CHAPTER ONE ************* THE BOY WHO LIVED

1. Crane :- Verb [I usually + Adverb or Preposition T]

"to stretch in order to look at something"

-He craned forward to see the procession.

-Mike was craning his neck to get the first glimpse of the car.

2. Shudder :- verb [I]

"to shake suddenly with very small movements because of a very unpleasant thought or feeling"

-The sight of so much blood made him shudder.

-She shuddered at the thought of kissing him.

3. Hum :- verb (-mm-)

"[I] to make a continuous low sound"

-The computers were humming in the background.

-What's that strange humming sound.

"[I or T] to sing without opening your mouth"

-She hummed to herself as she walked to school.

-I've forgotten how that tune goes - could you hum it for me?

4. Tawny :- adjective

"of a light yellowish brown color, like that of a lion"

5. Flutter :- verb (MOVE)

"[I or T] to make a series of quick delicate movements up and down or from side to side, or to cause something to do this"

-Brightly colored flags were fluttering in the breeze.

-Leaves fluttered down onto the path.

-Butterflies fluttered about in the sunshine.

-A white bird poised on a wire and fluttered its wings.

6. Peck :- verb

"[T] to give someone a quick kiss, especially on the side of the face"

-He pecked his aunt on the cheek.

7. Tyke :- Noun (also TIKE) [C]

"UK INFORMAL - a child who is badly behaved in a playful way"

-Come here, you cheeky little tyke!

"INFORMAL - a young child"

8. Chortle :- verb [I]

"to laugh, showing pleasure and satisfaction, often at someone else's bad luck"

-She chortled with glee at the news.

Chortle :- Noun [C]

-I thought I heard a chortle at the back of the room.

9. Peculiar :- Adjective (STRANGE)

"unusual and strange, sometimes in an unpleasant way"

-She has the most peculiar ideas.

-What a peculiar smell!

-It's peculiar that they didn't tell us they were going away.

-UK - The video on road accidents made me feel rather peculiar (=ill).

10. Jerk :- verb [I or T usually + adverb or preposition]

"to make a short sudden movement, or to cause someone or something to do this"

-The car made a strange noise and then jerked to a halt.

-"What's wrong?" She asked, jerking her head up.

11. Tabby :- Adjective   Noun   [C]

"(a cat) having dark colored marks on grey or brown fur"

12. Drum :- verb [I or T] (-mm-)

"to hit a surface regularly and make a sound like a drum, or to make something do this"

-She drummed her fingers impatiently on the table.

-The rain drummed loudly on the roof.

13. Huddle :- Noun (SMALL GROUP) [C]

"a small group of people or things that are close together"

-A small group of people stood in a huddle at the bus stop.

14. Weirdo :- Noun [C] (plural Weirdos) INFORMAL DISAPPROVING

"a person who behaves strangely"

-What did he mean by that? Weird!

15. Swoop :- verb [I]

"to move very quickly and easily through the air, especially down from a height in order to attack"

-The eagle swooped down to snatch a young rabbit.

16. Clutch :- verb [I or T]

"to take or try to take hold of something tightly, usually in fear, worry or pain"

-Silent and pale, she clutched (onto) her mother's hand.

-Clutching the money to his chest, he hurried to the bank.

-He collapsed. clutching his stomach.

17. Dash :- verb (move quickly)

"[I] to go somewhere quickly"

-I've been dashing around all day.

-I must dash - I've got to be home by seven.

Dash :- verb (used without object) ******** meaning from another dictionary!

"to move with violence; rush"

-The horses dashed out of the burning stable.

18. Snap :- verb (SPEAK) (-pp-)

"[I or T] to say something suddenly in an angry way"

-There's no need to snap at me -it's not my fault that you lost your wallet.

-[+ speech] "Well, I hate you too!" She snapped.

19. Seize :- verb

"[T] to take something quickly and keep or hold it"

-I seized his arm and made him turn to look at me.

-He seized the chance/opportunity of a free flight with both hands (= with eagerness or enthusiasm)

20. Grunt :- verb [I]

"(of a person) to make a short low sound instead of speaking, usually because of anger or pain"

-He hauled himself over the wall, grunting with the effort.

-[+ speech] "Too tired," he grunted and sat down.

21.Stumble :- verb (walk)

"[I] to step awkwardly while walking or running and fall or begin to fall"

-Running along the beach, she stumbled on a log and fell on send.

-In the final straight Meyers stumbled, and although he didn't fall it was enough to lose him first place.

22. Knock :- verb (hit)

"[I + adverb or preposition] to hit, especially forcefully, and cause to move or fall"

-He accidentally knocked the vase off the table.

-She knocked her head against the wall as she fell.

-Who knocked over that mug of coffee?

-[+object + adjective] Some thug knocked him unconscious/senseless.

-She took a hammer and knocked a hole in the wall.

23. Squeaky :- Adjective (sound)

"making a very high sound"

24. Rejoice :- verb [I] FORMAL

"to feel or show great happiness about something"

-Everyone rejoiced at the news of his safe return.

-She rejoiced in her good fortune.

-[+ to infinitive] I rejoiced to see that she had made such a quick recovery.

25. Root :- verb (used with objects)

"to fix by or as if by roots"

-We were rooted to the spot by surprise.

26. Rattle :- verb (worry)

"[T] to worry someone or make someone nervous"

-The creaking upstairs was starting to rattle me.

27. Set off/out :- Phrasal verb

"to start a journey"

-What time will we have to set off for the station tomorrow?

-Jenny set off down the road on her new bike.

-They've just set off on a round-the-world cruise.

28. Approve :- verb (good opinion)

"[I] to have a positive opinion of someone or something"

-She doesn't approve of my friends.

-He doesn't approve of smoking.

-I thoroughly approve of what the government is doing.

29.Pull :- verb (MOVE)

"[I + adverb or preposition] to move in the stated direction"

-During the last lap of the race one of the runners began to pull ahead.

-We waved as the train pulled out of the station.

-Our armies are pulling back on all fronts.

30. Stern :- Adjective

"severe, or showing disapproval"

-a stern look/warning/voice

-She is her own sternest critic.

-Journalists received a stern warning not to go anywhere near the battleship.

31. Pull yourself together :- Phrasal verb (R)

"to become calm and behave normally again after being angry or upset"

-Just pull yourself together. There's no point crying about it.

32. Let :- verb (ALLOW) (letting, let, let)

"[T + infinitive without to] to allow something to happen or someone to do something by not doing anything to stop an action or by giving your permission"

-She wanted to go but her parents wouldn't let her.

-He decided to let his hair grow long.

-Let your shoes dry completely before putting them on.

-I'm letting you stay up late, just this once.

-Don't let it worry you.

-If he needs money, let him (= he should) earn it!

"[T + object + infinitive without to not in past tenses] used to show that you accept what is going to happen, although you do not like it"

-Let it rain - it won't spoil our afternoon.

33. Grin :- Noun [C]

"a wide smile"

-I assumed things had gone well for him as he had a big grin on his face.

-a broad/sheepish grin

34. Oddly :- Adverb

"in a strange or surprising way"

-Didn't you think she was behaving rather oddly at the party yesterday?

-Oddly enough (= This is strange/surprising), she didn't mention anything about the fact that she was getting married.

35. Apart :- Adverb (separate)

"separated by a distance or, less commonly, by time"

-Stand with your feet wide apart.

-How far apart should the speakers be?

-We were asked to stand in two lines three meters apart.

-The two lines of children moved slowly apart.

-The garage, large enough for two cars, is set apart from (= not joined to) the house.

-I forget the exact age difference between Mark and his brother - they're two or three years apart.

36. Downpour :- Noun [C usually singular]

"a lot of rain in a short time"

37. Shooting Star :- Noun [C]    ALSO called Falling Star

"INFORMAL FOR meteor "

38. Bonfire Night :- Noun [C or U] UK

"another name for Guy Fawkes Night, the night of November 5 when many people in Britain light bonfires and watch fireworks"

39. Folk :- Noun (People)

Folks :-

"[as form of address] INFORMAL used when speaking informally to a group of people"

-All right, folks, dinner's ready!

40. Sharply :- Adverb (able to cut)

"severely and angrily"

-A sharply worded letter of complaint.

-He spoke sharply to his daughter.

-The police have been sharply criticized for their handling of the affair.

41. Mumble :- verb [I or T]

"to speak quietly and in a way that is not clear so that the words are difficult to understand"

-She mumbled something about being too busy.

-[+ speech] "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

42. Purse :- verb [T]

"to bring your lips tightly together so that they form a rounded shape, usually as an expression of disapproval"

-"I don't approve that kind of language," she said, pursing her lips.

43. Stiffly :- Adverb (not relaxed)

"in a way that is too formal"

-"I don't think that it's anything to do with you," he said stiffly.

44. Crept :- verb

PAST SIMPLE and PAST PARTICIPLE of Creep.

45. Peer :- Verb [I usually + adverb or preposition]

"to look carefully or with difficulty"

-When no one answered the door, she peered through the window to see if any one was there.

-The driver was peering into the distance trying to read the road sign.

46. Drift :- verb [I usually + adverb or preposition]

"to move slowly, especially as a result of outside forces, with no control over direction"

-No one noticed that the boat had begun to drift out to sea.

-A mist drifted in from the marshes.

-After the band stopped playing, people drifted away in twos and threes.

-FIGURATIVE The talk drifted aimlessly from one subject to another.

47. Quiver :- Verb [I]

"to shake slightly, often because of strong emotion"

-Lennie's bottom lip quivered and tears started in his eyes.

Quiver :- Noun (shake) [C]

"a slight shake, often because of strong emotion"

-The opening bars of the music sent a quiver of excitement through the crowd.

48. Slam :- verb (-mm-)

"[I or T] to (cause to) move against a hard surface with force and usually a loud nice"

-The wind made the door/window slam (shut).

-Close the door carefully, don't slam it.

-He slammed the brakes on (= used them quickly and with force) when a child ran in front of his car.

-I had to stop suddenly, and the car behind slammed into the back of me.

49. Pop :- Verb (move) (-pp-)

"[I + adverb or preposition] to move quickly and suddenly, especially from a closed space"

-When you open the box, a clown pops out.

50. Twitch :- verb (move slightly)

"[I or T] to make a sudden small movement with a part of the body, usually without intending to"

-He tried suppress a smile but felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

-She twitched her nose like a rabbit.

51. Tuck :- verb (TIDY) [T usually + adverb or preposition]

"to push a loose end of a piece of clothing or material into a particular place or position, especially to make it tidy or comfortable"

-Should I tuck my shirt into my trousers?

-He tucked the bottom of the sheet under the mattress.

52. Robe :- Noun [C]

" a long, loose piece of clothing worn especially on very formal occasions"

-Judges wear black robes when they are in court.

53. Swept :- verb

PAST SIMPLE and PAST PARTICIPLE of Sweep

54. Crooked Adjective (Bent)

"not forming a straight line; having many sharp bends"

-You've to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.

-His front teeth are crooked.

55. Rummage :- Verb [I + adverb or preposition]

"to search for something by moving things around carelessly and looking into, under and behind them"

-She rummaged in/through all the drawers, looking for pen.

56. Amuse :- Verb [I or T]

"to entertain someone, especially by humorous speech or action or by making some one laugh or smile"

-I've brought with me an article from yesterday's paper that I thought might amuse you.

-[+object + to infinitive] I think it amuses him to see people make fools of themselves.

-Apparently these stories are meant to amuse.

57. Chuckle :- Verb [I]

"to laugh quietly"

She was chuckling as she read the read the letter.

58. Mutter :- Verb [I or T]

"to speak quietly and in a low voice that is not easy to hear, often when you are worried or complaining about something"

-Stop muttering and speak up!

-He was muttering (away) to himself.

-Laurence muttered something about his wife and left.

-He muttered something under his breath to the person next to him.

59. Flick :- Verb [I + adverb or preposition T]

"to move or hit something with a short sudden movement"

-He carefully flicked the loose hairs from the shoulders of his jacket.

-She quickly flicked the crumbs off the table.

-Horses flick their tails to make flies go away.

-Windscreen wipers flick from side to side.

-The boys ran round the swimming pool, flicking each other with their towels. 

-The lizard flicked out its tongue at a fly.

-His eyes flicked between her and the door.

60.

Please Note :- Most the meanings given above are "CONTEXTUAL MEANINGS" only. Some of the words have other meanings too.