Little House in the Big Woods: List 2

by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The first book of the Little House series introduces the Ingalls family, pioneers living in Wisconsin in 1871.

This list covers "Christmas"–"Dance at Grandpa’s."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
30 words 131 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. eaves
    the overhang at the lower edge of a roof
    Icicles hung from the eaves of the house to the snowbanks, great icicles as large at the top as Laura’s arm.
  2. curlicue
    a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles
    One of the little boards he shaped in a lovely curve, and around its edges he carved leaves and flowers and stars, and through it he cut crescent moons and curlicues.
  3. gilt
    having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
    Her china dress was laced across in front, and she wore a pale pink china apron and little gilt china shoes.
  4. quiver
    shake with fast, tremulous movements
    Ma’s shadow, and Aunt Eliza’s and Uncle Peter’s were big and quivering on the walls in the flickering fire-light, and Pa’s fiddle sang merrily to itself.
  5. ravel
    disentangle or separate out
    Her hair was black yarn that had been knit and raveled, so that it was curly.
  6. calico
    coarse cloth with a bright print
    She had little red flannel stockings and little black cloth gaiters for shoes, and her dress was pretty pink and blue calico.
  7. pity
    share the suffering of
    Laura did not pity Adam.
  8. stern
    serious and harsh in manner or behavior
    Pa put down his book. “Laura,” he said sternly, “come here.”
  9. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    Supper was solemn. After supper, Grandpa’s father read aloud a chapter of the Bible, while everyone sat straight and still in his chair.
  10. sermon
    an address of a religious nature
    In church, Grandpa and his brothers must sit perfectly still for two long hours and listen to the sermon.
  11. fidget
    move restlessly
    They dared not fidget on the hard bench. They dared not swing their feet. They dared not turn their heads to look at the windows or the walls or the ceiling of the church.
  12. catechism
    an elementary book summarizing the principles of a religion
    Then all the long afternoon they must sit in a row on a bench and study their catechism, until at last the sun went down and Sunday was over.
  13. cobbler
    a person who makes or repairs shoes
    Pa’s blue eyes laughed, and the fiddle went on while he sang:
    “All around the cobbler’s bench,
    The monkey chased the weasel,
    The preacher kissed the cobbler’s wife—
    Pop! goes the weasel!”
  14. prickle
    cause a stinging or tingling sensation
    My scalp prickled, and my hair stood straight up.
  15. trough
    a long narrow shallow receptacle
    “All winter,” Pa said, “Grandpa has been making wooden buckets and little troughs. He made them of cedar and white ash, for those woods won’t give a bad taste to the maple syrup...."
  16. haul
    draw slowly or heavily
    With a barrel on a sled, he drives from tree to tree and empties the sap from the buckets into the barrel. Then he hauls it to a big iron kettle that hangs by a chain from a cross-timber between two trees.
  17. ladle
    a spoon-shaped vessel with a long handle
    Every few minutes the sap must be skimmed. Grandpa skims it with a big, long-handled, wooden ladle that he made of basswood.
  18. fashionable
    having elegance, taste, or refinement in manners or dress
    Ma had been very fashionable, before she married Pa, and a dressmaker had made her clothes.
  19. prance
    move or step in a lively, spirited, or showy way
    The horses shook their heads and pranced, making the sleigh bells ring merrily, and away they went on the road through the Big Woods to Grandpa’s.
  20. hew
    make or shape as with an axe
    The floor was made of wide, thick slabs that Grandpa had hewed from the logs with his ax.
  21. sift
    move as if through a sieve
    She stood by the stove, sifting the yellow corn meal from her fingers into a kettle of boiling, salted water.
  22. swagger
    a proud stiff pompous gait
    Uncle George was home from the army. He wore his blue army coat with the brass buttons, and he had bold, merry blue eyes. He was big and broad and he walked with a swagger.
  23. nape
    the back side of the neck
    Laura sat on their bed and watched them comb out their long hair and part it carefully. They parted it from their foreheads to the napes of their necks and then they parted it across from ear to ear.
  24. starch
    stiffen textile fabrics in laundering
    Then Aunt Ruby and Aunt Docia put on their flannel petticoats and their plain petticoats and their stiff, starched white petticoats with knitted lace all around the flounces.
  25. flounce
    a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim
    Then Aunt Ruby and Aunt Docia put on their flannel petticoats and their plain petticoats and their stiff, starched white petticoats with knitted lace all around the flounces.
  26. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    Aunt Docia’s dress was a sprigged print, dark blue, with sprigs of red flowers and green leaves thick upon it.
  27. cameo
    engraving or carving in low relief on a stone
    Aunt Docia’s pretty white collar was fastened in front with a large round cameo pin, which had a lady’s head on it.
  28. darn
    repair a garment by weaving thread across a hole
    But Aunt Ruby pinned her collar with a red rose made of sealing wax. She had made it herself, on the head of a darning needle which had a broken eye, so it couldn’t be used as a needle any more.
  29. nestle
    position comfortably
    The skirt was ruffled and flounced and draped and trimmed with knots of dark green ribbon, and nestling at her throat was a gold pin.
  30. severe
    very harsh or strict, especially when dealing with others
    Ma came sailing over in her fine delaine, and said severely: “Laura!”
    So neither Laura said anything more.
Created on Mon Dec 02 19:47:01 EST 2019 (updated Fri Dec 06 15:08:09 EST 2019)

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