CHAPTER 7 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 7

palavering (verb (gerund))

Talking at length in an idle or unproductive way; engaging in empty chatter.

roust (verb)

To rouse or wake someone up, often with urgency; to force out of sleep or inactivity.

cord-wood (noun)

Wood that has been cut into short lengths and stacked in cords (a unit of volume equal to 128 cubic feet), typically for fuel.

clumb (verb)

Dialectal past tense of "climb"; climbed.

shanty (noun)

A small, crudely built dwelling; a shack.

drawing a bead (idiomatic phrase)

Taking careful aim at a target with a firearm, aligning the front sight (the bead) with the target.

trot line (noun)

A long fishing line stretched across a body of water, with shorter baited lines (called snoods) attached at intervals.

certainer (adjective)

Dialectal comparative form of "certain"; more certain or more reliable.

prowling (verb (gerund))

Moving about stealthily, as if in search of prey or something to steal.

wadding (noun)

Soft material used to pack or stuff, especially the material used to hold a charge in a muzzle-loading firearm.

clasp-knife (noun)

A folding knife with a blade that folds into the handle, similar to a modern pocketknife.

slough (noun)

A marshy, muddy area or a side channel of a river, often with stagnant or sluggish water.

whetstone (noun)

A fine-grained stone used to sharpen cutting tools such as knives and axes.

rowlocks (noun)

U-shaped devices or sockets on the side of a boat that hold oars in place while rowing; also called oarlocks.

abreast (adverb)

Side by side; at the same level or position alongside something.

stabboard (noun)

Dialectal pronunciation of "starboard," the right-hand side of a ship or boat when facing forward.