A Pinch of Magic: Prologue–Chapter 3

by Michelle Harrison
In this first book of the series, thirteen-year-old Betty Widdershin, with her sisters Felicity and Charlotte, must figure out how to use their inherited magical objects to reverse an ancient family curse that does not allow them to leave the island of Crowstone.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 3, Chapters 4–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–21, Chapter 22–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. briny
    slightly salty
    It smelled of the marshes: briny with a whiff of fish.
  2. tussock
    a bunch of hair, feathers, or growing grass
    In places she could see gulls pecking at stranded fish, tussocks of marsh grass, and a battered, abandoned rowing boat.
  3. tendril
    something long, light, slender, and often curling
    A tendril of her long, tawny hair flew in between her lips.
  4. tawny
    having the color of tanned leather
    A tendril of her long, tawny hair flew in between her lips.
  5. deterrent
    tending to prevent
    The windows were not barred; they didn’t need to be. The height of the tower was deterrent enough.
  6. gouge
    an impression in a surface, as made by a blow
    There were more scratches in the wall’s surface: some shaped into angry words, others deep gouges where she had thrown things.
  7. mortar
    a substance used as a bond in masonry or for covering a wall
    The girl explored the rough stones until she found the small gap she had discovered in the mortar when she hadn’t long been in the tower, assessing the walls for possible footholds.
  8. gallows
    an instrument from which a person is executed by hanging
    At high noon, a boat was to take her across the water, to the crossroads. There the gallows were being prepared at this very moment. It would be her first and last journey to the mainland. Her last journey anywhere.
  9. render
    cause to become
    She would be shackled in irons, of course, which reputedly rendered witches powerless, but even the most fearless warder would be unsettled to be near her once she was out of the tower.
  10. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    As she and Charlie galloped downstairs, their trick-or-treat costumes billowed behind them in a satisfying, villainous way.
  11. scrounge
    obtain or seek to obtain by begging, pleading, or flattering
    “Off out scrounging?” she said, blowing gray hair out of her face.
    “It’s trick-or-treating,” Betty corrected her.
  12. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    “Betty?” Fliss said, glancing warily at Granny. “You will stay by the green, won’t you?”
  13. brood
    think moodily or anxiously about something
    True, she was as vain as she’d always been, often staring broodily into an old mermaid-shaped mirror Granny had given her, but all her fun had been blown away with the candles on her cake.
  14. plume
    anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness
    A plume of powdered sugar wafted off it as she stuffed it into her mouth, crunching through the wafer shell into the whipped center.
  15. defiance
    an act boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    And adventure, she added in silent defiance. She didn’t care where they escaped to, as long as it was out of Crowstone. Marshfoot was both far enough to feel satisfyingly daring and new and close enough to get away with.
  16. wraith
    a ghostly figure, especially one seen shortly before death
    Beside her, Charlie counted glowing jack-o’-lanterns and carved turnips in windows, pointing out one she had made yesterday that was on the school steps. They followed the girls along the cobbled streets like wraiths leading them to the Misty Marshes.
  17. wispy
    thin and weak
    Evidently, the fog warning hadn’t changed for the worse, as the ferryman appeared unconcerned about the wispy mist that was wreathing around the boat.
  18. audacious
    disposed to venture or take risks
    “Adventure awaits the audacious!” Betty whispered in excitement.
  19. ramshackle
    in poor or broken-down condition
    Somewhere among the other boats was their own, a ramshackle ensemble of rotting wood that their father had won in a bet and had been trying to fix up ever since, without success.
  20. ensemble
    an assemblage of parts considered as forming a whole
    Somewhere among the other boats was their own, a ramshackle ensemble of rotting wood that their father had won in a bet and had been trying to fix up ever since, without success.
  21. sprite
    a small, mythological creature with wings and magical powers
    Some said they were the souls of those who’d died on the marshes; others believed they were mischievous sprites, trying to lead travelers astray.
  22. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Granny glowered down at her.
  23. quibble
    argue over petty things
    Instead, she said to the ferryman, in an even sterner voice, “Now, I suggest you stop quibbling and get these cold, damp people back to safety. I expect many of them will want to know why the ferry was permitted to leave in the first place if a fog was expected.”
  24. uncanny
    surpassing the ordinary or normal
    Just how had Granny gotten on that boat? True, she had always possessed an uncanny knack for tracking the girls down.
  25. knack
    a special way of doing something
    Just how had Granny gotten on that boat? True, she had always possessed an uncanny knack for tracking the girls down.
  26. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    She made them wait until everyone else had gotten off before they clambered ashore and headed for the lanes leading to the Poacher’s Pocket.
  27. brusquely
    in a blunt direct manner
    “The flyer,” Granny said brusquely.
  28. dismay
    the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
    Betty closed her eyes in dismay.
  29. drudgery
    hard, monotonous, routine work
    Why didn’t Fliss want to escape the everyday drudgery, or care about Granny controlling them anymore?
  30. jowl
    a looseness of the flesh of the lower cheek and jaw
    Granny lowered her hand, her jowls wobbling as she glanced about.
  31. threadbare
    thin and tattered with age
    As they climbed them, Betty eyed the peeling wallpaper and threadbare carpet, trying to focus on normal, everyday things.
  32. brandish
    move or swing back and forth
    Despite Granny’s strict instructions not to name it, brandishing her broom and yelling “Oi!” every time it took a swipe at Charlie, the cat always returned and did as it pleased.
  33. skulk
    move stealthily
    “Poor Oi,” she murmured as the cat skulked away downstairs.
  34. flimsy
    not convincing
    And yet Granny was about to reveal something else, some explanation of why they were trapped in Crowstone. Well, it had better be good, Betty decided. A real, solid reason to crush her dreams and not just flimsy fears.
  35. bamboozle
    conceal one's true motives from
    Witches were make-believe, weren’t they? Or did Granny use more than beer to bamboozle?
  36. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    “Must you smoke?” Fliss chided, moving her chair away. “You know it stinks, and we don’t like breathing it in.”
  37. jiggery-pokery
    dishonest or underhanded behavior
    Before tonight she would have scoffed at this—before Granny’s jiggery-pokery with the carpetbag, that was. Part of her longed to believe this was all an elaborate trick to pay her back for sneaking off, but she knew Granny would never neglect a pub full of thirsty customers, and Fliss was as useless at lying as she was at cooking.
  38. embellishment
    a superfluous ornament
    It was dark, with a curved lid and curling iron embellishments.
  39. auburn
    (of hair) colored a moderate reddish-brown
    There were four in total, each with wavy auburn hair and chestnut-brown eyes, so detailed that tiny freckles even dotted their cheeks.
  40. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    Each doll held an ornate key, painted and engraved into the wood’s surface in such a way that when the dolls were taken apart, each half had part of its key.
Created on Wed Sep 21 15:48:34 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Jul 31 16:17:47 EDT 2023)

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