The book thief Flashcards
Sprawl
verb
sit, lie, or fall with one’s arms and legs spread out in an ungainly or awkward way.
“the door shot open, sending him sprawling across the pavement”
Synonymes :
stretch out
lounge
loll
lie
lie down
lie back
recline
drape oneself
be recumbent
be prostrate
be supine
slump
flop
slouch
noun
an ungainly or carelessly relaxed position in which one’s arms and legs are spread out.
“she fell into a sort of luxurious sprawl”
Hurdle
noun
1.
one of a series of upright frames over which athletes in a race must jump.
“a hurdle race”
2.
an obstacle or difficulty.
“there are many hurdles to overcome”
Synonymes :
obstacle
difficulty
problem
barrier
bar
snag
stumbling block
impediment
obstruction
complication
handicap
hindrance
hiccup
headache
fly in the ointment
spanner in the works
monkey wrench in the works
verb
1.
take part in a race that involves jumping hurdles.
“this gelding hurdled fluently”
2.
enclose or fence off with hurdles.
“a maze of individual hurdled pens”
Stench
noun
a strong and very unpleasant smell.
“the stench of rotting fish”
Loll
verb
sit, lie, or stand in a lazy, relaxed way.
“the two girls lolled in their chairs”
Synonymes :
lounge
sprawl
drape oneself
stretch oneself
lie
sit
flop
slouch
slump
laze
luxuriate
put one’s feet up
lean back
recline
relax
take it easy
repose
rest
loaf
idle
vegetate
hang around
hang loosely; droop.
“he slumped against a tree trunk, his head lolling back”
stick out (one’s tongue) so that it hangs loosely out of the mouth.
“the boy lolled out his tongue”
Prattle
verb
talk at length in a foolish or inconsequential way.
“she began to prattle on about her visit to the dentist”
Synonymes :
chatter
babble
prate
blather
blether
ramble
gabble
jabber
twitter
go on
run on
rattle on/away
blither
maunder
drivel
patter
gossip
tittle-tattle
tattle
yap
jibber-jabber
cackle
slabber
chitchat
jaw
gas
gab
blabber
yak
yackety-yak
yabber
yatter
shoot one’s mouth off
witter
rabbit
chunter
natter
waffle
run off at the mouth
mag
twaddle
clack
twattle
noun
foolish or inconsequential talk.
“do you intend to keep up this childish prattle?”
Havoc
noun
widespread destruction.
“the hurricane ripped through Florida causing havoc”
Synonymes :
devastation
destruction
damage
desolation
depredation
despoliation
ruination
ruin
disaster
ravagement
waste
catastrophe
verbARCHAIC
lay waste to; devastate.
Mutter
verb
say something in a low or barely audible voice, especially in dissatisfaction or irritation.
“he muttered something under his breath”
Similar:
talk under one’s breath
murmur
mumble
whisper
speak in an undertone
speak sotto voce
speak in hushed tones
talk to oneself
Opposite:
speak out
noun
a barely audible utterance, especially one expressing dissatisfaction or irritation.
“a little mutter of disgust”
Platoon
noun
a subdivision of a company of soldiers, usually forming a tactical unit that is commanded by a lieutenant and divided into several sections.
“the platoon commander”
Similar:
unit
patrol
troop
squad
team
squadron
company
group
corps
division
outfit
detachment
contingent
verb
(in baseball and other sports) have (an athlete) play in rotation with one or more teammates at the same position.
“he was underrated because of Stengel’s platooning him with Woodling”
Immaculate
especially of a person or their clothes) perfectly clean, neat, or tidy.
“an immaculate white suit”
Similar:
clean
spotless
pristine
unsoiled
unstained
unsullied
speckless
ultraclean
whiter than white
snowy white
lily white
shining
shiny
gleaming
neat
tidy
neat and tidy
spick and span
neat as a new pin
squeaky clean
as clean as a whistle
perfect
mint
as good as new
flawless
faultless
without blemish
unblemished
unimpaired
unspoiled
undamaged
unmarred
excellent
impeccable
prime
peak
tip-top
A1
Opposite:
dirty
grubby
bad
damaged
free from flaws or mistakes; perfect.
“an immaculate safety record”
Similar:
unblemished
spotless
pure
impeccable
unsullied
undefiled
untarnished
stainless
innocent
virtuous
incorrupt
guiltless
sinless
squeaky clean
as pure as the driven snow
Opposite:
blameworthy
THEOLOGY
(in the Roman Catholic Church) free from sin.
Rheumatism
noun
any disease marked by inflammation and pain in the joints, muscles, or fibrous tissue, especially rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis
a serious condition in which a person’s joints (= the places where two bones are connected) become painful, swollen, and stiff:
Murky
adjective
dark and gloomy, especially due to thick mist.
“the sky was murky and a thin drizzle was falling”
Similar:
dark
gloomy
gray
leaden
dull
dim
overcast
cloudy
clouded
sunless
foggy
misty
dismal
dreary
bleak
louring
threatening
cheerless
depressing
shadowy
somber
claggy
tenebrous
crepuscular
caliginous
Cimmerian
Opposite:
bright
sunny
(of liquid) dark and dirty; not clear.
“the murky silt of a muddy pond”
Similar:
dirty
muddy
cloudy
turbid
opaque
riled
roily
roiled
Opposite:
clear
not fully explained or understood, especially with concealed dishonesty or immorality.
“the murky world of espionage”
Stoppage
noun
an instance of movement, activity, or supply stopping or being stopped.
“the result of the air raid was complete stoppage of production”
Similar:
discontinuation
discontinuance
stopping
halting
halt
cessation
termination
end
finish
interruption
suspension
breaking off
Opposite:
start
beginning
continuation
a blockage in a narrow passage, such as the barrel of a gun.
Similar:
obstruction
blocking
occlusion
arrest
stasis
suppression
blockage
block
airlock
a cessation of work by employees protesting the terms set by their employers.
Vigorously
adverb
in a way that involves physical strength, effort, or energy; strenuously.
“she shook her head vigorously”
Similar:
strenuously
with great vigor
strongly
powerfully
potently
forcefully
with force
forcibly
energetically
aggressively
heartily
eagerly
with eagerness
enthusiastically
with enthusiasm
with great effort
with all one’s might
with might and main
with a will
for dear life
for all one is worth
to the best of one’s abilities
as best one can
all out
with a vengeance
fiercely
intensely
hard
as hard as possible
as hard as one can
with all the stops out
like the devil
like the deuce
at full tilt
like mad
like crazy
like nobody’s business
like it’s going out of style
like billy-o
hammer and tongs
going great guns
forcefully.
“he vigorously denied the allegation”
Drizzle
noun
light rain falling in very fine drops.
“Boston will be cloudy with patchy drizzle”
Similar:
fine rain
Scotch mist
sprinkle of rain
light shower
spray
mizzle
verb
rain lightly.
