A Storm of Swords: Chapters 27–40

by George R.R. Martin
The battle for control of the kingdom of Westeros continues in the third volume of George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 12, Chapters 13–26, Chapters 27–40, Chapters 41–54, Chapters 55–68, Chapter 69–Epilogue

Here are links to our lists for other volumes in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Dance with Dragons
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. swelter
    be uncomfortably hot
    Ser Jorah stood behind her sweltering in his green surcoat with the black bear of Mormont embroidered upon it.
  2. unsullied
    spotlessly clean and fresh
    Rank on rank on rank they stood, her stone halfmen with their hearts of brick; eight thousand and six hundred in the spiked bronze caps of fully trained Unsullied, and five thousand odd behind them, bareheaded, yet armed with spears and shortswords.
    "Unsullied" is used as a noun to refer to trained slaves who 1) are physically clean, not only because they wash once a day but also because they have been cut so that they cannot have sex; 2) have spotless reputations since they are obedient and do not have any desires that might drive them to crimes against their masters; 3) do not feel any fear or pain, so they are seen as the perfect soldiers.
  3. squander
    spend thoughtlessly; throw away
    It seems almost obscene to squander such sweet innocence on that gargoyle.
  4. portcullis
    an iron or wooden grating hanging in the entry to a castle
    "Come, wife, time to smash your portcullis. I want to play come-into-the-castle."
    To both leave the hall after threatening the king and appease the crowd whom he had deprived of the bedding tradition, Tyrion makes this rough joke that compares the taking of Sansa's virginity to the smashing of a castle gate.
  5. sinister
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    His smile might have been meant to be reassuring, but without a nose it only made him look more grotesque and sinister.
  6. encroach
    advance beyond the usual limit
    Once brothers in black had gone out every day with axes to cut back the encroaching trees, but those days were long past, and here the forest grew right up to the ice.
  7. beset
    assail or attack on all sides
    Willem's twin Martyn had been taken captive by Robb Stark as well, and their elder brother Lancel was still abed, beset by an ulcerating wound that would not heal.
  8. impoverished
    poor enough to need help from others
    Thrice at least Lord Tywin had offered to buy Valyrian longswords from impoverished lesser houses, but his advances had always been firmly rebuffed.
  9. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    "They have an ominous beauty...and they make this blade unique. There is no other sword like it in all the world, I should think."
    Compare with "sinister" in this list. The adjectives are synonymous, but only one actually fits the subject being described. Tyrion might look ugly and sinister to Sansa, but if she would only give him a chance, he would actually treat her well. The colors in the sword might look beautiful, but in the hands of Joffrey, it would be an ominous weapon that threatens evil to anyone or anything he dislikes.
  10. incise
    make a depression in by carving or cutting
    Three fullers, deeply incised, ran down the second blade from hilt to point; the king's sword had only two.
  11. pommel
    an ornament in the shape of a ball on the hilt of a sword
    Joff's hilt was a good deal more ornate, the arms of its crossguard done as lions' paws with ruby claws unsheathed, but both swords had grips of finely tooled red leather and gold lions' heads for pommels.
  12. usury
    an exorbitant or unlawful rate of interest
    Yes, the incomes are considerable, but they are barely sufficient to cover the usury on Littlefinger's loans.
  13. obliterate
    do away with completely, without leaving a trace
    The boy Ned helped Lord Beric with his own shield, so hacked and battered that the purple lightning and the scatter of stars upon it had almost been obliterated.
  14. interpose
    insert between other elements
    He countercut, and Dondarrion interposed his own shield and launched a fiery backslash.
  15. sconce
    a decorative wall bracket for holding candles or lights
    "Axell, please, don't take the light...gods have mercy..."
    "Gods? There is only R'hllor, and the Other." Ser Axell gestured sharply, and one of his guardsmen pulled the torch from its sconce and led the way to the stair.
  16. forbearance
    good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
    "You have always presumed on my forbearance," Stannis warned Davos when they were alone.
  17. marshal
    make ready for action or use
    The one whose name may not be spoken is marshaling his power, Davos Seaworth, a power fell and evil and strong beyond measure.
  18. defile
    spot, stain, or pollute
    "The boy defiled your marriage bed, else you would surely have sons of your own. He shamed you."
    Compare this verb with the antonymous adjective "unsullied" in this list (the Old French "souiller" means "to soil" and "defouler" means "to trample down"). Melisandre tries to argue that Robert's bastard son has defiled Stannis's marriage bed, but Stannis believes that the boy is unsullied, since Edric was simply born from Robert's defiling and deflowering of his mother.
  19. dissension
    disagreement among those expected to cooperate
    You sow dissension wherever you go.
  20. grisly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    By maiming you, he meant to remove your sword as a threat, gain himself a grisly token to send to your father, and diminish your value to me.
  21. unconscionable
    lacking a sense of right conduct
    It would be unconscionable of me to deprive Lord Vargo of both his prizes.
  22. saturnine
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Beneath, his face was lined and saturnine, with thin arched brows above large eyes as black and shiny as pools of coal oil.
  23. lummox
    an awkward, foolish person
    I came for justice for Elia and her children, and I will have it. Starting with this lummox Gregor Clegane...but not, I think, ending there.
    Compare with "cretin" in the list for the Prologue-Chapter 12. "Cretin" used to refer to a deformed idiot, which is supported by Jaime's thoughts about his cousin. As this example sentence suggests, a lummox might be bigger than a cretin, since the Red Viper calls Gregor Clegane "this lummox" instead of "The Mountain" in order to show that he's not scared to meet him in battle.
  24. stealth
    the act of moving in a quiet or secretive way to avoid being noticed
    He screamed as his clothes took fire, and that was the end of stealth.
  25. earnest
    not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal
    Thoros gave a shout, and the outlaws attacked in earnest.
  26. bodkin
    a dagger with a slender blade
    Anguy had arrows tipped with bodkins as well as broadheads. A bodkin could pierce even heavy plate.
  27. maim
    injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration
    Various of the outlaws came forward to tell of things the Brave Companions had done; towns and villages sacked, crops burned, women raped and murdered, men maimed and tortured.
  28. dirge
    a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
    Tom Sevenstrings played a dirge for them on his woodharp, and Thoros implored the Lord of Light to roast their souls until the end of time.
  29. forage
    collect or look around for, as food
    No one robbed you, dog. You just been good and foraged.
  30. sustenance
    the act of providing a means of subsistence or survival
    "Brandon the Builder gave all the land south of the Wall to the black brothers, to a distance of twenty-five leagues. For their...for their sustenance and support."
Created on Sat Jan 11 21:50:19 EST 2014 (updated Mon Oct 01 17:02:41 EDT 2018)

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