Vocab ELA

Amends

Make minor changes in order to be fairer.

Depot

A place where buses or trains or other vehicles are housed.

Timid

Easily frightened.

Dormant

Temporarily inactive or imperative.

Sober

Make or become more serious, sensitive, and solemn.

Painstaking

Done with or employing great care and thoroughness.

Wiley

Tricky.

Plight

A dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation.

Disposition

A person’s inherent qualities of mind or character.

Codger

An elderly man.

Jubilant

Feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.

Heedless

Showing a reckless lack of care or attention.

Monotonous

Dull, tedious, repetitious; lacking in variety and interest.

Carcass

The dead body of an animal.

Haggard

Looking exhausted and unwell.

Entrails

A person or animal’s intestines or internal.

Crude

Constructed in a rudimentary or makeshift way.

Reared

Raised itself upright on its hind legs.

Bowed

Cause to bend.

Pangs

A sudden sharp pain or painful emotion.

Sheen

Shine or cause to shine softly.

Allotted

Assigned or distributed as a portion, share, or lot.

Nestled

Settle or lie comfortably within or against something.

Grove

A small wood, orchard, or group of trees.

Aromatic

Having a pleasant, distinctive smell.

Currents

Stream (referring to water).

Switch

A still-green, thin branch freshly cut from a large shrub or tree.

Corncrib

A bin or ventilated building for storing ears of corn.

Trapping

The use of a device to remotely catch and often kill an animal.

Switchings

Beat or flick with or as with a switch.

Skin my game

To have incurred risk by being involved in achieving a goal.

Tacked

Fasten or fix in place with tacks.

Mister Ringtail

The raccoon Billy is determined to catch.

Festered

Become septic; suppurate.

Hoeing

A tool used to dig up plants, weeds, etc.

Mulled

Think about deeply and at length.

Haunches

A leg and loin of an animal, such as a deer, as food.

Scampered

Run with quick light steps, especially through fear or excitement.

Eaves

The part of a roof that meets or overhangs the walls of a building.

Tramped

Walk heavily or noisily.

Hitching Rack

A fixed horizontal rail to which a horse or team can be fastened to prevent straying.

Mail Buggy

A delivery vehicle.

Prowling

Move around restlessly and stealthily.

Riffle

Turn over something, especially the pages of a book, quickly and casually.

Provisions

Providing.

Harnesses

A set of straps and fittings by which a horse or other drafted animal is fastened to a cart, plow, etc.

Bridles

Headgear for controlling a horse.

Sorghum

A widely cultivated cereal native to warm regions.

Teeter

Totter; a see-saw.

Gritted

Move with or make a grating sound.

Britches

Trousers.

Water Moccasin

A type of venomous snake.

Outskirts of town

Outer edge of a city or town.

Runt

An animal smaller than average.

The Ozarks

Mountains typically used for hunting.

Querying

Ask or put into question.

Tin

A silvery-white metal.

Bore

Drill a hole into something.

Peculiarity

Odd feature or characteristic.

Thimble

A short metal tube or ferrule used for sewing.

Squalling

Cry noisily or continuously.

Canebrake

A forested area with cane.

Matted mass

Covered with a dense growth or tangled mass.

Barred

Closed or secured.

Frizzle

The sound of frying.

Cross

Angry or annoyed.

Undermined

Weaken or wear away.

Stout

Strong and thick.

Leverage

To get hold of a lever.

Bawling treed

A coonhound barking at the base of a tree after chasing an animal up it.

Hog lard

A white solid or semisolid fat obtained by rendering fatty pork.

Limber

Lithe or supple; to warm up.

Jarred

Shake or irritate.

Hog Tie

Secure by fastening together the hands and feet, for animals all four legs.

Prowled

Moved around restlessly and stealthily.

Bundled

Push or carry forcibly; bunch or pack together.

Whoppers

Unusually large; blatant lie.

Spellbound

Fascinate.

Predicament

Awkward situation.

Cyclone

Superstorm.

Trough

Long narrow open container.

Ventilating

Cause air to enter and circulate freely.

Dirt dauber

A nest made by female wasps, using mud.

Non-accounts

Worthless or of little use or importance.

Disposition

A person’s inherent qualities of mind and character.

Begrudgingly

Reluctantly or resentfully.

Leering

Looking in a lascivious or unpleasant way.

Mallards

A common type of duck.

Slough

A swamp.

Wallow

Roll about or lie relaxed in mud or water.

Surpassed

Exceed; be greater than.

Taut

Stretched or pulled tight.

Chicken-livered

Easily frightened; cowardly.

Model T Ford

An early car manufactured by Ford.

Jubilant

Feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.

Barring

Except for; if not for.

Reckon

Calculate, think, or judge.

Dreaded

Regarded with great fear and anticipation.

Grub

A bug; or to dig.

Justly

Fairly or justifiably.