CHAPTER 8 — Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from CHAPTER 8

quicksilver (noun)

Liquid mercury, a dense metallic element that is liquid at room temperature.

carcass (noun)

The dead body of a person or animal.

corn-pone (noun)

A type of cornbread made without milk or eggs, baked or fried, common among the poor in the American South.

brash (adjective)

Bold, confident, or courageous; here used to mean feeling brave or self-assured.

cooper shop (noun)

A workshop where barrels, casks, and tubs are made or repaired.

fan-tods (noun)

A state of nervous anxiety, fidgets, or extreme uneasiness.

speculate (verb)

To invest money in stocks, property, or other ventures in the hope of making a profit but with the risk of loss.

tallow (noun)

Rendered animal fat used to make candles, soap, and lubricants.

abreast (adverb)

Side by side and facing the same direction; at the same level or position.

bluff (adjective)

Having a broad, steep face or front; here describing a riverbank that is too steep to climb.

wood-flat (noun)

A flat-bottomed boat used for transporting wood or other cargo on rivers.

traps (noun)

Personal belongings, luggage, or equipment; possessions one carries.

haggled (verb)

Cut or chopped roughly or clumsily.

remainders (noun)

What is left over; here used humorously by Huck to mean his dead body or remains.

dog-leg (noun)

A cheap, strong type of chewing tobacco, twisted into a shape resembling a dog's hind leg.