Manacle

manacle
noun, usually 'manacles'. A metal band, chain, or shackle for fastening someone's hands or ankles.
verb, transitive, usually 'be manacled'. To fetter a person or a part of the body with manacles.
From Old French manicle, meaning 'handcuff' and from Latin manicula, a diminutive of manus, meaning 'hand'.

Panicking, he picked up the rifle and checked it for damage before he turned his attention to his painful wrist. It was probably sprained instead of broken. Time would tell. Only then did he roll onto his back, sit up and look at his feet to find the cause of his fall: a tangle of greenbriar vines wound around both ankles and manacled them. He tried to retract one foot and was surprised when the vine held. Tough plant.

Aware that the men he was tracking could be close, he whispered a curse and lay the rifle aside so he could use his hands to free his feet. Wincing as the thorns pricked his ungloved fingers, he worked the vines loose and drew both feet close so he could test his weight on them before he rose. No pain there, but he would have to avoid putting pressure on the wrist. Thank goodness it was the left one.

He was about to stand when he heard a twig snap. He settled into a crouch and swiveled slowly, scanning the trees and brush around him for a human silhouette.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Lollygag

lollygag
verb, intransitive. To spend time aimlessly. To idle. To dawdle.

It wasn't long after Independence Day when Mother announced her decision.

"You girls have lollygagged around this house enough for now. It's time you learned how to sew."

Thus began a few weeks of focused work, an hour every day after lunch. She joined her three daughters in the family room, on the lowest floor of the split-level house, after putting their little brother down for his nap. In that large, cool space, she instructed them in the intricacies of hand-sewing, knowing she was imparting knowledge of a skill they would use for the rest of their lives.

Hemming, running-stitch, backstitch, blanket stitch, basting, sewing on buttons and snaps.... She demonstrated each one and supervised their practice. The oldest picked up the knack quickly, and Mother was a little dismayed when her competitive nature emerged. She was having a little too much fun showing off to her younger sisters.

"You have several years on them, Ruth," she remonstrated with the girl. "You also need to learn to be kind and generous."

The slow-moving summer days passed, and when the girls returned to school the day after Labor Day, Mother felt as if the holiday had not been a complete waste. All knew more than they had known on Memorial Day--all, including herself.

Definition adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008).

Kaleidoscope

kaleidoscope
noun. A toy consisting of a tube containing mirrors and pieces of colored glass or paper, whose reflections produce changing patterns that are visible through an eyehole when the tube is rotated. A constantly changing pattern or sequence of objects or elements.

The wind picked up, making her wonder how long she had been lost in the book. She looked around, hoping to see a deer at the verge of the woods, but she was alone. She marked her place, set the book aside, and shifted so she could lie down on the grass. Closing her eyes for a moment, she suddenly recalled one of her favorite ways to exercise her imagination--done since late childhood. She removed her glasses, placed them on the book, smiled to herself, then opened her eyes. Above her, the wind tossed the screen of leaves this way and that, while her nearsighted vision transformed the view into a kaleidoscope of golds, oranges and browns.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Jackknife

jackknife
noun. A knife with a folding blade. A dive in which the body is first bent at the waist and then straightened.
verb, transitive. To move one's body into a bent or doubled-up position.
verb, intransitive. Of an articulated vehicle, to bend into a V-shape in an uncontrolled skidding movement. Of a diver, to perform a jackknife.

Dusk was falling quickly and the mist that had hung in the air all day was coalescing into raindrops by the time they stopped and built a small fire. Justin reluctantly told Katy "Yes" when she asked if she should cook the hare he had shot that afternoon. He knew she wasn't used to living outdoors and travelling constantly. Still, if she could begin meal preparation, it would free him to find dry firewood and pile it nearby for use that night.

He strayed further than he wanted to in search of kindling. Anxiously, he moved through the trees toward the bright ember of the fire. Even from a distance, he could see Katy moving back and forth beside it. Unless....

He stopped and watched for a moment. There was more than one person near the fire--not just Katy. Justin cautiously lay his burden on the ground and extracted his knife from its sheath. He crept through the thicket silently, testing the ground with a mocassined foot before he pressed his weight on it. Soon, he was able to see the tableau by the fire.

Katy had set the dressed hare to roast on a spit of green limbs, slanted over the coals. The sight reassured him. Maybe he had underestimated her. But the rest of what he saw filled him with dismay. Two scruffy men were with her, one hunkered near the fire and the roasting meat, one grappling with Katy off to one side. She appeared to be putting up enough of a fight to keep him busy, but not enough for him to call for his companion's help. The latter reached for the spit, as if to poke the meat to test its doneness, when the stick that held it suddenly burned through below the hare and jackknifed downward, dropping the partially-cooked hare into the flames.

The hunkered-down man bellowed in anger and reached for the meat before it could fall into the fire. He evidently grabbed it with his bare hand, because he jerked the hand back, uttering an ear-piercing shriek. The noise interrupted the wrestling match between the other man and Katy. Both turned their heads toward him. Justin seized the moment and rushed the man at the fireside, knife raised.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Idealize

idealize
verb, transitive. To regard or represent as perfect or better than in reality.

Betty turned off the engine as soon as she pulled up to the stanchion in the bank's drive-through lane. She put her check and deposit slip in the canister, placed it in the cradle, slammed the lid and pressed the "Send" button. After the "whoosh" of the pneumatic system ended, she heard the teller through the tinny speaker.

"Good morning, Ms. Trask."

"Good morning."

"How do you want that cash?"

"Twenties."

Betty shifted in her seat and settled to wait for a few minutes. There appeared to be only one teller on duty, and she was in one of four cars at different stanchions, so she knew it would be a little while. Cars and trucks moved through the intersection she faced. There seemed to be a lot of traffic for mid-morning on a Tuesday.

She didn't notice it until she heard the canister return to the stanchion: a silver recreational vehicle, parked ahead and to her right in the bank's front lot. She looked at the sleek fairing for its awning, its distinctive curved corners, and knew what it was before her gaze found the logo on its door: "Airstream." She caught her breath. She had known they existed for years, but this was the first time she had ever seen one. It looked new--no dings in the brushed aircraft-aluminum skin; no mud splashed on the lower walls from its or anyone else's tires. Someone had taken the concept of the RV and idealized it to a level worthy of Plato.

"Will there be anything else, Ms. Trask?" the teller's voice crackled from the speaker.

"No thank you," Betty replied, retrieving the canister without taking her eyes off the Airstream RV. She continued to examine it as she removed her receipt and money and stuffed them into her billfold.

I am looking at a quarter-of-a-million dollars, she mused. I'm not sure it's worth that much.
Her eyes moved to the grill at the front of the RV. It bore the stylized three-pointed star within a circle of the Mercedes logo.

"Well, no wonder," she muttered aloud as she started her own engine.

As she left the drive-through area, she turned into the front lot so she could drive past the Airstream RV slowly and get a glimpse of the other side. As she did so, she wondered if she would ever see one of these again.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Hemostat

hemostat
noun. An instrument for preventing the flow of blood from an open blood vessel by compression of the vessel.

Cal wasn't surprised by the almost obsessively-tidy kitchen and bathroom in her apartment, but he was aghast when he stepped out onto the small balcony and saw a curved-nose hemostat lying in a hubcap full of what he identified as hand-rolled cigarette butts. His upper lip curled in distaste, he stepped to the little table and picked up the surgical tool.

Squeezing the handles, he examined the inner surfaces of the jaws. His disgust increased when he saw the brown, resinous coating on the steel.

"Ugh!" He dropped the hemostat and stood looking at the makeshift ashtray. He hadn't known that Lily smoked. In fact, she was the last person he would have suspected of indulging in the filthy habit. She was a nurse, after all.

Something wasn't right here. He struggled to identify what was bothering him, then the realization struck him: these might not be cigarette butts. These might be the spent ends of ... marijuana joints. There was a slang term for them. He thought. Roaches! That was it. He continued to stare at them, lying in a handful of ash. He picked up the hemostat again and gingerly picked up one of the butts with it. Bringing it to his nose, he sniffed. Instead of the odor of tobacco smoke, he detected something entirely different--something that evoked a thick jungle and hot weather; something that reminded him of the smell of a rope his grandfather had kept coiled on a nail in his garage.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Grope

grope
verb, intransitive. To feel about or search blindly or uncertainly with the hands. To search mentally with hesitation or uncertainty for a word or answer. To move along with difficulty by feeling objects as one goes.
verb, transitive. To feel or fondle someone for sexual pleasure, especially against her will.
Also a noun.

Marie had been awake and blinking for several seconds before she realized that she didn't know where she was. She didn't recognize the lumpy surface where she lay, or the odor of dry rot that she inhaled. Uneasy, she sat up and reeled at the sudden pain in her head.

She felt the area where it hurt. The hair was matted and dirty there, but nowhere else. Had she fallen and cut her scalp? Had someone hit her and knocked her out?

Reaching for the lamp on her nightstand revealed that she was not in her bedroom. There was no nightstand. She wasn't on a bed. Exploring further with her hands identified the surface where she now sat as a couch. Her eyes were not discerning anything in the room yet, so she concluded that she was in complete darkness.

Exploration of the floor beside the couch failed to locate her shoes, so Marie decided to stand in her socks and find a door to this dark space. Tentatively, she rose, reaching a hand overhead to make sure there was enough head room to do so. She moved to the end of the couch by keeping one leg pressed to it, rounded the couch's arm, and continued to a wall. She began to follow it, leading with one arm and holding the other out into the room.

She counted corners to keep track of where she was in the room relative to the couch. She had negotiated three when she found the closed door. If she had turned left instead of right, she would have found it earlier. She found its knob, turned, and was relieved to find it unlocked. Now she would get somewhere! She opened the door, felt beyond the threshold with a foot, then passed through it.

At last: she could see a dim shape ahead--a shade lighter than the darkness that surrounded her. Fearful that the space she had just entered was cluttered with obstacles she still could not see, she stayed by the wall and groped her way toward the only light she had seen since she awoke. As she approached it, she thought she could hear a faint murmur of voices.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Facile

facile
adjective. Especially of a theory or argument, appearing neat and comprehensive only by ignoring the true complexities of an issue. Superficial. Of a person, having a superficial or simplistic knowledge or approach. Of success, especially in sports, easily achieved. Effortless. Acting or done in a quick, fluent, and easy manner.

He watched her approach after she finished her floor exercise. Compared to the tumbling runs she had just displayed, her springy jog appeared facile, though he knew better. From the front, the scars were invisible. Invisible, too, were the thousands of hours of rehabilitation and practice that had brought her to this moment.

She came to him and stopped.

"I can see that you're ready physically," he stated. "Mentally, I'm not sure. You froze and missed the low bar for no good reason the last time you competed. Do you think you've gotten past the fear?"

"I do." She looked away as she curled so she could rub the fading scar tissue that ran up the back of her lower leg from her heel, then went on: "Do you want to see my uneven-bars routine again? It was almost perfect the last time."

"I don't need to see it again. An audience and a panel of judges need to see it for the first time. I know you're ready to perform in front of me. I don't know if you're ready to perform in front of anyone else."

She looked unsure for the first time as she thought. The moment stretched as he watched the play of muscles around her mouth--the only hint of her inner conflicts and uncertainty.
"I do. Where are the entry forms for regionals? Let's go fill them out. I'm tired of this."

"You may fall again."

She glared at him. "If I fall, I fall."

Satisfied, he rose and led the way to his office.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Ease

ease
verb, transitive. To make something unpleasant, painful, or intense less serious or severe. To alleviate the mental or physical pain of something.
verb, intransitive. To become less serious or severe. To make something happen more easily, to facilitate. To move carefully, gradually, or gently. Also a noun.

She closed her eyes, hoping the pain would ease. If this became worse, or even continued, what was she going to do? She feared that the deep, unprecedented ache in one hip joint signalled the degradation of the cartilege there and presaged its impending failure. If that was what it meant, it would be a disaster. She was too young to be on Medicare and had lost her health insurance when she lost her job. Hip-replacement surgery was simply not possible at this time.

The pain diminished and she prepared to stand and test the joint. Tentatively, she scooted to the edge of the seat and gripped the armrests. Breathing deeply, she opened her eyes and saw that the cat was sitting on its haunches directly in front of her.

"Shoo. Go away," she told it, waving one hand in its direction. It uncoiled to all fours and craned its neck toward her fingers. Annoyed at being interrupted, she hesitated, then reached down and scratched the furry head. Good thing she had looked before she got up. Falling over the cat would have been a bad omen and could have exacerbated the problem with her hip joint. She continued rubbing and scratching the animal, exploring the crannies of the skull beneath its skin as she did. Funny how neither of us would be able to stand and move without these bones, she thought. Somehow, the cat's presence and her interaction with it was banishing her anxiety. Sometimes, she mused, the cat seemed to read her mind.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Daemon

daemon
noun. In ancient Greek belief, a divinity or supernatural being of a nature between gods and humans. Archaic spelling of "demon". In computing, a background process that handles requests for services such as print spooling and file transfers, and is dormant when not required.

Kathy frowned at the message in her email inbox. She had no idea what the term in the "From" box meant. Pushing back her chair, she got up and headed to the computer room to ask the people who probably did know.

As she approached the door, she could see all three of them, engaged in conversation. Good: her chances of getting an explanation of that mystifying term were better if she addressed the question to all the experts in the company.

They turned toward her as she entered the room, pausing their conversation.

"I just got a message from the 'Mailer ...' uh ...." She frowned, unsure how to pronounce the second word in the phrase.

''Mailer Daemon?'' Nancy asked, reading Kathy's mind. She pronounced the second word as if it was spelled D-E-M-O-N.

Kathy smiled in relief. "Yes! What is that? What does it mean?"

"It's a server program that routes undeliverable emails back to the sender. You need to read it and find out which message you sent was addressed wrongly."

Kathy nodded, thanked her, and headed back to her desk to solve the problem. She was glad those three were in that room, ready to answer her computer questions eight hours a day. She chuckled. That wasn't their job, but they never minded helping her out or educating her, and she was grateful.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), or from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Cache

cache
noun. A collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place. A hidden or inaccessible storage place for valuables, provisions or ammunition. "Cache memory" in computing: An auxiliary memory from which high-speed retrieval is possible.
verb, transitive. To store away in hiding or for future use.

Raising the lantern to illuminate it, she gestured toward the brick wall with her free hand.
"The cache is behind there," she told Lee. "The brick's only a veneer."

Lee took his hands out of his pockets and rubbed them on his hips. "So, how do we get into it?"

Instead of replying, she placed the lantern on the packed-earth floor and walked to the wall. Starting at the ceiling, she counted bricks downward, then counted two from the left. With the blade of a pocketknife, she pried at the lower edge of the brick her count had stopped on until it swiveled upward. She reached into a recess behind it and turned a handle Lee could not see.

She braced herself and pulled. The seemingly-solid wall opened like a door. She propped it wide with a real brick, then picked up the lantern so she could shine its light on what lay behind the cache door: an array of assault rifles and boxes of ammunition.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Backcast

backcast
noun. A backward swing of a fishing line preparatory to casting.
verb, intransitive. To make a backward swing, such as when preparing to cast a fishing line.

He always hated this moment: standing at the podium, looking at the auditorium full of heads and shoulders. Once the house lights dimmed, it was difficult to focus on an individual's face. That was his favorite public-speaking aid--to pretend he was delivering his lecture to one person. It helped to quiet his nervousness. He had noticed that when he could use that technique, he sometimes rose to brilliant rhetoric that surprised even him.

As the shuffling and whispering quieted, he saw an unexpected light a few rows back. It wasn't flame-yellow. It was the cool fluorescent illumination of someone's smart phone. It bathed its owner's face in a pale glow: a young woman. It would have to do.

Inhaling deeply, he focused on her downturned eyes, backcast mentally, then addressed her.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Abash

abash
verb, transitive. To cause to feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed. Usually used in the form of the adjective "abashed".

Ellen turned her face away from the bright windows and examined the next paper in the stack. The familiar feeling of disappointment welled up as she read the few sloppily-handwritten paragraphs. Were these children learning nothing from her? She picked up her red pen again and began to mark the grammatical and spelling mistakes.

As she worked, part of her mind began to daydream. She longed for a day when her patient tutelage and example would abash the class into taking in what she was trying to teach them. She was convinced that was the way to get through to them. Surely it would succeed where harsh criticism and punishing assignments would not.

She finished marking up, concluded by assigning a grade, then recorded it. The next theme awaited.

Suddenly, she could stand it no longer: not on a day like this. She got the canvas tote out of her bottom desk drawer, grabbed the students' papers, and stuffed them into it. She retrieved her purse, seated its strap on her shoulder, grabbed the tote's handle and headed for the door. She barely slowed to flip the lights off, and by the time she was halfway down the hall, she was running. She would derive some happiness from something today, or know why.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Zap

zap
verb, transitive. To destroy or obliterate. To cause to move suddenly and rapidly in a specified direction. To cook or warm food or a drink in a microwave oven.
verb, intransitive. To move suddenly and rapidly, especially between television channels or sections of a video recording by use of a remote control. Also a noun.

Chloë's manager, Margaret, did her job by wandering around the office with a mug of coffee clenched in one fist. She never seemed to linger at anyone's workstation for long, until she came to Chloë's. She would stand at Chloë's left elbow, silent, sipping, for a minimum of five minutes, watching the younger woman work, then move away at last.

Chloë always took a deep breath of relief when the scrutiny ended. She reviewed her every move at the light table, wondering what she had been doing to warrant such intense interest. She was new at her job and didn't feel comfortable talking about Margaret's behavior with any of her unfamiliar colleagues.

One day, Margaret interrupted Chloë's work by speaking. She had paused to watch, as usual, then said, "You're the only one who does that."

Chloë raised her head and looked at the manager, startled.

"Beg pardon?"

Margaret sipped at her coffee, made a face, then jerked her head toward the studio door.
"Walk with me," she commanded.

Chloë placed her Xacto knife against the ledge at the table's lower edge, slid off her stool and followed as Margaret left the room. The two women walked down the hall without speaking. Chloë was relieved when she realized they were going in the opposite direction from Margaret's office, then apprehensive. Was Margaret going to walk her to the entrance of the building, only to order her to leave and never return? Why? What had Chloë done? Quelling her panic, she reflected that if Margaret was planning to can her, she would have ordered Chloë to collect her things. At least, she thought that would have been the case.

Margaret turned into the break room door, walked to the microwave, and placed her mug inside. After she keyed the buttons to zap her coffee, she turned to address Chloë.
"You're the only person in that studio who uses a triangle with the T-square. Where did you learn to do that?"

Chloë blinked. "Drafting class," she replied after a moment. She wondered how the others were drawing perpendiculars if they weren't using triangles. She didn't know any other method.

Margaret withdrew her mug from the machine, sipped and, for the first time since Chloë had met her, smiled.

"That explains it," she stated.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Yammer

yammer
noun. A loud and sustained or repetitive noise.
verb, intransitive. To make a loud, repetitive noise. To talk volubly.

Rudy stood next to his brother John in the doorway to the kitchen. Yes, Michael was yammering on, as usual, despite being warned only the day before. He turned toward John as he gestured at the voluble baker.

"Listen to that! He never shuts up. I told him we couldn't have this going on in the kitchen all the time. Evidently, he can't control himself."

John looked on with a look of genuine amusement, to Rudy's disgust. "You're right. I don't think he can."

"What are you going to do about it? You hired him."

John was silent for a moment, watching the kitchen's occupants. While Michael held forth, the rest of the staff continued working, merely glancing at him from time to time. Occasionally one would utter a remark, when Michael paused for breath. The man was the most animated person in the kitchen, not only working the dough on the table before him, but windmilling his arms to emphasize a point every few sentences.

"I'm not going to do anything. He produces as much as any two other employees, and his product is topnotch. He's not distracting the others. See? Everyone is working." He turned to his brother and narrowed his eyes. "You don't like what he's saying, do you? That's why you brought this up. Get over it." He turned and went back to his office, leaving Rudy watching the scene in the kitchen, his face crumpling into an expression of sour discontent.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Xerox

xerox
noun (trademark). A xerographic copying process. A copy made using such a process. A machine for copying by xerography.
verb, transitive. To copy a document by the xerographic process.

Every so often, she got it out and read it again: the science-fiction story she had xeroxed out of a thick anthology before she passed the book along to a friend. The author's name was Bill Johnson. The story was entitled "We will Drink a Fish Together." It was one of the best short stories, in any genre, she had ever read.

It was long, as short stories go. She chuckled when she recalled the rainy Sunday afternoon when she had asked her husband and son to sit and listen while she read it aloud to them. It was that kind of story. Though each complained about the story's duration at different points in the narrative, in the end they were glad she had insisted on sharing it with them. Neither was a science-fiction fan, but they had enjoyed it as much as she had.

What she had always liked in science fiction was the fact that the human beings, despite their otherworldly environments and the as-yet-uninvented technology they so casually used, remained quintessentially, utterly human. As with so many other things, this aspect had two sides, but she found it comforting, nevertheless.

In "We will Drink a Fish Together," the main character who happens to be an alien seems just as human as the earthlings he befriends. This fact gives rise to the camaraderie of shared strife as well as a good deal of humor. The little rural American community where most of the story takes place is both unique and universal: the kind of place that, if you hailed from there, you would never really leave.

So she returned to the story now and again, to refresh that sense of delight she had gained the first time she had read it, to enjoy the nascent love story subplotted beneath the main arc, to laugh at the characters' mutual jibes and at the lawnmower race. Yes, there's a lawnmower race. Most of all, she enjoyed the anticipation of what she guessed the next phase of that community's life might be, hoped she was right, and wished Mr. Johnson had written a novel about it so she could read it, too.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Waddle

waddle
verb, intransitive. To walk with short steps and a clumsy swaying motion.
noun, singular. A waddling gait.

Jack was so cantankerous, such a malcontent, that his friends felt sorry for the teachers and administrators at the school where Jack's son Dennis was enrolled in kindergarten. After dealing with his tantrums--Jack's, not the son's--for several years, which could be triggered by the most innocuous comment, they wondered if he would be able to control his temper when someone in authority at the school "insulted" Dennis.

Mike and his wife had inadvertently "insulted" every member of Jack's family at one time or another, and were so weary of verbally tiptoeing around him that they were in the process of ending their relationship with him, permanently.

"Can't you imagine?" Mike asked his wife one evening when they were preparing for bed. "Dennis is so accustomed to having his own way and being backed up by his father that it's inevitable that his teacher will have to discipline him. Then Jack will waddle down to the school so he can harangue her. Her and the principal, most likely."

"It's only a matter of time," she agreed. She smiled then, a small, almost satisfied smile at the thought of their soon-to-be-former friend hurling himself against the ramparts of the city school district. Bullying his wife and friends was one thing. She anticipated that he would get nowhere with the united front of the district administration.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Vacillate

vacillate
verb, intransitive. To alternate or wager between different opinions or actions; to be indecisive.

We moved to the country confident that we had good neighbors who would be able and willing to help us with the transition. We were right. The Holleys even had a dog who was ready to befriend ours.

Bandit was a big, shaggy animal of uncertain lineage. He was curious and vigilant about new humans in his neighborhood, but never threatening. He would trot across the pasture and pay frequent visits to our house--one-eighth of a mile from his--if he knew we were home and outside. He enjoyed friendly attention and being scratched in those places that were difficult for him to reach.

Just before our first Christmas in our new home, my son and I came down the road one afternoon. I had made my final shopping trip before the holiday, then picked him up from school. As we passed the Holleys' driveway, Bandit bounded across the field toward our car. I slowed, as usual, but kept the car moving, knowing he would catch up with us at our house.

Then I noticed a UPS truck following us down the road. It turned into the Holleys' drive and continued toward their house.

Bandit paused and turned to look at the truck. He looked toward our car as I turned into our driveway, then looked back at the UPS vehicle. As I watched him vacillate, I could almost hear his thoughts:

"If I go visit the neighbors, they might pet me! ... But there's a stranger at my house!"

After a few more seconds, his sense of responsibility won out. He turned his back on us and ran to protect his humans' house from the UPS man.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Undermine

undermine
verb, transitive. To erode the base or foundation of a rock formation. To dig or excavate beneath a building or fortification so as to make it collapse. To damage or weaken someone or something, especially gradually or insidiously.

Glumly, he watched the web page load on his laptop. He shouldn't have come to the coffee shop to do this: the internet connection was faster at home. But, he reminded himself, looking around and inhaling the aroma of fresh coffee, he needed a change of scene. If he spent one more afternoon in his empty house applying for jobs online, he feared his wife would come home and find him in the throes of a crying jag.

Eleven weeks. That was how long he had been out of work. Eleven weeks since that morning when he had been told his services were no longer needed. His qualification for unemployment benefits was not an issue. He had worked at the company for years--had been a valued employee. Had been until the work dried up.

For the first few weeks he had tramped the sidewalks, putting in applications and leaving résumés at every business that might use someone with his skills, to no avail. Now, he was only doing the minimum necessary to keep the benefit checks coming, uneasily watching the running total, worrying about what he would do when that safety net expired.

That wasn't the only thing he worried about. There didn't seem to be any work anywhere, not just at the pay level he wanted. Every office he visited seemed to be cutting back: he frequently saw dust bunnies beneath desks and tables, and the lighting was invariably more dim than he found comfortable. None of the businesses were paying a cleaning crew, and when light bulbs burned out, they were replacing them with lower-wattage bulbs. These were bad signs. He resented the fact that these portents undermined his already-eroded self-confidence. What worried him was the fact that marking these details could plunge him into despair so easily. He had never been subject to erratic mood swings before he was laid off. Why was it happening to him now, when his health insurance had lapsed?

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Tack

tack
verb, transitive. To fasten or fix in place with tacks. To fasten pieces of cloth together temporarily with long stitches. To add or append something to something already existing ('to tack something on').
verb, intransitive. To change course by turning a boat's head into and through the wind.
Also a noun.

The group stood looking down at the stack of flattened cardboard boxes.

"Looks like a forklift load to me," said Ron.

"We'll never get the forklift in here," Bill objected, glancing around. "Not without moving all those pallets again."

"Let's just move them manually," Eli said, stooping down and grabbing an armload. "It won't take that long."

He stood, bracing a stack of cardboard nearly an armspan wide against his torso and took a couple of steps. Realizing that he had to do so in order to see where he was going, he began to tack down the aisle between the pallets, swiveling his load side-to-side.

"Follow me," he called. "We need to get all this out of the way before Darryl brings the next pallet in."

First Bill, then Ron repeated Eli's actions and soon the vast workspace was traversed by three figures, seemingly propelled by corrugated-cardboard sails, zigzagging their way toward the overhead door.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Sabotage

sabotage
verb, transitive. To deliberately destroy, damage or obstruct something, especially for political or military advantage. Also a noun.

Rain was pelting the street and sidewalk when Frank arrived at Missy's apartment. He took advantage of the deluge to spend a little time reflecting on what he was about to do. The relationship had been going well ... too well. It was time to sabotage it before it was too late to walk away.

If he crouched a little, he could see Missy's windows on the top floor. Every one of them was alight. She was probably in a frenzy of cleaning. He liked that about her, but still....
The first time he had escorted her to her door and gotten a look inside, the place had been a pigsty. He should have heeded that red flag, but he hadn't been able to resist her physical charms. He knew she had gone all domestic after their first tryst, hoping to ensnare him in an engagement, soon to be followed by marriage. The second time he had accompanied her to her apartment, she had invited him in without hesitation, for the place was spotless. He felt glum as he remembered it. Other than her slovenly housekeeping, Missy was perfect, or nearly so. He couldn't settle for less than perfect, though. He knew that as soon as he made a commitment, her facade was going to slip, and if he married her, it would drop away. Never again would she rise to such heights of cleanliness and tidiness, and he couldn't abide a dirty home. He simply couldn't.

The rain continued to fall, more heavily, if anything. He suddenly had an idea and rummaged in the glove box. Yes! He had left the last pack in there when he quit. He fished out one cigarette and sniffed it. It would taste stale, but it would do. He cradled it between index and middle finger as he pushed the lighter in and waited for it to pop. Entering Missy's place reeking of cigarette smoke was certain to be a relationship-killer. She ranted against smoking every time she caught even a faint whiff of that odor.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Race

race
verb, intransitive. To compete with another or others to see who is fastest at covering a set course or achieving an objective. To compete regularly in races as a sport or leisure activity. To move or progress swiftly or at full speed. Of an engine or other machinery: to operate at excessive speed. Of a person's heart or pulse: to beat faster than normal because of fear or excitement.
verb, transitive. To cause to move, progress, or operate swiftly or at excessive speed. Also a noun.

The day had been bad enough, she thought, but now, it had become worse. The only good thing was that her car had broken down within sight of a repair shop. She grumbled internally as she walked the quarter-mile to Bill's Garage, noting that even its exterior looked dingy and grease-stained.

Inside, one man in coveralls stooped beneath a vehicle's hood, racing its engine. His head turned toward her as she entered the bay door, blocking the light from outside. As she approached, she could tell his eyes were unfocused. He was listening to the motor. She stopped near him and waited. If he took his time acknowledging her presence, that would mean he was a good mechanic, albeit rude.

After nearly a full minute, she gauged, he stopped stimulating the engine and straightened a few degrees as his gaze focused on her.

She explained her problem. He nodded once, stepped to the car's driver's window, reached in and removed its key.

"I'll come take a look," he said, "but it's gonna cost ya."

Of course it would, and what choice did she have? She was surprised when he hefted a toolbox into the bed of a tow truck outside, then opened its passenger door and indicated that she should climb in. Things were looking up.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Quail

quail
verb, intransitive. To feel or show fear or apprehension. Also a noun.

Mike was devoted to his livestock. Day after day, he brought kitchen discards home from the restaurant where he worked and fed them to his pigs. He delighted in seeing their response when he dumped buckets of cabbage cores and melon rinds into their trough. They never dived into their dry food and fought over it as they did over the restaurant scraps. Their robust growth was almost visible, and he knew all those fruits and vegetables would turn into succulent chops and hams.

He sought nourishing weeds to supplement the commercial chicken feed, as well. He knew that green food is what turns the yolks a deep orange when chickens lay eggs. There was plenty of poke and wild amaranth growing on the property, and he took time to chop some of it up and throw it into the chickens' run every day. Once, when his wife was cutting up a head of broccoli for their dinner, he shouldered her aside and began cutting the stem into small cubes that he could give his poultry.

"I'm not sure you understand, Betty," he told her as he scooped them into a pail. "I actually love the chickens."

With dismay, he saw the hens quail when he approached with those nourishing tidbits and run into their house to hide. He wanted them to love him back.


Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Pacify

pacify
verb, transitive. To quell the anger, agitation, or excitement of. To soothe or calm. To bring peace to a country or warring factions, especially by the use or threatened use of military force.

The last time Gail saw Sandy was early spring semester in 1969. That was when the other girl decided she could no longer stand to be buried in the Midwest, away from her high school friends, and especially away from her boyfriend. She dropped out, halfway through freshman year, and returned to Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C.

It seemed as if Sandy's departure from Ohio had pulled the pin from a grenade. As soon as the weather began to warm, students all over the country began to abandon their college classes and protest on campuses and in the streets. Each incident fueled the conflict. A month before classes were scheduled to end, the deaths of protesters at Kent State made the state of affairs all too real. After a few tense days, Gail's university closed early

She walked all over campus during the last two days students were permitted to gather their belongings and pack up their dorm rooms. She endured catcalls from construction workers on the steel skeleton of the dormitory they were erecting. She scanned the rooflines of the classroom and administration buildings, looking for evidence of snipers. There was a rumor that the university president had requested help from the National Guard to pacify any uprising the students might foment. She saw no one on the roofs. She didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.

Sandy called from Alexandria early that summer. She was unhappy about having to live with her parents again while she figured out what she wanted to do. Gail's sympathy was limited. She had her own problems. Her father had laid down the law after she came home: if she wanted to return to school the following September, she would have to come up with the money to pay her tuition and room and board herself. Gail was working in the kitchen of a hamburger place near the mall, wearing a mustard-colored uniform that reeked of fryer grease, her hair in a net. She hated the job, but was doing her best to get used to it. She had no choice but to keep it and save everything she earned.

Years later, Gail still wondered whatever became of Sandy. That phone call was the last contact she ever had with her.


Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Obey

obey

verb, transitive. To comply with the command, direction, or request of a person or a law. To submit to the authority of. To carry out a command or instruction. To behave in accordance with a general principle, natural law, etc.

"I know you don't understand," his mother stated as she hefted the basket of washing onto her hip. "I have work to do. Go talk to your grandfather about it. Maybe he can explain it." She left him there and headed toward the clothesline.

He kicked at the dust at the foot of the back porch steps. He tried to be good. He did. Every year, it seemed, there were more rules he was expected to obey, more restrictions on what he wanted to do. It wasn't fair. A tear emerged from one eye and he let it roll down his cheek and splash onto his shirt unimpeded.

He was alone. Not only had his mother turned her back on him, preferring to do her chores instead of helping him navigate these growing-up thickets, there wasn't a hen or a cat or even a dog in sight. For a moment, even the air was empty of birdsong.

Grandpa's cottage was silent across the pasture beyond their chicken coop. Maybe he should go talk to him. Would Grandpa sympathize? Would he even understand why Kyle felt so defeated and forlorn?

He stood, kicked at the dust one more time, and shoved his hands into his overall pockets. He would try to explain why he had done what he had done to his grandfather. Maybe he would listen. Without much hope, Kyle began to walk slowly toward the cottage.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Nab

nab
verb, transitive. To catch someone doing something wrong. To take or grab something. To steal.

She watched her supervisor as he entered the conference room. He paused at the side table and nabbed a doughnut before he continued to approach her, and took a bite out of it as he sat, two chairs away.

'You didn't think I was going to drop our little argument, did you?' he addressed her around bits of dough and icing.

She averted her gaze and fixed it on the folder in front of her, then realized too late that he had deliberately spoken with his mouth full in order to prompt her to do exactly that. Was the man incapable of interacting with her without pushing as many of her psychological buttons as possible? He must be a Scorpio. It was the only explanation for the way he treated her: her and everyone else she had watched him deal with.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Macerate

macerate
verb, transitive. To soften or break up something, especially food, by soaking in a liquid.
verb, intransitive. To become softened or broken up by soaking.

The boys looked into the opening in the cistern's lid. Jim shuddered.

"No one has cleaned this out in a long time." He glanced at Tony's face. "Do you think it's in there?"

"No telling."

Both were silent for a moment, then Tony rose and went inside. When he returned, he was carrying a long pole. Jim moved aside as his friend approached.

Tony pushed the pole into the cistern and fed it in until it struck bottom. Slowly, he began to move it about on the invisible floor, feeling for a lump the size of the box they hoped to find. Jim moved back to the opening and shone the beam of his flashlight onto the dark water inside. It was an opaque, tannin-colored soup of insect parts and leaf particles the water had macerated over who knew how many years. Even if Tony did find the box with the pole, how would they ever get it out of there?
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Label

label

verb, transitive. To attach a label to something. To assign to a category, especially inaccurately or restrictively. To give a name to something. Also a noun.

Brittany's heart sank as she rounded the corner and looked up the corridor toward her locker. Those girls were gathered nearby, talking among themselves, squealing and laughing as usual. She had tried to ignore the looks they darted at her on previous mornings when she visited her locker near their little club meeting. They made it obvious they didn't want her near; considered her approach an intrusion.

She had to get her chemistry notes for first period. Today was a lab. Brittany raised her head and squared her shoulders. She was visiting her locker, as was her right. Nothing more, nothing less. She determined not to let the looks and whispers of this coterie bother her. Her steps became more deliberate as she neared them.

"Good morning," she stated to the group as a whole when she stopped at locker number fifty-nine. She swept their surprised gazes with her own as she reached for the combination lock.

Brittany was surprised to see their eyes drop or slide sideways after touching hers. Mentally shrugging, she turned to work the combination, then saw the reason. Someone had labelled her locker with a crudely lettered word on a neon green sticker: "GEEK."

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Kayak

kayak
verb, intransitive. To travel in or use a kayak.
noun. A canoe of a type used originally by the Eskimo, made of a light frame with a watertight covering having a small opening in the top to sit in.

They all got along better when Carla relaxed and let them enjoy a little freedom. She was well aware of how strict these children's parents were: the little ones were regimented almost every minute of their days. Instinctively, Carla knew that was a recipe for dangerous rebellion later in their lives.

Seeing that the long hallway was uncluttered by furniture, she rolled up the runner, then assigned each of the children a small throw-rug from a stack she had found in the pantry. She demonstrated how they could lie on the rugs, pile down, and propel themselves on the polished hardwood with their arms.

The kids took to it like baby otters. She stood at one end of the seventy-foot corridor and watched as they kayaked the length of it, squealing and laughing, racing at times. This would get them good and worn out, she knew, and they would be happy to settle down later and listen to the story she planned to read to them. Meanwhile, she could enjoy watching them play.

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Jam

jam
verb, transitive. To squeeze or pack someone or something tightly into a specified space.
verb, instransitive. To become or make unable to move or work due to a part seizing or becoming stuck. To make a radio transmission unintelligible by causing interference. To improvise with other musicians, especially in jazz or blues.

Blinking, the members emerged from the cellar room into pre-dawn light. They stood on the sidewalk, clutching their instrument cases, some smoking and all talking about the hours that had just passed.

'I'll jam with you guys anytime,' Rufus stated around his cigar. 'That was epic.'

'It was cool. You got you some licks,' the drummer said, rubbing one of his eyes.

Charles, the lead guitar, said nothing, but permitted a smile to bend his lips and honored Rufus with a slow nod.

'Mm-hmm.'

'Mmm.'

Conversation ceased. The light intensified. Rufus took a deep breath, gripped his case's handle, and turned to face the walk uptown.

'I better be off,' he said. 'My ol' lady, she....' His voice trailed off and he took a tentative step, not wanting to let go of the feeling of camaraderie he had gained, making music for the past few hours.

Charles thrust out his free hand toward him, and Rufus took it in his own. They shook, eying each other.

'Come back next weekend,' Charles finally spoke. 'Maybe we'll do it again.'

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.

Iconize

iconize
verb, transitive. To reduce a window on a video display terminal to a small symbol or graphic. To treat as an icon.

Fran had been working for the company only a short time before she realized that the entire staff--not just the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors--had iconized the logo to a point far beyond any level she had previously experienced. They had a graphics standards manual they were expected to follow, even on the lowly weekly newsletter she was responsible for producing. She decided she'd better take the manual home and read it over the weekend, in self-defense.

"I guess this is the price I have to pay for getting a job so high up in the corporate world," she thought as she unlocked her car Friday afternoon and tossed the manual onto the passenger seat. As she turned to climb in, she saw the company president, in his BMW, glaring at her. "What's wrong with him?" Fran wondered. On impulse, she smiled at him, gave him a little wave, then continued her entry into her old Geo. "I guess he's offended by the flaking paint on this beater," she thought as she started the engine. To her usual relief, it fired, and she revved it so she could listen to it. "Well, if I can keep my job and save for awhile, I should be able to replace it in a few months. Then, he won't have to look at it anymore."

Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.