Clarice the Brave: List 3

by Lisa McMann
Clarice and Charles Sebastian are sister and brother mice who are fearfully huddling together on a ship, until a mutiny separates them and forces them to fight to survive.

This list covers "Hanging On"–"Worse Than Before."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 6 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stark
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    The atmosphere was stark out here. Charles Sebastian missed the clink of dishes. The soothing ripple of coffee beans shifting with the roll of the sea.
  2. cryptic
    having a secret or hidden meaning
    The conversation was cryptic, yet a few of the phrases echoed in his mind, seeming very important. Who could they be talking about?
  3. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    With heavy limbs and aching joints from being still for so long, Charles Sebastian wearily restarted his existence and dragged himself up to the top deck.
  4. melancholy
    characterized by or causing or expressing sadness
    The melancholy feeling he’d been having settled deep inside him like a rattling cough.
  5. instill
    fill, as with a certain quality
    The remaining loose chains clapped against the wooden bars, reminding Charles Sebastian of sounds from the galley, which was almost comforting despite the terror the kitchen boy had instilled.
  6. innovative
    introducing new ideas or creative methods
    She was always imagining innovative things, like using the broken spoon to carry water to him when he was too afraid to leave the pantry.
  7. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    He studied the chains. Clarice would notice them and point out that their tautness meant the girl couldn’t go far.
  8. leeward
    on the side away from the wind
    After that, he continued dragging it over to the leeward side of the cage and pressed himself into the corner, his back to the solid wall.
  9. monotonous
    tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
    It’s just that humans are always talking, and it becomes monotonous and repetitive and squawkish, like a seagull circling a sailor who has a bit of food in his hand.
  10. incessant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    But there comes a point when no amount of empathy can overcome incessant moans.
  11. lark
    any carefree episode
    Attempting to accomplish a difficult task while always looking up and darting about to avoid death was no lark.
  12. poultice
    a medical dressing spread on a cloth and applied to the skin
    Tembe fixed him a poultice out of flour, precious water, and a piece of his shirt to help ease Heyu’s pain and draw out the infection.
  13. contemplate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Once Heyu had the compress shoved into his mouth, and the fur-coated barbarian had settled down and contemplated her options, I had fewer tasks to tend to.
  14. fester
    generate pus
    I noticed for the first time that Tembe’s shirt was in shreds, front and back, as if a giant Special Lady had raked her claws around him. But peeking between the rips in fabric were festering striped wounds that no cat could have caused.
  15. whim
    a sudden desire
    “Whoever stole the food, confess now and take your punishment. Or I’ll throw you all to the sharks one by one at my whim.”
  16. frenzied
    affected with or marked by mania uncontrolled by reason
    When the fight turned frenzied, the captain barked an order.
  17. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    My fear was palpable as I crossed the open space between fish and safety, but Special Lady didn’t come at me.
  18. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    Tembe crouched down with his shirt lifted over his head, trying to protect his burning skin. Lucía ripped open an empty sack and placed it over Heyu’s head and shoulders to shield it. Only the captain seemed oblivious to the worsening burns and weeping sores on his body.
  19. contentious
    showing an inclination to disagree
    But something had changed in our contentious relationship when the sailors had refused to offer her a ration of food.
  20. dire
    fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
    With such limited food, no water, and no land in sight, it wouldn’t be long before things grew dire.
  21. bravado
    a swaggering show of courage
    Try as I might, I couldn’t muster up the bravado or arrogance I’d had the other day.
  22. albatross
    a large web-footed bird noted for powerful gliding flight
    Charles Sebastian didn’t know whether the albatross was a predator or not, but it didn’t seem to care about him.
  23. insubordinate
    not submissive to authority
    “Quiet, you insubordinate sneak,” said Mr. Thomas haughtily.
  24. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    “Quiet, you insubordinate sneak,” said Mr. Thomas haughtily. “Never speak to me.”
  25. vulnerable
    capable of being wounded or hurt
    But a crazy-eyed chicken was staring down at him, her beak mere inches from Charles Sebastian’s vulnerable eyes.
  26. prelude
    something that introduces what follows
    The incident with Heyu and the missing food was the prelude to something dreadful.
  27. testy
    easily irritated or annoyed
    With no water, life quickly became unbearable. By the end of the first waterless day, things were testy.
  28. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    “Are you accusing me of attempted murder?” asked the captain, incredulous and arrogant even as he faced thirsting to death.
  29. partial
    having a strong preference or liking for
    I wasn’t sure whether she still felt loyalty to the captain or if she now despised him as much as I did. Heyu had often fed her in the past, so she might be partial to him.
  30. wariness
    the trait of being cautious and watchful
    Our wariness of each other was verging on the cold side of respect.
  31. bail
    remove (water) from a vessel with a container
    If they all died, how long could a mouse and cat live together on a boat that was aimlessly floating wherever the sail decided to turn? With no one to bail out the seawater?
  32. morbid
    suggesting the horror of death and decay
    It seemed morbid to talk like that, yet here we were, on the brink of expiration. Both of us were familiar with death.
  33. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    I glanced at the cat, who got up and tentatively made the rounds, sniffing at everything that was...different.
  34. disconcerting
    causing an emotional disturbance
    It was disconcerting to see Heyu and the other man slip away under the liquid that reflected the blue sky, like they were passing through colored glass.
  35. consternate
    fill with confusion, dismay, or dread
    The captain studied the landscape with a consternated look on his face.
  36. preoccupation
    the mental state of being obsessed by something
    The sailor in the boat strained to see any sort of action onshore, and with her preoccupation, I took the opportunity to sneak more salted cod into my stash.
  37. foliage
    the collective amount of leaves of one or more plants
    “The tree leaves are moving,” Special Lady reported. Then, “The captain just burst out from the foliage. And the others! They’re running toward us.”
  38. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    Seconds later, the boat tipped wildly as sailors clambered in.
  39. grim
    filled with melancholy and despondency
    Tembe nodded grimly. “Silveridge went down. He was next to me.”
  40. callousness
    a lack of sympathy or regard for others
    And they’d left one of their sailors behind to fend for himself.
    I shivered at the callousness.
Created on Tue Oct 18 20:56:39 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Sep 11 17:51:49 EDT 2023)

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