CHAPTER 32 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 32

stile (noun)

A structure of steps built over a fence to allow people to climb across without opening a gate.

ash-hopper (noun)

A V-shaped wooden bin used to collect wood ashes for making lye soap.

mournful (adjective)

Feeling, expressing, or inducing sadness, regret, or grief.

Providence (noun)

The protective care of God or nature as a spiritual power; divine guidance.

pow-wow (noun)

A noisy, chaotic commotion or disturbance.

cylinder-head (noun)

The sealed end cap of a steam engine cylinder; an explosion of one was a common and dangerous steamboat accident.

mortification (noun)

In a medical sense, the death and decay of body tissue; gangrene.

texas (noun)

The uppermost deck structure on a steamboat, containing the officers' quarters.

wharf-boat (noun)

A flat-bottomed boat moored at a riverbank and used as a floating dock for loading and unloading cargo and passengers.

tow-linen (noun)

A coarse, inexpensive fabric woven from the short fibers of flax or hemp.

split-bottomed (adjective)

Having a seat woven from thin strips of split wood, typically hickory or oak.

up a stump (idiom)

In a difficult or perplexing situation with no clear way out; stuck.

resk (verb)

Dialect spelling of "risk"; to take a chance or gamble.

swap knives (idiom)

An old expression meaning to change plans or strategies; to hesitate or reconsider.

froze to (verb phrase)

Dialect expression meaning to cling to or stay close to someone persistently.