Vocabulary for My Brother Sam is Dead

Question 1

prevail

Answer 1

be victorious, to win, to overcome

Question 2

agitators

Answer 2

a person who urges others to protest or rebel

Question 3

sloth

Answer 3

reluctance to work or make an effort;

laziness:

Question 4

subversion

Answer 4

undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution

Question 5

treason

Answer 5

the crime of betraying one’s country

the action of betraying someone or something

Question 6

gaudy

Answer 6

extravagantly bright or showy, typically so as to be tasteless:

Question 7

swill

Answer 7

wash or rinse out (an area or container) by pouring large amounts of water or other liquid over or into it:

I swilled out the mug.

Question 8

lasciviousness

Answer 8

feeling or revealing an overt and often offensive sexual desire:

Question 9

vile

Answer 9

extremely unpleasant:
• morally bad; wicked

Question 10

cordial

Answer 10

warm and friendly:

Question 11

hunkered

Answer 11

squat or crouch down low: he hunkered down beside her.

apply oneself seriously to a task: students hunkered down to prepare for the examinations.

Question 12

ramrod

Answer 12

a rod for ramming down the charge of a muzzleloading firearm.

Question 13

skirmishes

Answer 13

an episode of irregular or unpremeditated fighting, esp. between small or outlying parts of armies or fleets

there was a skirmish over the budget.

Question 14

recalcitrance

Answer 14

having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline

Question 15

regiment

Answer 15

a permanent unit of an army typically commanded by a colonel and divided into several companies, squadrons, or batteries and often into two battalions:

Question 16

hardtack

Answer 16

hard dry bread or biscuit, esp. as rations for sailors.

Question 17

pallets

Answer 17

a straw mattress.

Question 18

sedition

Answer 18

conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.

Question 19

seines

Answer 19

a fishing net that hangs vertically in the water with floats at the top and weights at the bottom edge, the ends being drawn together to encircle the fish.

Question 20

hogsheads

Answer 20

a large cask

Question 21

wharf

Answer 21

a level quayside area to which a ship may be moored to load and unload.

Question 22

skiffs

Answer 22

a shallow, flat-bottomed open boat with sharp bow and square stern.

Question 23

drover

Answer 23

a herd or flock of animals being driven in a body

Question 24

slogged

Answer 24

work hard over a period of time

Question 25

turmoil

Answer 25

a state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty

Question 26

hemlocks

Answer 26

a highly poisonous European plant of the parsley family, with a purple-spotted stem, fernlike leaves, small white flowers, and an unpleasant smell.

Question 27

taproom

Answer 27

a room in which alcoholic drinks, esp. beer, are available on tap; a bar in a hotel or inn.

Question 28

cockaded

Answer 28

a rosette or knot of ribbons worn in a hat as a badge of office or party, or as part of a livery.

Question 29

mutiny

Answer 29

an open rebellion against the proper authorities, esp. by soldiers or sailors against their officers

Question 30

adjutant

Answer 30

a military officer who acts as an administrative assistant to a senior officer.

Question 31

distill

Answer 31

purify (a liquid) by vaporizing it, then condensing it by cooling the vapor, and collecting the resulting liquid

Question 32

floundering

Answer 32

struggle or stagger helplessly or clumsily in water or mud

Question 33

foreboding

Answer 33

fearful apprehension; a feeling that something bad will happen

Question 34

compulsory

Answer 34

required by law or a rule; obligatory

Question 35

curt

Answer 35

rudely briefcommissary

Question 36

commissary

Answer 36

a restaurant in a movie studio, military base, prison, or other institution.

Question 37

hardship

Answer 37

severe suffering or privation

Question 38

pewter

Answer 38

a gray alloy of tin with copper and antimony (formerly, tin and lead).

Question 39

quirt

Answer 39

a short-handled riding whip with a braided leather lash

Question 40

cantering

Answer 40

a three-beat gait of a horse or other quadruped between a trot and a gallop

Question 41

plowshares

Answer 41

the main cutting blade of a plow, behind the coulter.

Question 42

pigheaded

Answer 42

stupidly obstinate

Question 43

hedgerows

Answer 43

a hedge of wild shrubs and trees, typically bordering a road or field.

Question 44

swaggering

Answer 44

walk or behave in a very confident and typically arrogant or aggressive way

Question 45

striding

Answer 45

walk with long, decisive steps in a specified direction

Question 46

vanguard

Answer 46

a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas

Question 47

fusillade

Answer 47

a series of shots fired or missiles thrown all at the same time or in quick succession