Literature insights

To add up

to make sense; to be logical or consistent
The numbers didn't add up, so she checked them again

Assuage (with)

to make an unpleasant feeling less intense; to soothe or relieve with something
She tried to assuage her grief with quiet walks in the garden

To back up on a High street

to reverse a vehicle on a main road; or to form a traffic jam
The traffic was backed up on the High street for miles

To bade goodbye

to say goodbye
(archaic/literary past tense of "bid")

She bade goodbye to her childhood home

To badger

to pester, nag, or harass someone repeatedly
The relatives had been badgering her for months

Unassailable integrity

a quality of being completely honest, principled, and morally upright, in a way that cannot be doubted, questioned, or attacked;

Through all the legal battles and accusations, she maintained unassailable integrity, never once stooping to the relatives' level of skulduggery

Inculpatory evidence

evidence that proves or strongly suggests a person's involvement in a crime, wrongdoing, or misconduct; evidence that incriminates someone

The forged signatures in the relatives' documents served as inculpatory evidence, proving they had conspired to defraud her of the house

unassailable

impossible to defeat or criticise

To draw over

to pull, move, or bring something across or in front of something else; to cover or obscure by pulling a covering into place

Drew over

She ________ the heavy velvet curtains, shutting out the cold night and the prying eyes of the village

To prop open against

to hold or support something (such as a door, window, or lid) in an open position by placing an object against it;
She propped the kitchen door open against the wall with a heavy stone, letting the warm summer air flow through the house

As downtrodden as possible

in the most oppressed, subjugated, or beaten-down state imaginable; feeling utterly crushed by authority, hardship, or mistreatment

Hulking outline

a large, heavy, and often awkward or imposing shape or silhouette, especially one that is seen from a distance or in poor light
Through the thick morning fog, she could just make out the hulking outline of the abandoned factory against the grey sky

Pebble-dashed

covered with a rough exterior finish made of small stones or pebbles embedded in mortar or render, typically used on the outside walls of buildings

The old cottage was pebble-dashed, its grey surface speckled with tiny flints that glittered faintly in the rain

Scrounger

a person who habitually seeks out and takes things (often money, food, or goods) from others without offering anything in return, especially in a sly or opportunistic way

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