The Golden Goblet: Chapter 1

by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
An orphan living in ancient Egypt, twelve-year-old Ranofer dreams of becoming a master goldsmith — but instead he must work at menial jobs for his cruel half-brother. When Ranofer discovers a stolen goblet in his brother's possession, he believes he may have a chance at a new life.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–16
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. crucible
    a vessel used for high temperature chemical reactions
    The stream of molten gold flowed smoothly from the crucible, reflecting in its surface the cloudless blue of the Egyptian sky.
  2. amulet
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
    From his artist’s fingers sprang objects of such wonderful beauty—cups, bowls, boxes, necklaces, daggers, great golden collars, bracelets, exquisite amulets—that Pharaoh himself would be served by no other smith.
  3. preoccupation
    the mental state of being obsessed by something
    The unwelcome picture of Gebu’s face broke through Ranofer’s preoccupation, scattering his daydreams and rousing him to present reality, in which Zau the Master had no place.
  4. idle
    not in action or at work
    That ingot has set, and here you stand idle.
  5. hireling
    a person who works only for money
    Besides, his tasks were those of a hireling; no matter how expertly he did them, he could not hope to progress to anything better, as even the most stupid apprentice did.
  6. apprentice
    someone who works for an expert to learn a trade
    Besides, his tasks were those of a hireling; no matter how expertly he did them, he could not hope to progress to anything better, as even the most stupid apprentice did.
  7. illustrious
    widely known and esteemed
    No matter what illustrious futures he imagined for the ingots he poured, his own future remained the same—pouring more ingots, making charcoal, sweeping off the jewelers’ benches—while others engraved the daggers and hammered the cups.
  8. fathom
    come to understand
    No matter—it was useless to try to fathom the ways of that Accursed One.
  9. vise
    a holding device attached to a workbench
    It was a circular slab of stone, held upright in a vise and pierced with a ring of holes of diminishing sizes.
  10. anneal
    bring to a desired consistency by heating and cooling
    On the bench beside the apprentice lay a coil of wire, finished and ready for its last annealing.
  11. ingratiating
    calculated to please or gain favor
    Ibni only edged closer, ducked his head even farther between his shoulders, and scrubbed his hands together ingratiatingly.
  12. sibilant
    of speech sounds forcing air through a constricted passage
    His voice was like the sound of a badly made flute, and sibilant with his Babylonian accent.
  13. servile
    submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior
    The man's servility disgusted him, and so did his cheese-white hands with their dirty nails, and the stained teeth he revealed in his constant grin.
  14. sidle
    move sideways
    Stoppering the oil jug with nervous fingers, Ranofer watched him sidle past the wiremaker’s bench to the big water jar, get himself a drink too brief to indicate real thirst, then go back through the rear door to his job of washing the raw gold.
  15. thatch
    a house roof made with a plant material (as straw)
    The light dimmed and cooled as he moved under the overhanging thatch of palm fronds and into the long, three-sided shed.
  16. frond
    compound leaf of a fern or palm or cycad
    The light dimmed and cooled as he moved under the overhanging thatch of palm fronds and into the long, three-sided shed.
  17. scribe
    someone employed to make written copies of documents
    Three apprentices leaned over him watching, unmindful of the chatter of the porters washing raw gold in the big vats at the back of the room, of the weigher calling out numbers to the scribe standing beside the balance scales, of the loud ping, ping, of the Second Craftsman’s hammer upon a half-finished bowl.
  18. artisan
    a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft
    He was only an honest and kindly artisan, just now saddened by treachery.
  19. homely
    lacking in physical beauty or proportion
    Rekh’s homely face relaxed with pleasure.
  20. yoke
    a wooden frame across the shoulders for carrying buckets
    Heavy as a yoke, responsibility settled over Ranofer’s mind.
  21. aghast
    struck with fear, dread, or consternation
    “Accuse you?” gasped Ranofer, aghast at the hornet’s nest he had stirred up.
  22. thin-skinned
    quick to take offense
    “Aye, perhaps they have. I see you meant no harm. But when there’s theft about, every man grows thin-skinned. By Amon, I’ll not be sorry to see this thief caught and the shop rid of him!”
  23. taper
    give a point to
    Hapia’o laughed as he threaded the tapered end of the greased golden rod through a hole in the drawplate.
  24. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    “I thought you a surly type at first, but I see you’re not. Listen, then. I know no more of what I’m doing than a hound knows of kittens. Do you understand this gold washing?”
  25. romp
    play boisterously
    Besides the goldwork there was Yetti, the old greyhound, to romp with, and the tales his father read him from the leather scrolls, and every morning, lessons at the scribes’ school, so that Ranofer too had begun to read a little.
Created on Tue Oct 09 14:22:09 EDT 2018 (updated Tue Oct 09 15:07:30 EDT 2018)

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