CHAPTER 2 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 2

scrouched (verb)

Crouched down low; squeezed or hunched oneself into a small space to avoid detection.

quality (noun)

People of high social standing or refinement; the upper class.

monstrous (adverb)

Extremely; enormously (used as an intensifier in dialect, meaning very or exceedingly).

tanyard (noun)

A yard or enclosure where animal hides are tanned (treated and converted into leather).

skiff (noun)

A small, light boat, typically for one or two people, propelled by oars or a small sail.

oath (noun)

A solemn promise or declaration, often invoking a higher power, binding a person to a specific course of action.

ransomed (verb)

Held captive until a sum of money is paid for release; in the chapter, the boys use the word without understanding its true meaning.

highwaymen (noun)

Robbers who held up travelers on public roads, especially on horseback, during the 17th-19th centuries.

high-toned (adjective)

Fashionable, elegant, or of high social standing; pretentiously refined.

carcass (noun)

The dead body of a person or animal; used here to mean a person's body in a violent context.

trance (noun)

A half-conscious state characterized by an absence of response to external stimuli; here attributed to witchcraft.

corked up (adjective)

Silenced; shut up; unable to speak further (dialectal expression meaning stopped or bottled up).

burglary (noun)

The crime of entering a building illegally to steal; Tom distinguishes it from robbery, which he considers more noble.

disturbance (noun)

A disruption of peace or order; commotion that draws unwanted attention.

clumb (verb)

Dialectal past tense of "climb"; climbed.