Waiting for Godot: Act II

by Samuel Beckett
In this classic absurdist play, Vladimir and Estragon discuss their strangely monotonous lives while they wait for someone named Godot.

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    He halts before the boots, picks one up, examines it, sniffs it, manifests disgust, puts it back carefully.
  2. brood
    think moodily or anxiously about something
    Then all the dogs came running
    And dug the dog a tomb—
    [He stops, broods, resumes:]
    Then all the dogs came running
    And dug the dog a tomb
    And wrote upon the tombstone
    For the eyes of dogs to come
  3. sententious
    concise and full of meaning
    VLADIMIR: [sententious]. To every man his little cross. [He sighs.] Till he dies. [Afterthought.] And is forgotten.
  4. resolutely
    showing firm determination or purpose
    ESTRAGON: We should turn resolutely towards Nature.
  5. canter
    a smooth three-beat gait
    ESTRAGON: That wasn't such a bad little canter.
  6. blather
    talk foolishly
    ESTRAGON: Do...I suppose we blathered.
    VLADIMIR: [controlling himself]. About what?
    ESTRAGON: Oh...this and that I suppose, nothing in particular. [With assurance.] Yes, now I remember, yesterday evening we spent blathering about nothing in particular. That's been going on now for half a century.
  7. fester
    generate pus
    VLADIMIR: The other. [Estragon gives the same leg.] The other, pig! [Estragon gives the other leg. Triumphantly.] There's the wound! Beginning to fester!
  8. vehemently
    in a forceful manner
    VLADIMIR: [taking string from his pocket]. We'll try and lace it.
    ESTRAGON: [vehemently]. No no, no laces, no laces!
  9. grudgingly
    in a reluctant manner
    VLADIMIR: You'll be sorry. Let's try the other. [As before.] Well?
    ESTRAGON: [grudgingly]. It fits too.
  10. coquettish
    like a flirtatious woman
    VLADIMIR: No, but how do I look in it?
    [He turns his head coquettishly to and fro, minces like a mannequin.]
  11. mince
    walk daintily
    VLADIMIR: No, but how do I look in it?
    [He turns his head coquettishly to and fro, minces like a mannequin.]
  12. precipitate
    done with very great haste and without due deliberation
    VLADIMIR: Dance, hog! [He writhes. Exit Estragon left,precipitately.]
  13. curate
    a person authorized to conduct religious worship
    VLADIMIR: Sewer-rat!
    ESTRAGON: Curate!
    VLADIMIR: Cretin!
    ESTRAGON: [with finality]. Crritic!
  14. cretin
    a person of subnormal intelligence
    VLADIMIR: Sewer-rat!
    ESTRAGON: Curate!
    VLADIMIR: Cretin!
    ESTRAGON: [with finality]. Crritic!
  15. vanquish
    defeat in a competition, race, or conflict
    VLADIMIR: Oh!
    [He wilts, vanquished, and turns away.]
  16. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    ESTRAGON: [stopping, brandishing his fists, at the top of his voice.] God have pity on me!
  17. inert
    slow and apathetic
    ESTRAGON: Is he there?
    VLADIMIR: As large as life. [Gesture towards Lucky.] For the moment he is inert. But he might run amuck any minute.
  18. amuck
    wildly; without self-control
    ESTRAGON: Is he there?
    VLADIMIR: As large as life. [Gesture towards Lucky.] For the moment he is inert. But he might run amuck any minute.
  19. tangible
    perceptible by the senses, especially the sense of touch
    ESTRAGON: We help him?
    VLADIMIR: In anticipation of some tangible return.
  20. idle
    silly or trivial
    ESTRAGON: And suppose he—
    VLADIMIR: Let us not waste our time in idle discourse!
  21. discourse
    an extended communication dealing with some particular topic
    ESTRAGON: And suppose he—
    VLADIMIR: Let us not waste our time in idle discourse!
  22. consign
    give over to another for care or safekeeping
    Let us represent worthily for once the foul brood to which a cruel fate consigned us!
  23. founder
    break down, literally or metaphorically
    You may say it is to prevent our reason from foundering.
  24. extricate
    release from entanglement or difficulty
    VLADIMIR: [striking Pozzo]. Will you stop it! Crablouse! [Pozzo extricates himself with cries of pain and crawls away. He stops, saws the air blindly, calling for help. Vladimir, propped on his elbow, observes his retreat.]
  25. motif
    a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work
    VLADIMIR: I begin to weary of this motif.
  26. zenith
    the highest point of something
    ESTRAGON: He's all humanity. [Silence.] Look at the little cloud.
    VLADIMIR: [raising his eyes]. Where?
    ESTRAGON: There. In the zenith.
  27. quibble
    argue over petty things
    VLADIMIR: Don't let's quibble about that now.
  28. nigh
    near in time or place or relationship
    VLADIMIR: [reassuring]. It's evening, Sir, it's evening, night is drawing nigh.
  29. menial
    a domestic servant
    POZZO: Where is my menial?
  30. incoherent
    without logical or meaningful connection
    ESTRAGON: [wild gestures, incoherent words. Finally.] Why will you never let me sleep?
Created on Mon May 11 14:26:24 EDT 2020 (updated Mon May 11 15:29:42 EDT 2020)

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