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12th Grade Recommended Reading List: "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl

While on the road, Billy Weaver stops at a quaint bed and breakfast—but the old landlady isn't what she seems.

Here is a link to our lists for Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl.
30 words 16927 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. porter
    a railroad employee who assists passengers
    “Try The Bell and Dragon,” the porter answered, pointing down the road.
  2. swanky
    impressively fashionable and elegant
    They had porches and pillars and four or five steps going up to their front doors, and it was obvious that once upon a time they had been very swanky residences.
  3. facade
    the front of a building
    But now, even in the darkness, he could see that the paint was peeling from the woodwork on their doors and windows, and that the handsome white facades were cracked and blotchy from neglect.
  4. hearth
    a built-in space in a wall where a fire can be built
    He went right up and peered through the glass into the room, and the first thing he saw was a bright fire burning in the hearth.
  5. decent
    sufficient for the purpose
    Animals were usually a good sign in a place like this, Billy told himself; and all in all, it looked to him as though it would be a pretty decent house to stay in.
  6. congenial
    suitable to your needs
    On the other hand, a pub would be more congenial than a boardinghouse.
  7. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    The name itself conjured up images of watery cabbage, rapacious landladies, and a powerful smell of kippers in the living-room.
  8. rapacious
    excessively greedy and grasping
    The name itself conjured up images of watery cabbage, rapacious landladies, and a powerful smell of kippers in the living room.
  9. dither
    be undecided or uncertain
    After dithering about like this in the cold for two or three minutes, Billy decided that he would walk on and take a look at The Bell and Dragon before making up his mind.
  10. peculiar
    beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
    He was in the act of stepping back and turning away from the window when all at once his eye was caught and held in the most peculiar manner by the small notice that was there.
  11. compel
    force somebody to do something
    BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST, BED AND BREAKFAST. Each word was like a large black eye staring at him through the glass, holding him, compelling him, forcing him to stay where he was and not to walk away from that house, and the next thing he knew, he was actually moving across from the window to the front door of the house, climbing the steps that led up to it, and reaching for the bell.
  12. compulsion
    an urge to do something that might be better left undone
    The compulsion or, more accurately, the desire to follow after her into that house was extraordinarily strong.
  13. particular
    exacting especially about details
    But the trouble is that I’m inclined to be just a teeny-weeny bit choosy and particular—if you see what I mean.
  14. earnestly
    in a sincere and serious manner
    “I’m so glad you appeared,” she said, looking earnestly into his face. “I was beginning to get worried.”
  15. proceeding
    a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
    Everyone has to do that because it’s the law of the land, and we don’t want to go breaking any laws at this stage in the proceedings, do we?
  16. frisky
    playful like a lively kitten
    She was holding it well out in front of her, and rather high up, as though the tray were a pair of reins on a frisky horse.
  17. dainty
    affectedly refined
    “Dear me,” she said, shaking her head and heaving a dainty little sigh.
  18. fuss
    worry unnecessarily or excessively
    He stood by the piano, watching her as she fussed about with the cups and saucers.
  19. extraordinary
    highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
    “You know something?” Billy said. “Something that’s really quite extraordinary about all this?”
  20. tantalizing
    arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable
    There is nothing more tantalizing than a thing like this that lingers just outside the borders of one’s memory.
  21. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    Now and again, he caught a whiff of a peculiar smell that seemed to emanate directly from her person.
  22. corridor
    an enclosed passageway
    It was not in the least unpleasant, and it reminded him—well, he wasn’t quite sure what it reminded him of. Pickled walnuts? New leather? Or was it the corridors of a hospital?
  23. arch
    form a curve
    “Left?” she said, arching her brows. “But my dear boy, he never left. He’s still here. Mr. Temple is also here. They’re on the fourth floor, both of them together.”
  24. trifle
    something of small importance
    But I think he was a trifle shorter than you are; in fact I’m sure he was, and his teeth weren’t quite so white.
  25. blemish
    a mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something
    There wasn’t a blemish on his body.
  26. lapse
    pass into a specified state or condition
    He waited for her to say something else, but she seemed to have lapsed into another of her silences.
  27. clever
    showing inventiveness and skill
    “It’s most terribly clever the way it’s been done,” he said. “It doesn’t look in the least bit dead. Who did it?”
  28. preserve
    keep in safety and protect from harm, loss, or destruction
    The back was hard and cold, and when he pushed the hair to one side with his fingers, he could see the skin underneath, grayish black and dry and perfectly preserved.
  29. bitter
    causing a sharp and acrid taste experience
    The tea tasted faintly of bitter almonds, and he didn’t much care for it.
  30. incline
    lower or bend, as in a nod or bow
    Holding her teacup high in one hand, inclining her head slightly to the left, she looked up at him out of the corners of her eyes and gave him another gentle little smile.
Created on Tue Apr 21 10:37:30 EDT 2015 (updated Tue Sep 04 16:21:34 EDT 2018)

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