The New York Times at special bargain rates is a great short story by Stephen King a recognized writer.
This story is about a widow who received a call from her husband, her dead husband. No doubt, Stephen always knows how to surprise us with his stories full of horror, mystery and supernatural events.
This is a nice story, so for our first blog, we decided to make a list of unknown words, to enrich our vocabulary. Here is our list:
1. ACQUAINTANCES (noun)
UK: /əˈkweɪn.təns/ US: /əˈkweɪn.təns/
An Acquaintance is a person that you have met but do not know well.
Similar words: contact, familiarity.
Original Sentence in the story:
"Annie receives the sort of e-blast computer-addicts like to send to a wide circle of acquaintances."
More examples:
- It would be great if you considered my sister your friend, not just an acquaintance.
- She doesn’t consider us friends, to her I am just an acquaintance.
- Are you still talking to him? No, he broke my heart! Therefore he's just an acquaintance to me, we've got nothing to talk about.
- Mark gradually lost contact with all his old acquaintances.
2. AISLE (noun)
UK: /aɪl/ US: /aɪl/
Aisle is used to refer to a long narrow space between rows of seats in a aircraft, cinema, or church.
Similar words: hallway, passage.
Original Sentence in the story:
"The overhead bins popping open, carry-ons starting to fly, someone’s Norelco razor rolling up the tilted aisle."
More examples:
- The aisles in the teather are narrow, so I always wait for everyone to leave the room.
- The church’s aisle is not so narrow, we can make to rows.
- Hey Tom where are you? I need your help come quick please, I'm in the 4th aisle from the entrance.
- Mom, I want you to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.
3. CRIBBAGE (noun)
UK: /ˈkrɪbɪdʒ/ US /ˈkrɪbɪdʒ/
A card game in wich players record the score by putting small pegs in holes in a wooden borden.
Similar words: crib, backgammon.
Original Sentence in the story:
"Cribbage or canasta would do, but hearts was his true love."
More examples:
- My Grandfather has played Cribbage all his life.
- My dad considers Cribbage a great game, but he has never taught me how to play it.
- My girlfriend hates to play Cribbage, she says it is the most boring game she's ever played.
- Would you like to play Cribbage with me and my family?
4. GUTTER (noun)
UK: /ˈɡʌt.ər / US /ˈɡʌt̬.ɚ/
Gutter (channel) is the edge of a road where rain flows away.
Others meaning: an open pipe, usually the lower edge of a roof, that collects and carries away rain.
Similar words: drain, channel, rainspout.
Original Sentence in the story:
"He fell from the roof of a summer cottage while cleaning the gutters and broke his neck."
More examples:
- My brother fall in a gutter when he was a child, my mom was mad at me, because I didn't take care of my brother.
- My favorite movie is "It" and my favorite scene is when the Bill's brother see Pennywise in the gutter. It was amazing!
- There are no gutters throughout the area, the rain washes down the face of the building.
- Many people have had to repair gutters, roofs and parts of the structures of buildings. It was needed!
5. LOUSY (adjective)
UK: / ˈlaʊ.zi / US //ˈlaʊ.zi/
Lousy means very bad. Use "Lousy" to sound more native.
Similar words: awful, terrible.
Original Sentence in the story:
"Lots of others have been trying, we’re lousy with cell phones, but no luck."
More examples:
- My internet has been lousy this month.
- I love my boyfriend, but sometimes he make me feel lousy.
- I had a lousy weekend.
- I've been feeling lousy since yesterday. I'll go to the doctor tomorrow.
6. SHREWISH (adjectives)
UK /ˈʃruː.ɪʃ/ US /ˈʃruː.ɪʃ/
(Of a woman) unpleasant, easily annoyed, and arguing a lot.
Similar words: Bad-tempered, agressive.
Original Sentence in the story:
"In her normal voice, this might have come out sounding shrewish."
Tense: The verb "Thwacking" is in present participle.
More examples:
- She was a very shrewish woman.
- Roxanna looks like a sweet woman, but she's spiteful and shrewish.
- I thought you were shrewish when I met you.
- Mario used to have a shrewish wife, but now thank God, they're divorced.
7. THUMPING (adjective, before noun)
UK /ˈθʌm.pɪŋ/ US/ˈθʌm.pɪŋ/
Very big or important.
Similar words: Extremely, huge, enormous, remarkably.
Similar words: Extremely, huge, enormous, remarkably.
Original Sentence in the story:
"The truth of what that would mean occurs after the question, thumping down with the heavy weight of a dropped book on a bare foot, and she begins to cry."
More examples:
- The concert was a great thumping show.
- She told me a thumping lie, so I’ll never trust on her again.
- Bad Bunny's concert is going to be thumping in Honduras!
- Heather wants to have plastic surgery to get a nice and thumping butt.
8. THWACK (verb transitive)
UK /θwæk/ US /θwæk/
The short, loud sound of something like a stick hitting a surface.
Similar words: Smack, knock, hit.
Original Sentence in the story:
"Her wet hair thwacking unpleasantly on the back of her neck and bare shoulders."
Tense: The verb "Thwacking" is in present participle.
More examples:
- Louis thwacked my head with his futbol ball.
- He was thwacking the punch bag.
- The cop carried a stick, ready to thwack anybody who offended his ear or eye.
- Could you please thwack the emergency bottom.
9. WAYWARD (adjective)
UK /ˈweɪ.wəd/ US /ˈweɪ.wɚd/
Doing only what you want and often changing your behaviour in a way that is difficut to control.
Similar words: Stubborn, wilful, obstinate.
Original Sentence in the story:
"A mother scolding her wayward eleven-year-old who’s come late to the supper-table yet again."
More examples:
- My wayward father won’t never accept our relationship.
- Daniel is the most wayward pupil that I’ve met.
- I've been a particularly wayward son.
- I'm gonna (informal) warn you, my sister is an extremely wayward girl.
10. WRECKAGE (noun)
UK: /ˈrek.ɪdʒ/ US /ˈrek.ɪdʒ/
A badly amage object or the separated parts of a badly damaged object.
Similar words: remains, fragments, debris.
Original Sentence in the story:
"Her husband crawled from the wreckage of the burning plane."
More examples:
- There is a kid trapped in the wreckage of the house.
- I would like to see the wreckage of the Egyptian tombs.
- Rose was pulled from the wreckage of the building.
- They did see wreckage from the Titanic and a few empty lifeboats.
Bibliography
1. Cambridge University Press. (n.d.). Cambridge Dictionary: Find Definitions, Meanings & Translations. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved February 14, 2022, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/
2. CRIBBAGE (noun) definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary. (n.d.). Macmillan Dictionary. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/cribbage
3. D. (2016, September 9). thwack. Vidtionary: A Video Dictionary. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from http://www.vidtionary.com/words/thwack
