled upward like a dancing snake and seemed to wind itself around the head of Thoth.
  34. self-conscious
    aware of yourself as an individual or of your own being
    Ken looked self-conscious, and Melanie made a funny, smothered sound.
  35. smother
    conceal or hide
    Ken looked self-conscious, and Melanie made a funny, smothered sound.
  36. regal
    belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
    Her calmly regal high-priestess expression faded and she frowned as she read each side again.
  37. accusation
    an assertion that someone is guilty of a fault or offense
    There were accusations and counter accusations, but no one would admit to writing the mysterious and puzzling words that straggled across the back of Ken’s question.
  38. preside
    act as executive officer
    Toby presided again as the high priest, and his ceremony was almost exactly the same as the day before.
  39. shudder
    tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
    Then, just as Toby was finishing his ceremony, there was a huge shuddering thumping noise that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
  40. pester
    annoy persistently
    Marshall wanted Security back, and Melanie wanted Marshall to quit, pestering her and be himself again.
Created on Wed Jan 17 20:07:51 EST 2018 (updated Tue Jan 23 08:39:44 EST 2018)

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