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.