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Daddy-Long-Legs: List 3

While she attends college, an orphaned young woman writes letters to her mysterious benefactor.

This list covers 20th January–10th August.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
35 words 13 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. denouement
    the resolution of the main complication of a literary work
    If we were in a novel, that would be the denouement, wouldn't it?
  2. painstaking
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
    'The test of true scholarship,' says Chemistry Professor, 'is a painstaking passion for detail.'
  3. nicety
    a subtle difference in meaning, opinion, or attitude
    You can see with what nicety we have to trim our sails between chemistry and history.
  4. intoxicating
    extremely exciting
    It's an intoxicating, exhilarating, CALLING noise.
  5. hummock
    a small natural mound
    The trail led over a hill, through a cornfield, and into a swamp where we had to leap lightly from hummock to hummock. Of course half of us went in ankle deep.
  6. circumnavigate
    travel completely around something
    But we didn't go through; we circumnavigated the barn and picked up the trail where it issued by way of a low shed roof on to the top of a fence.
  7. gilt
    having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
    Julia went into the very most gorgeous place I ever saw, white and gold walls and blue carpets and blue silk curtains and gilt chairs.
  8. crockery
    ceramic dishes used for serving food
    Picture that, then picture the dining-room of the John Grier Home with its oilcloth-covered tables, and white crockery that you CAN'T break, and wooden-handled knives and forks; and fancy the way I felt!
  9. acclimate
    get used to a certain environment
    It's a dizzying experience, Daddy, to pass eighteen years in the John Grier Home, and then suddenly to be plunged into the WORLD. But I'm getting acclimated.
  10. sham
    adopted in order to deceive
    I felt as though they saw right through my sham new clothes to the checked ginghams underneath.
  11. impulsive
    without forethought
    I have an awful habit of writing impulsively when I first think things, and then posting the letter beyond recall.
  12. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    My childhood was just a long, sullen stretch of revolt, and now I am so happy every moment of the day that I can't believe it's true.
  13. fetching
    very attractive; capturing interest
    Our class had crimson balloons—very fetching, especially as they were always getting loose and floating off—and the Freshmen wore green tissue-paper hats with long streamers.
  14. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    The haughty Lady Blanche says to the footman, 'Stop your chattering, knave, and do my bidding.'
  15. monotonous
    tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
    Our lives were absolutely monotonous and uneventful.
  16. odious
    extremely repulsive or unpleasant
    I don't think children ought to know the meaning of the word; it's odious, detestable.
  17. detestable
    offensive to the mind
    I don't think children ought to know the meaning of the word; it's odious, detestable.
  18. verbiage
    overabundance of words
    It contains all necessary facts, but no unnecessary verbiage.
  19. compliance
    the act of submitting, usually surrendering power to another
    In compliance with the instructions received through your secretary, I leave on Friday next to spend the summer at Lock Willow Farm.
  20. curt
    brief and to the point
    But not at all! Just a curt line from your secretary ordering me to Lock Willow.
  21. arbitrary
    based on or subject to individual discretion or preference
    Although my feelings are still hurt, for it is very humiliating to be picked up and moved about by an arbitrary, peremptory, unreasonable, omnipotent, invisible Providence, still, when a man has been as kind and generous and thoughtful as you have heretofore been towards me, I suppose he has a right to be an arbitrary, peremptory, unreasonable, invisible Providence if he chooses, and so—I'll forgive you and be cheerful again.
  22. peremptory
    not allowing contradiction or refusal
    Although my feelings are still hurt, for it is very humiliating to be picked up and moved about by an arbitrary, peremptory, unreasonable, omnipotent, invisible Providence, still, when a man has been as kind and generous and thoughtful as you have heretofore been towards me, I suppose he has a right to be an arbitrary, peremptory, unreasonable, invisible Providence if he chooses, and so—I'll forgive you and be cheerful again.
  23. omnipotent
    having unlimited power
    Although my feelings are still hurt, for it is very humiliating to be picked up and moved about by an arbitrary, peremptory, unreasonable, omnipotent, invisible Providence, still, when a man has been as kind and generous and thoughtful as you have heretofore been towards me, I suppose he has a right to be an arbitrary, peremptory, unreasonable, invisible Providence if he chooses, and so—I'll forgive you and be cheerful again.
  24. providence
    the guardianship and control exercised by a deity
    Although my feelings are still hurt, for it is very humiliating to be picked up and moved about by an arbitrary, peremptory, unreasonable, omnipotent, invisible Providence, still, when a man has been as kind and generous and thoughtful as you have heretofore been towards me, I suppose he has a right to be an arbitrary, peremptory, unreasonable, invisible Providence if he chooses, and so—I'll forgive you and be cheerful again.
  25. outlook
    belief about the future
    If you are in that dreadful New York, I wish I could send you some of this lovely, breezy, sunshiny outlook.
  26. dubious
    not convinced
    The congregation is pretty dubious, especially the faction led by Deacon Cummings.
  27. faction
    a dissenting clique
    The congregation is pretty dubious, especially the faction led by Deacon Cummings.
  28. creed
    any system of principles or beliefs
    He lived up to his adventurous creed.
  29. discourse
    talk at length and formally about a topic
    Judy is becoming so philosophical of late, that she wishes to discourse largely of the world in general, instead of descending to the trivial details of daily life.
  30. trivial
    of little substance or significance
    Judy is becoming so philosophical of late, that she wishes to discourse largely of the world in general, instead of descending to the trivial details of daily life.
  31. rheumatism
    a chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints
    Old Ira Hatch has rheumatism and can't work any more; he never saved his money when he was earning good wages, so now he has to live on the town.
  32. exigency
    a pressing or urgent situation
    Mrs. Dowd is engaged to come tomorrow to wash the windows (in the exigency of the moment, we waive our suspicions in regard to the piglet).
  33. waive
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
    Mrs. Dowd is engaged to come tomorrow to wash the windows (in the exigency of the moment, we waive our suspicions in regard to the piglet).
  34. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
    You might think, from this account of our activities, that the house was not already immaculate; but I assure you it was!
  35. darn
    repair a garment by weaving thread across a hole
    By the time I'd got all my beds made and my babies' faces washed and had gone to school and come home and had washed their faces again and darned their stockings and mended Freddie Perkins's trousers (he tore them every day of his life) and learned my lessons in between—I was ready to go to bed, and I didn't notice any lack of social intercourse.
Created on Fri Jul 19 16:50:58 EDT 2019 (updated Mon Jul 22 13:15:51 EDT 2019)

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