In Cold Blood - Vocabulary pp. 1-10

IN COLD BLOOD
Chapter 1 – The Last to see Them Alive

PAGE 1
prairie, n. - grassland
Stetson, n. – Cowboy hat
grain elevator, n. – a storage silo for grain
aimless, adj. – haphazard, unplanned
haphazard, adj. – unplanned, aimless
irrelevant, adj. – meaningless, useless
ramshackle, adj. – falling down
porch, n. – part of a house that is open where people sit and watch the traffic go by

PAGE 2
gaunt, adj. – thin
rawhide, n., adj. – untreated leather
melancholy, adj. – sad
meagrely supplied, adj. – having only a few items
"dry" adj. – a dry county is one where people can't buy alcohol
camouflage, v. – hides
prosperous, adj. – rich
precipitation, n. – rainfall

PAGE 3
exceptional, adj. – unusual, special
4-H Club, n. – a club for young farmers (head, heart, hands, health)
impinged, v. – disturbed
keening, adj. – shrill
tumbleweed, n. - you've seen them in Western films!
theretofore, adv. – up to that point in time
hued, adj. – colored
majored in, v. – studied as a main subject in college
prominent, adj. – well-known
county seat, n. – main city in a county (Gemeinde)

PAGE 4
Methodist, n., adj. - one of the 57 varieties of Protestantism in the U.S.
edifice, n. - building
mangled, particip., adj. – injured, twisted
fortnight, n. – two weeks
sizeable, adj. – large
Thanksgiving, n. – harvest festival celebrated on the third Thursday of November
disquiet, n. – concern
spells, n. – psychological problems

PAGE 5
customary, adj. – usual
credible, adj. – believable
vertebrae, n. – small bones which make up the spine
tension, n. – stress
withdrawals, n. – spending a lot of time alone
sobbing, n. – crying
unmarred, adj. – pure
clanging, particip., adj. – noisy
lingered, v. – stayed longer
exhilarating, particip., adj. – stimulating
accompanied, v. – went with
Tom Sawyer – A book by Mark Twain, made into a play
Southern belle – a Southern girl of good family who is very pretty and popular

PAGE 6
genial – pleasant, happy
"go steady" – to date someone exclusively
discontinue – stop
abrupt – sudden
severance – cutting off
Methodist –terminate – end
fancies – ideas
lamentably – sadly

PAGE 7
myriad, adj.- many (thousands)
sedate, adj. - calm
ample, adj. -large
spongy, adj. - soft, like a sponge
intermittently, adv. - off and on
glare, n. - shine
alcove, n. nook
acquaintances, n. -friends
chore, n. – activity, work
salt-rising bread, n – bread made with salted flour
Spartan, adj. - simple

PAGE 8
spirits, n. - alcohol
circumstance, n. fact
shrink, v. - to make smaller
abstemious, adj. - moderate in eating and drinking
making a nuisance of, id. - causing annoyance
harbouring, v. - hiding
pioneer, n. - early American settler
distributed, v. - gave
bonuses, - extra money, in addition to salary
rustled, v. caused s.t. to make noise
tawny, adj. lion colored
infinitude, n. endlessness
bristle, v. - stand stiffly
Indian Summer, n. - the last warm days of the fall season

PAGE 9
superior, adj. high-quality
mongrel, n. mixed breed dog
ambled, v. -walked slowly
adjacent, adj. - next to
premises, n. - grounds, property
mammoth, adj. -very large
pungent, adj. -smelly
Quonset hut, n - A warehouse made of a half-cylinder of metal
1935 to 1939 - the period of the Great Depression in the US
instruction, n. teaching
baiting, v. - luring into a fight
upstart - Frechdachs

PAGE 10
maize, n. - corn
Hereford, n. - type of cow
sick-un, colloq. n. - sick one (i.e., sick child)
luminously, adv.- glowing with an inner light
cottonwoods, n. - the Kansas state tree
perennials, n. - plants that grow year after year without replanting