Glossary

Chapter 2

Sought: (seek) to go in search of.

Wander: to move around without a definite purpose or plan.

Gained: (gain) advance. To acquire or get as an increase or addition.

Rewarding: money offered for the finding or capture of a criminal, the recovery of lost
property, etc.

Raged: (rag) angry fury.

Elicits: to draw or bring out or forth; evoke.

Masquerading: behaviour that is intended to prevent the truth about something

unpleasant or not wanted from becoming known.

Attempted: (of a crime) that someone has tried to commit without success.

Utterance: something that someone says.

Depths: the distance down either from the top of something to the bottom, or to a
distance below the top surface of something.

Plumbed: to supply a building or a device with water pipes, or to connect a building or

a device to a water pipe.

Fratwork: a supporting structure around which something can be built.

Claimed: to say that something is true or is a fact, although you cannot prove it and
other people might not believe it.

Deep: going or being a long way down from the top or surface, or being of a particular
distance from the top to the bottom.

Until: up to (the time that).

Enables: to make someone able to do something, or to make something possible.

Strides: an important positive development.

Wave: to raise your hand and move it from side to side as a way of greeting someone,
telling someone to do something, or adding emphasis to an expression.

Engage: to occupy the attention or efforts of.

Cluster: a number of things of the same kind, growing or held together.

Embed: to contain or implant as an essential part.

Isolated: separated from other persons or things.

Steps: a movement made by lifting the foot and setting it down again in a new position,
as in walking.

Giant: a being with human form but superhuman size and strength.

Boggles: to be overwhelmed: to burden excessively.

Emphases: special stress or importance attached to something.

Upon: in or into proximity with in time or space.

Underpinnings: a system of supports beneath a wall or the like.

Thorny: abounding in or characterized by thorns: a source or cause of continual

annoyance.

Forefront: the foremost part or place.

Foremost: first in place, rank, or importance.

Renewed: to begin or take up again.

Zeal: strong feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for a person, cause, or object.

Hesitation: an act of hesitating: to wait or pause because of doubt, fear, or indecision.

Sorts: a particular kind, class, or group.

Property: the possession or possessions of a particular owner.

Aphasia: the loss of the ability to speak or understand a language one knows, due to
disease or injury of the brain.

Gleefully: having grace of form, manner, movement, or speech.

Ahead: before.

Length: the longest extent of anything as measured from end to end.

Echoing: (echo) a repetition of sound produced by the reflection of sound waves.

Chaotic: marked by chaos: a state of confusion or disorder.

Subtle: dedicate.

Vignettes: a short piece of writing, music, acting, etc. that clearly expresses the typical
characteristics of something or someone.

Pain: a feeling of physical suffering caused by injury or illness.

Led: (lead) to control a group of people, a country, or a situation.

Insight: (the ability to have) a clear, deep, and sometimes sudden understanding of a
complicated problem or situation.

Rather: quite.

Undaunted: still determined and enthusiastic, despite problems or no success.

Hold: to take and keep something in your hand or arms.

Widely: including a lot of different places, people, subjects, etc.

Willing: not opposed to doing something; ready or eager to do something.

Budget: a plan to show how much money a person or organization will earn and how
much they will need or be able to spend.

Findings: a piece of information that is discovered during an official examination of a

problem, situation, or object.
Widespread: existing or happening in many places and/or among many people.

Dispel: to remove fears, doubts, and false ideas, usually by proving them wrong or
unnecessary.

Myth: an ancient story or set of stories, especially explaining the early history of a
group of people or about natural events and facts.

Crop: a group of people or things with something in common that exist at a particular
time.

Pupil: a person, especially a child at school, who is being taught.

Flaw: a fault, mistake, or weakness, especially one that happens while something is
being planned or made, or that causes something not to be perfect.

Misunderstanding: an occasion when someone does not understand something

correctly.

Enlightened: showing understanding, acting in a positive way, and not following old-
fashioned or false belief.

Yielding: soft substances or qualities that are yielding can bend.

Outlined: the main shape or edge of something, without any details.

Chapter 3

Fuel: a thing that sustains or inflames passion, argument, or other intense emotion.

Wane: decrease in vigour or extent; become weaker.

Stepwise: in a series of distinct stages; not continuously.

Rattle: make or cause to make a rapid succession of short, sharp knocking sounds.

Cling: adhere or stick firmly or closely to; be hard to part or remove from.

Leap: jump or spring a long way, to a great height, or with great force.
Musters: summon up (a feeling, attitude, or response).

Sown: (sow) disseminate or introduce (something undesirable).

Fraught: causing or affected by anxiety or stress.

Hinge: a central or pivotal point or principle on which everything depends.

Grasped: (grasp) comprehend fully.

Nitpicking: fussy or pedantic fault-finding.

Fussy: showing excessive or anxious concern about detail.

Fault-finding: continual criticism, typically concerning trivial things.

Yardstick: a standard used for comparison.

Penchant: a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something.

Overwhelm: have a strong emotional effect on.

Chapter 4

Entry: an act of going or coming in.

Nevertheless: in spite of that; notwithstanding; all the same.

Akin: of similar character.

Stance: the attitude of a person or organization towards something.

Stretches: make great demands on the capacity or resources of.

Fork: divide into two parts.

Clitic: an unstressed word that normally occurs only in combination with another
word, for example 'm in I'm.

Array: an impressive display or range of a particular type of thing.

Likewise: in the same way.

Subsume: include in something.

Whereby: by which.

Sake: for the purpose of; in the interest of; in order to achieve or preserve.

Crame: force (people or things) into a place or container that is or appears to be too
small to contain them.

Retrieves: get or bring (something) back from somewhere.

Mnemonic: a system such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations which assists in

remembering something.

Toothpick: a short pointed piece of wood or plastic used for removing bits of food
lodged between the teeth.

Marble: a hard crystalline metamorphic form of limestone, typically white with

coloured mottlings or streaks, which may be polished and is used in sculpture and
architecture.

Hook: a piece of metal or other hard material curved or bent back at an angle, for
catching hold of or hanging things on.

Sunk: (sink) go down below the surface of something, especially of a liquid; become
submerged.

Beneath: extending or directly underneath.

Underneath: situated directly below (something else)

Woven: (weave) Make (a complex story or pattern) from a number of interconnected

elements.

Outward: of, on, or from the outside.

Mere: used to emphasize how small or insignificant someone or something is.

Boubtful: Feeling uncertain about something.

Chapter 5

Attrition: gradually making something weaker and destroying it, especially the
strength or confidence of an enemy by repeatedly attacking it.

Seek: to try to find or get something, especially something that is not a physical object.

Unify: if the new leader does manage to unify his warring party it will be quite an
achievement.

Plethora: a very large amount of something, especially a larger amount than you need,
want, or can deal with.

Chapter 6

Strive: to try very hard to do something or to make something happen, especially for a
long time or against difficulties.

Sweeping: affecting many things or people.

Deter: to prevent someone from doing something or to make someone less

enthusiastic about doing something by making it difficult for that person to do it or by
threatening bad results if they do it.

Seek: to try to find or get something, especially something that is not a physical object.

Willing: cheerfully agreeing or enthusiastic about doing something.

Proficiency: great skill, ability, and experience.

Label: a word or a phrase that is used to describe the characteristics or qualities of

people, activities, or things, often in a way that is unfair.

Aim: Direct at someone or something.

Accrue: to increase in number or amount over a period of time.

Lure: Tempt (a person or animal) to do something or to go somewhere, especially by

offering some form of reward.
Chapter 7

Puppet: a person or group whose actions are controlled by someone else.

Strings: (a piece of) strong, thin rope made by twisting very thin threads together,
used for fastening and tying things.

Consciousness: the state of understanding and realizing something.

Store: to put or keep things in a special place for use in the future.

Jaded: not having interest or losing interest because you have experienced something
too many times.

Interweave: to twist together or combine two or more things so that they cannot be
separated easily.

Biased: showing an unreasonable like or dislike for a person based on personal

opinions.

Bathing: the activity of going for a swim.

Subtle: achieved in a quiet way that does not attract attention to itself and is therefore
good or clever.

Nuance: a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.

Mankind: the whole of the human race, including both men and women.

Evolve: to develop gradually, or to cause something or someone to develop gradually.

Interwoven: to twist together or combine two or more things so that they cannot be
separated easily.

Attain: to reach or succeed in getting something.

Host: hostess someone who has guests.

Depth: the distance down either from the top of something to the bottom, or to a
distance below the top surface of something.
Devoid: to lack or be without something that is necessary or usual.

Misconceived: badly planned because of a failure to understand a situation and

therefore unsuitable or unlikely to succeed.

Leisurely: used to describe an action that is done in a relaxed way, without hurrying.

Appalling: very bad.

Reckless: doing something dangerous and not worrying about the risks and the
possible results.

Self-pity: sadness for yourself because you think you have a lot of problems or have
suffered a lot.

Rebuff: to refuse to accept a helpful suggestion or offer from someone, often by

answering in an unfriendly way.

Ease: to make or become less severe, difficult, unpleasant, painful, etc.

Mount up: to gradually increase in number or amount.

Bind: to tie something tightly or to fasten something.

Nuances: a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.

Slum: a very poor and crowded area, especially of a city.

Sway: to move slowly from side to side.