Chapter 1 Flashcards
Panhandled
He was small for his age, smaller than the other boys who panhandled in the underpass at Arbatskaya, but at eleven years old, he had already done it all.
To ask strangers for money, especially in a public place.
Underpass
He was small for his age, smaller than the other boys who panhandled in the underpass at Arbatskaya, but at eleven years old, he had already done it all.
Type of TUNNEL
An underground tunnel or passage enabling pedestrians to cross a road or railway.
Turning Tricks
He had been smoking cigarettes for four years, stealing for three and a half, and turning tricks for two.
Have a customer, of a prostitute
Vocation
This last vocation Yakov did not much care for, but it was something Uncle Misha insisted upon.
The particular occupation for which you are trained
Brunt
Yakov, being the smallest and blondest of Uncle Misha’s boys, bore the brunt of the trade.
Type of FORCE
The main force of something unpleasant
Stump
They did not seem to care about Yakov’s missing left hand: indeed, most did not even notice his withered stump.
PART LEFT
The part of something, such as a tree, tooth, arm, or leg that is left after most of it has been removed
Withered
They did not seem to care about Yakov’s missing left hand: indeed, most did not even notice his withered stump.
Dry and Decaying
If your skin is looking a little withered from being out in the sun all the time, it’s time for a really good moisturizer.
Enchanted
They were too enchanted by his smallness, his blondness, his unflinching blue eyes.
Liking
Unflinching
They were too enchanted by his smallness, his blondness, his unflinching blue eyes.
Not frightened of or not trying to avoid something dangerous or unpleasant
Cot
Every morning when he woke up in Misha’s flat, he would reach up with his one good hand and grasp the head bar of his cot.
Small, portable bed
Stunted
Yakov was small because he came from stunted stock.
Prevented from growing or developing to the usual size.
Stock
Yakov was small because he came from stunted stock.
ORIGiN
The family or group that a person or animal comes from
Diminutive
At the tender age of eleven, Yakov was both diminutive and wise.
Very small
Valise
The woman, Nadiya, was a blonde, dressed in a skirt and jacket of fine wool, and she carried a hard-shelled valise.
A small overnight bag for short trips
Huddled
While the two men conducted business over vodka, the woman’s gaze wandered about the tiny flat, taking in the old army cots, the piles of dirty bedclothes, and the four boys huddled together in anxious silence.
Standing or sitting close together
Dullard
Stepan, the dullard, grinned back.
A stupid person
Transitional
“Our agency is quite familiar with transitional needs. They will stay for a while in a special school to give them time to adjust.”
Changing
Poised
She stood as though poised between pursuit and abandonment.
If you are poised, you’re self-posessed and in full control of your faculties. You’re balanced, grounded, and ready for action.
Banister
When the boy came running back downstairs clutching the tattered Shu-Shu, the woman seemed to melt in relief against the banister.
A railing at the side of the staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling
Furrowed
“Yes.” Misha sighed and ran a hand over his furrowed face.
Frowning
Catch
Misha went to the valise and unsnapped the catch.
FASTENING DEVICE
A small device on a door, window, bag, etc. that keeps it fastened
Scuffling
There were sounds of scuffling in the back seat.
Fighting
Pasty
At this hour, there were only a few patrons in the dining room, all of them wearing pasty masks of exhaustion.
(Of someone’s face/skin) very pale and unhealthy looking
Disarray
While washing her hands in the sink of the surgical intensive care unit, she had glimpsed herself in the mirror and had been dismayed by the smudges of fatigue under her dark eyes, by the disarray of her hair, which now hung in a tangled black mane.
Messy
Tangled
While washing her hands in the sink of the surgical intensive care unit, she had glimpsed herself in the mirror and had been dismayed by the smudges of fatigue under her dark eyes, by the disarray of her hair, which now hung in a tangled black mane.
KNOTTY
If your hair is tangled, you can’t brush or comb through it
Mane
While washing her hands in the sink of the surgical intensive care unit, she had glimpsed herself in the mirror and had been dismayed by the smudges of fatigue under her dark eyes, by the disarray of her hair, which now hung in a tangled black mane.
Thick, long hair on a person’s head
Scrub Suits
Eleven surgical residents now stood beside bed 11 in the SICU, forming a semiclrcle of white coats and green scrub suits around the residency chairman.
Clipboard
Though she held a clipboard in her arms, she did not refer to her notes.
Shearing Force
“But since the patient hasn’t improved, I guess that indicates a midbrain haemorrhage. It could be due to shearing forces.”
Shearing forces are unaligned forces pushing one part of the body in one specific direction, and another part of the body in the opposite direction. When the forces are aligned into each other, they are called compression forces.
