Stories of Ourselves: "Ming's Biggest Prey" by Patricia Highsmith

In this short story, a pampered cat battles against his owner's unpleasant boyfriend.

Here are links to our lists for the short stories in Stories of Ourselves:
The Hollow of the Three Hills, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Signalman, The Happy Prince, The Yellow Wall Paper, The Son’s Veto, The Open Boat, The Moving Finger, The Door in the Wall, Sredni Vashtar, How It Happened, Her First Ball, The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection, The Fly in the Ointment, The Custody of the Pumpkin, An Englishman’s Home, The Phoenix, There Will Come Soft Rains, The Prison, The Destructors, Meteor, Billenium, The Lemon Orchard, The People Before, The Enemy, Five-Twenty, A Horse and Two Goats, Report on the Threatened City, The Rain Horse, Ming’s Biggest Prey, The Village Saint, Secrets, The Stoat, Games at Twilight, The Taste of Watermelon, Journey (Patricia Grace), The Bath, My Greatest Ambition, To Da-duh, in Memoriam, Of White Hairs and Cricket, Elephant, Sandpiper, Journey (Shirley Geok-Lin Um), The Third and Final Continent, Tyres, At Hiruharama, Real Time, On Her Knees, The Contest
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. addled
    confused and vague; used especially of thinking
    Ming did feel addled by the heat, and he staggered a little.
  2. recommence
    begin again
    The tone of quarrelling recommenced.
  3. waver
    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
    The man started to say something, looked as if he wanted to hurl the wadded towel at Ming, but he wavered, whatever he had been going to say never got out of his mouth, and he threw the towel in the sink, then bent to wash his face.
  4. deliberately
    with intention; in an intentional manner
    But Ming sensed that Teddie took it as a hostile gesture of some kind, which was why Ming did it deliberately to Teddie, whereas among other people, it was often an accident when Ming’s tongue slid out.
  5. shrill
    having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
    Ming caught the song of birds, the odd screams like shrill phrases of certain birds that cried only at sunset.
  6. adobe
    sun-dried brick used in hot dry climates
    Ming looked forward to the adobe house on the cliff that was his and his mistress’ home.
  7. involuntarily
    against your will
    Ming did not turn his head to look at him, but his ears twitched back a little, involuntarily.
  8. heave
    lift or elevate
    Ming clung with his front feet to the sleek wood which gave him little hold, while his hind legs worked to heave him up, worked at the side of the boat which sloped to Ming’s disadvantage.
  9. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    ‘It’s true he’s groggy. Just lurched over and fell when the boat gave a dip.’
  10. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
    ‘It’s true he’s groggy. Just lurched over and fell when the boat gave a dip.’
  11. cove
    a small inlet
    Ming was aware that they had entered the little cove where they always went before getting off the boat.
  12. satchel
    luggage consisting of a small case with a flat bottom
    Ming knew she was busy carrying off the plastic satchels, locking the cabin door.
  13. limber
    cause to become supple
    He yawned, then arched his back and stretched, and limbered up his muscles by digging his claws into the thick straw carpet.
  14. fancy
    have a particular liking or desire for
    Ming thought he fancied barbecued pork.
  15. convey
    make known; pass on, of information
    Ming, without much difficulty, conveyed his preference for pork, and got it.
  16. threshold
    the entrance for passing through a room or building
    Ming went to the terrace door and stopped, and sat on the threshold.
  17. parapet
    a low wall along the edge of a roof or balcony
    The terrace had a parapet about as high as the man’s hips, but it was broken by grilles in three places, grilles with bars wide enough for Ming to pass through, though Ming never did, merely looked through the grilles sometimes.
  18. elude
    escape, either physically or mentally
    There was nothing easier for Ming than to elude him.
  19. shadowy
    filled with shade
    Ming kept out of the way on the terrace, in a shadowy corner, as three or four strange men came out on the terrace and tramped down the steps.
  20. tramp
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    Ming kept out of the way on the terrace, in a shadowy corner, as three or four strange men came out on the terrace and tramped down the steps.
Created on Mon Mar 05 14:36:44 EST 2018 (updated Fri Mar 23 15:39:44 EDT 2018)

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