The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin: Chapters 18–25

by Elinor Teele
For more than one hundred years, his family has been making coffins in the city of Pludgett, but eleven-year-old John Peregrine Coggin does not want to be trapped in a lifeless job, so he runs away with his younger sister.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: "The Beginning"–Chapter 5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–17, Chapters 18–25, Chapter 26–"The End of the Beginning"
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bumptious
    offensively self-assertive
    “What we need is a diversionary ally,” Boz replied. “Someone to distract our bumptious observer during key hours of the afternoon.”
  2. penance
    voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for something
    Perhaps as an act of penance for running away in Hayseed, their friend worked harder than ever before.
  3. endeavor
    a purposeful or industrious undertaking
    One morning, he sneaked out to have a look under the tarp, and it took an “accidental” tackle from Boz to prevent him from discovering their endeavors.
  4. bucolic
    idyllically rustic
    The finale of our bucolic summer sojourn together.
  5. actuarial
    relating to statistics to calculate insurance premiums
    “I know the whereabouts of every overachieving accelerant ever to offend an actuarial heart. I will be back faster than you can say flash flood insurance!”
  6. succumb
    give in, as to overwhelming force, influence, or pressure
    Nevertheless, it was past eleven before Page succumbed to fatigue and Leslie stopped huffing and puffing in his room.
  7. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    “Boz, until I’ve finished this drawing, don’t talk to me unless your pants are on fire, do you understand?”
    Surly silence was Boz’s reply.
  8. brusque
    rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner
    Boz gave John a brusque nod and stomped outside.
  9. sinuous
    curved or curving in and out
    The tongue of fire that had followed Boz into the house had died out. But a sinuous flicker was now making its way toward the oven.
  10. volatility
    the trait of being unpredictable
    And with that, he was off again, a firefly of volatility blinking in the night.
  11. reprobate
    a person without moral scruples
    “What are you doing with this reprobate?” asked Tom. “You should be at home, tucked up safe in bed.”
  12. upshot
    a phenomenon that is caused by some previous phenomenon
    “Malaria?” queried John.
    “Yes, well,” Boz ahemmed. “The unfortunate upshot of my salad days. I’m afraid these gentlemen and I made our acquaintance during the excavation of a canal.”
  13. forgo
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
    “If you choose to lead a rootless existence, you must be prepared to forgo fertilizer.”
  14. receptacle
    a container that is used to put or keep things in
    “Well, I’m afraid the facilities here aren’t quite what you’re used to. There is however, a tin receptacle...”
    “A what?”
    Boz coughed again.
    “A bucket. Behind those boxes. We empty it every ten miles or so.”
  15. pneumatic
    relating to or using air or a similar gas
    “Fine morning,” he began.
    Only the coffee spurting on the side of the pot answered him.
    “Excellent pneumatic pressure being exerted in the upper strata of the hemispheric regions.”
  16. catatonic
    characterized by unresponsiveness or lack of movement
    “Now,” Great-Aunt Beauregard said, removing a hat festooned with a catatonic cardinal and a trio of yellow finches.
  17. parry
    impede the movement of
    For several agonizing minutes, the two warriors remained locked in battle. The brain thrust, and the heart parried. The heart charged, and the brain blocked.
  18. caterwaul
    a loud and unpleasant yowling sound
    His great-aunt’s caterwaul was growing louder.
  19. subcutaneous
    located or applied under the skin
    “I don’t think he’s dead! Merely a case of the catawampus, brought on by a mixture of iodine deficiency and a lack of subcutaneous nitrogen.”
  20. demur
    politely refuse or take exception to
    Boz began to demur.
    “Tell it to the Marines,” the woman said briskly. “We’re wasting time.”
  21. obstinate
    resistant to guidance or discipline
    In the foreground of this barren planet stood a huddle of tents and one obstinate mule.
  22. redoubtable
    worthy of respect or honor
    And the huddle, John was soon to learn, represented the home base for the scientific expedition of the redoubtable Patricia M. Doyle.
  23. alluvial
    relating to deposits carried by rushing streams
    Having studied the alluvial patterns of the Chimchi River for my research, I know all the twists and turns of its currents.
  24. emaciated
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    You couldn’t hide an emaciated rabbit in this landscape.
  25. throes
    violent pangs of suffering
    John awoke to the sound of a constipated elephant in its death throes.
  26. reveille
    a signal, usually a bugle call, to get up in the morning
    “Reveille,” Page said as she rolled out of her cot and landed with a bump on the ground. “Miss Doyle likes to play her trumpet in the morning.”
  27. indispensable
    absolutely necessary
    No matter which way he turned it, he couldn’t understand what Miss Doyle was talking about. He chewed on his bottom lip. Making himself indispensable was going to be more complicated than he had imagined.
  28. idiosyncrasy
    a behavioral attribute peculiar to an individual
    In spite of her idiosyncrasies, John did his best to be of service.
  29. pathological
    caused by or evidencing a mentally disturbed condition
    So Boz hadn’t told Miss Doyle. Well, that made him a little less of a pathological liar.
  30. obscure
    make unclear, indistinct, or blurred
    John was so angry, his hands were shaking and tiny red spots were obscuring his vision.
  31. convoluted
    highly complex or intricate
    But if John was hoping that the new plan would bury his nightmares, he was sorely mistaken. If anything, his visions became more convoluted.
  32. pinion
    restrain or bind
    They’d be laughing and waving handkerchiefs and happy as birds—right up to the point when a hideous vulture swooped down and pinioned them with its claws.
  33. sonorous
    full and loud and deep
    It was a thundering, sonorous laugh that rolled across the dig site.
  34. dilatory
    wasting time
    “You aren’t teaching your dilatory pupils the art of combat. You aren’t teaching them how to fight with their fists.”
  35. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “To hold something?” Page offered tentatively.
  36. testy
    easily irritated or annoyed
    For reasons he couldn’t quite decipher, the story of Hom made John as testy as a bear with an ulcerated molar.
  37. limbic
    of or relating to brain structures regulating emotion
    Security duty had finally proved too much of a strain on Boz’s limbic capacity. He had disappeared on the night after the discussion of the temple. Miss Doyle had taught John and Page a few new words for “ruddy flipping fool” that day.
  38. tantamount
    being essentially equal to something
    Believing that Maria would betray them was tantamount to saying that stars were made of coconuts or the tides were governed by the decrees of houseflies.
  39. introspection
    contemplation of your own thoughts and desires and conduct
    His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder.
    “Ahem, I hate to disturb your introspection, but I am having some difficulty establishing the coordinates of your sister.”
  40. deign
    do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
    “Page! Come back!” John bellowed to the wind. The wind did not deign to answer.
Created on Mon Aug 19 09:27:19 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Aug 20 09:50:27 EDT 2024)

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