Mending Wall Vocabulary

Vocabulary Words from Mending Wall

frozen-ground-swell (noun)

The expansion and heaving of soil caused by water freezing beneath the surface, which can shift and displace structures like walls.

spills (verb)

Causes to fall or tumble out of place; here describing how natural forces topple stones from the top of the wall.

abreast (adverb)

Side by side and facing the same direction.

mending-time (noun)

The annual season, typically spring, when farmers walk their property boundaries to repair stone walls damaged over winter.

walk the line (noun phrase)

To traverse and inspect a shared property boundary, checking for damage or encroachment.

loaves (noun)

Rounded, oblong shapes resembling loaves of bread; here describing the irregular forms of fallen stones.

spell (noun)

A spoken formula believed to have magical power; here used playfully to describe the coaxing words spoken to keep unsteady stones in place.

out-door game (noun phrase)

A recreational activity played outside; used here with gentle irony to diminish the seriousness of the wall-mending ritual.

mischief (noun)

A playful desire to cause minor trouble or challenge convention; here linked to the rebellious energy of the spring season.

notion (noun)

An idea or belief, especially one that is vague or only partly formed.

walling in (verb)

Enclosing or confining something within walls; used here as a metaphor for the social and emotional effects of building barriers.

offence (noun)

A cause of annoyance, resentment, or hurt feelings; the act of displeasing or insulting someone.

grasped (verb)

Seized and held tightly with the hands.

savage (noun)

A person belonging to a primitive or uncivilized society; here evoking a prehistoric human wielding a stone weapon.

moves in darkness (noun phrase)

Operates in ignorance or without enlightenment; a metaphor for someone guided by unexamined tradition rather than independent thought.

saying (noun)

A well-known phrase or proverb passed down through generations; here referring to the inherited maxim about good fences.