The Cruel Prince: Chapters 15–20

by Holly Black
Seventeen-year-old Jude, who was kidnapped by a faerie soldier when she was a child, fights for a position of power in the faerie kingdom. This is the first book in the Folk of the Air trilogy.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 8, Chapters 9–14, Chapters 15–20, Chapters 21–25, Chapter 26–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. wizened
    lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
    Oriana’s current maid, a hairy, wizened creature named Toadfloss, brings tea and cakes, meat and jam, all piled on a massive silver tray.
  2. copse
    a dense growth of trees, shrubs, or bushes
    Occasionally he walks me home through the woods, stopping to kiss me near a copse of fir trees just before Madoc’s estate.
  3. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    I balk and pull the knife free, running out of the room.
  4. stanch
    stop the flow of a liquid
    Looking back, I see him on his knees, pressing a hand to his side to stanch the blood.
  5. uncouth
    lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
    He is looking at me as though I’m being uncouth by pointing a weapon at him—even though he’s the one with the minion who assaulted me.
  6. repartee
    adroitness and cleverness in reply
    He’s looking at me as though we’re going to share some kind of witty repartee, but I am not sure what to say.
  7. demur
    politely refuse or take exception to
    I offer a berry to Locke, but he demurs.
  8. wend
    direct one's course or way
    It takes us a long time to wend our way back down the stairs.
  9. debase
    corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality
    You asked me about Cardan, Valerian, and Nicasia—come see them outside of school, come see them be foolish and drunk and debased.
  10. limn
    trace the shape of
    The firelight of the torches makes long shadows and limns everything in scarlet.
  11. lilting
    characterized by a buoyant rhythm
    At the center of the maze, a piper is playing a lilting, wild song.
  12. jibe
    an aggressive remark directed at a person
    She peers into my face. “But which one is it?”
    “The one you don’t like,” I tell her, ignoring her jibe.
  13. divan
    a long backless sofa, usually with pillows
    Locke’s bedroom is messy—books and clothes scattered on divans and low couches.
  14. foray
    an initial attempt
    I have learned a lot more since my first foray into Hollow Hall, enough to make me understand better the risks I was taking.
  15. dais
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    There are two letters from Madoc, but they just seem to be about which knights will be at the coronation and in what pattern around the central dais.
  16. assignation
    a secret rendezvous (especially between lovers)
    There are others that seem to be about assignations, about revels and parties and debauches.
  17. doggerel
    a comic verse of irregular measure
    The only thing that seems even a little surprising is a bit of doggerel, a love poem in Prince Dain’s hand, about a woman who remains unidentified, except by her “sunrise hair” and “starlit eyes.”
  18. rictus
    a gaping grimace
    She has pasted on a horrible rictus of a smile, but at least she has enough self-possession for that.
  19. inflection
    the modification of pitch, tone, or volume when speaking
    I improvise, trying to sound as though I am reciting a memorized message, without inflection in the words.
  20. sequester
    set apart from others
    “The servants said you were sequestered with Jude, and I told them they had to be mistaken. Surely, with your coronation so close, your time is too valuable for a silly girl to take up so much of it. You do her too much credit, and no doubt the weight of your regard is quite overwhelming.”
  21. liege
    a feudal lord entitled to allegiance and service
    Somewhere out there, all the lords and ladies and lieges ruling over far-flung Courts are arriving to pay their respects to the new High King.
  22. fitful
    intermittently stopping and starting
    As Tatterfell moves around the room, my eyes close, and I fall into a strange, fitful sleep.
  23. rhapsodize
    say with great enthusiasm
    Madoc is patiently listening to her rhapsodize over the perfection of their garments.
  24. flummox
    be a mystery or bewildering to
    I am flummoxed by Valerian’s being here, in my room.
  25. censure
    harsh criticism or disapproval
    I won’t be afraid of him or of Prince Dain’s censure. If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.
  26. gall
    irritate or vex
    He doesn’t die very differently than mortals, although I am sure it would gall him to know that.
  27. paddock
    a pen for horses
    I bury Valerian near the stables, but outside the paddock, so that even the most carnivorous of Madoc’s sharp-toothed horses are unlikely to dig him up and gnaw on his bones.
  28. pallid
    pale, as of a person's complexion
    I rise, crossing the room to put one gloved hand against the pallid green skin of his face.
  29. trestle
    sawhorses used in pairs to support a horizontal tabletop
    He stands near one of the long trestle tables, and even in the cramped hall, there is space around him, as though no one dares get too close.
  30. forswear
    formally reject or disavow
    “Would you forswear a promise for me?” He is smiling at me as though he’s teasing.
  31. deference
    a courteous expression of esteem or regard
    Locke relinquishes me to the youngest prince, as is expected out of deference.
  32. loath
    strongly opposed
    “We are loath to let you go, my lord,” he says, and the words seem to take on a special, bittersweet resonance coming from his mouth.
  33. resonance
    the characteristic of having a loud deep sound
    “We are loath to let you go, my lord,” he says, and the words seem to take on a special, bittersweet resonance coming from his mouth.
  34. swath
    a path or strip (also figurative)
    When he anoints Dain’s other side, he paints it in thick swaths of pollen, yellow as butter.
  35. dapper
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    It is a hob who comes forward this time, in a dapper little suit, carefully sewn.
  36. tableau
    any dramatic scene
    Everyone is moving, pushing forward or away from the gruesome tableau.
  37. bearing
    characteristic way of holding one's body
    Taniot goes to her death with grace. She is still. Her bearing is regal and doomed, as though she has already passed into the realm of ballads.
  38. surfeit
    the state of being more than full
    I fear they may have a surfeit of satisfaction.
  39. phalanx
    a body of troops in close array
    Madoc gives orders to his men, pointing toward the ceiling. A phalanx breaks off from the others and rushes up the stairs.
  40. smattering
    a small number or amount
    There is a smattering of laughter and whispers as his words spread.
Created on Mon Jul 01 17:06:05 EDT 2019 (updated Tue Jul 23 09:29:41 EDT 2019)

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