Lor Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies
Vocabulary Chapter 1
The Sound of the Shell

1. crooks: curves behind the knees "The naked crooks of his knees were plump.."

2. lodgments: resting places "He came forward, searching out safe lodgments for his feet..."

3. proffer: offer "The fat boy waited to be asked his name in turn but his proffer of acquaintance was not made."

4. garter: a band wornto hold up a stocking "He ripped off each stocking with its elastic garter..."

5. sidelong: sideways "Ralph looked at him [Piggy] sidelong and said nothing."

6. motif: single or repeated design "Here the beach was interrupted abruptly by the square motif of the landscape..."

7. efflorescence: blossoming "It [ lagoon] was clear to the bottom and bright with the efflorescence oftropical weed and coral."

8. specious: deceptive "Ralph had been deceived before now by the specious appearance of depth in a beach pool and he approached this one preparing to be disappointed."

9. lolled: lounged, relaxed "Ralph lolled in the water."

10. swathing: engulfing "Sleep enveloped him [Ralph] like the swathing mirages that were wrestling with the brilliance of the lagoon."

11. effulgence: brilliance "...the heat seemed to increase till it became a threatening weight and the lagoon attacked them with a blinding effulgence."

12. enmity: ill-will dislike "He [Ralph] trotted through the sand, enduring the sun's enmity, crossed the platform and found his scattered clothes."

13. fronds: large leaves with many divisions "When the breezes reached theplatform the palm fronds would whisper..."

14. decorous: proper and in good taste "Suddenly Piggy was a-bubble with decorous excitement."

15. phantoms: ghosts, apparitions "The shell was interesting and pretty and worthy plaything; but the vivid phantoms of his day-dream still interposed between him and Piggy..."

16. interposed: intruded: got between "The shell was interesting and prettyand worthy plaything; but the vivid phantoms of his day-dream still interposed between him and Piggy..."

17. embossed: raised "...eighteen inches of shell with a slight spiral twist and covered with a delicate, embossed pattern."

18. pursed: puckered "Ralph pursed his lips and squirted air into the shell which emitted a low, farting noise."

19. intricacies: details "A deep, harshnote boomed under the palms, spread through the intricacies of the forest and echoed back..."

20. fluking :changing by chance "The note boomed again; and then at his firmer pressure, the note, fluking up an octave, became a strident blare more penetrating than before."

21. strident: harsh and loud "The note boomed again; and then at his firmer pressure, the note, fluking up an octave,became a strident blare more penetrating than before."

22. wubber: onomatopoeia- blubber: cry "Ralph's breath failed; the note dropped the octave, became a low wubber, was a rush of air."

23. stupendous: amazing "[Ralph's] His face was dark with violent pleasure of making this stupendous noise..."

24. tow: pale; straw "The two boys [Sam and Eric], bullet-headed and with hair like tow,flung themselves down and lay grinning and panting at Ralph like dogs."

25. incredulous: unbelieving: sceptical "They [Sam and Eric] were twins, and the eye was shocked and incredulous at such cheery duplication."

26. eccentric: odd "...a party of boys, marching approximately in step in two parallel lines and dressed in strangely eccentric clothing."

27. hambone frill: a collarfrill, resembling that put on baked ham "Their bodies, from throat to ankle, were hidden by black cloaks which boar a long silver cross on the left breast and each neck was finished off with a hambone frill."

28. matins: morning prayer "He's [Simon] always throwing a faint," said Merridew. "he did in Gib.; and Addis; and matins over the precentor."

29. precentor: choir lead "He's [Simon]...