The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams: Chapters 5–7

by Daniel Nayeri
Renamed "Monkey" by Samir, who bought him from murderous monks, twelve-year-old Omar struggles to repay the debt by serving and protecting the trader as they travel from China to Uzbekistan.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–7, Chapters 8–10, Chapters 11–16
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. straggle
    wander from a direct or straight course
    A few locals straggled nearby, pretending to shop while eavesdropping.
  2. casual
    without or seeming to be without plan or method; offhand
    “Besides a casual threat,” said Samir. “Think specifically.”
  3. haggle
    wrangle, as over a price or terms of an agreement
    Samir leaned toward me and whispered, “Those aren’t anything to worry about. People say things they don’t mean when they’re haggling.”
  4. chafe
    tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading
    “They were the newest kind!” said Samir. “Mongols have been using them and look how well it worked for them.”
    “The guys said they chafed,” said the horseman.
  5. fester
    decay with an offensive smell
    The others made space for the stench of his festering teeth.
  6. incensed
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    “Why didn’t she say anything?”
    “She was busy,” said the woman, incensed by such a stupid comment. “You ever try caring for three babies?”
  7. faction
    a clique that seeks power usually through intrigue
    Assassins are the only faction not trying to kill me right now.
  8. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    I also asked God in that moment to disregard my previous request for marriage to such a haughty blacksmith’s assistant, who was always looking down at me.
  9. cowl
    a loose hood or hooded robe
    “Are you going to tell me?” I said, pulling back the cowl of my robe to look up at her.
  10. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
    A killer so great that the capital kings hire him to wipe nations from the earth. The major killing lines believe he is their patron god.
  11. ware
    commodities offered for sale
    The young or stupid merchants traveling west out of Turfan all stopped at Korla’s bazaar, fat with wares from the Far East.
  12. saffron
    aromatic dried stigmas of a crocus flower, used as flavoring
    At the indoor spice market, the merchants arranged open crates with colored mounds of red saffron threads, yellow turmeric, purple sumac, blue salt, black pepper, brown sugar, and green dried sage.
  13. sage
    aromatic fresh or dried gray-green leaves used as seasoning
    At the indoor spice market, the merchants arranged open crates with colored mounds of red saffron threads, yellow turmeric, purple sumac, blue salt, black pepper, brown sugar, and green dried sage.
  14. stupor
    a state of being half-awake
    A hand clapped me on the shoulder to bring me back from my stupor.
  15. gaudy
    tastelessly showy
    I spotted the jeweler by his gaudy hat, Mara by her jade sash and the halted conversations of the men around her.
  16. maw
    the mouth, jaws, or throat
    And so, there I stood, before a pagan troll king, his lidless amber eyes flickering in the fireworks of his mealy maw, his wife beside him, snacking on a mossy stone.
  17. indifferent
    showing no care or concern in attitude or action
    My mighty steed, Rostam, held fast, indifferent to all danger. Monkey was terrified, of course.
  18. fanciful
    indulging in or influenced by the imagination
    I am being fanciful, brothers, for the telling’s sake.
  19. climactic
    consisting of or causing a decisive moment
    I spotted one man tucking a handful of nutmeg into his pocket, just as Samir described the climactic troll feast.
  20. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    “A pinch of clove meant, You wouldn’t like the taste of Monkey. His insides are too bitter with religious contempt—what?!”
  21. trundle
    move slowly or heavily
    Samir trundled a few steps behind me with the berserker just a few steps behind him.
  22. akin
    similar in quality or character
    In terms of hired killers, the berserker was most akin to a battering ram or a stampeding rhino.
  23. shrewd
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    You are a shrewd individual, so you can probably guess what happened from here.
  24. muslin
    plain-woven cotton fabric
    I quickly poured the gunpowder into a little muslin sack that the spicers used to package their goods for customers.
  25. convoy
    a procession of land vehicles traveling together
    Rasseem, Smithy, Mara, and the rest of the convoy marched behind us with all the pack animals.
  26. proprietor
    someone who owns a business
    The proprietor was a dear and personal friend of Samir’s—he assured us—and would have rooms to spare.
  27. barb
    an aggressive remark directed at a person
    Rasseem had been the first to make the point that most of Samir’s personal friends had decided to murder him, but Samir took the barb with no response.
  28. render
    give or supply
    “You’ll brush Rostam because you’re my monkey, and I’ll give you half a bolt for services rendered above and beyond those of being my monkey.”
  29. shamble
    walk by dragging one's feet
    We approached the lonely inn as ragged ghouls shamble up to a gravekeeper’s door.
  30. vagrant
    a wanderer with no established residence or means of support
    It had once been a larger establishment, a caravanserai, with stables for horses and livestock, silos for storage, and a courtyard with a washing fountain. But now, it had shuttered all but the main tavern hall and several rooms for solitary vagrants.
  31. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    I squinted into the night and thought I could discern the faint silhouette of a poplar tree, where a rider might tie an animal.
  32. dervish
    a Muslim monk of an order noted for fast ceremonial dancing
    It was nothing but a vagabond dervish, here to beg and preach his vague and carefree religion.
  33. sidle
    move unobtrusively or furtively
    I sidled next to the innkeep, who sat on a stool with his arms crossed overseeing the customers.
  34. implore
    beg or request earnestly and urgently
    Later, he would describe the chant as the “sad, imploring wail we’ve all got buried in our hearts—the sound of begging someone, anyone, to hear us.”
  35. compel
    force somebody to do something
    My legs compelled me to dance and whirl along with the dervish, who seemed fully embraced by the moment.
  36. sect
    a subdivision of a larger religious group
    “From a killing sect,” I added. This one was a killing dervish.
  37. cistern
    an artificial reservoir for storing liquids
    I prodded him and shouted, “Do you have a cistern, a well, anything?”
  38. trough
    a container from which cattle or horses feed
    “A trough for horses to drink?”
  39. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    “If God wills it,” I said in my most solemn monkish tone.
  40. destitute
    poor enough to need help from others
    I was now the servant of a destitute man.
Created on Sat Apr 06 15:36:20 EDT 2024 (updated Mon Apr 08 14:17:32 EDT 2024)

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