African Pursuit (20 page)

abbreviation
n.
a shortened word or phrase

abduction
n.
the removal of someone by force; kidnap

abruptly
adv.
suddenly; unexpectedly

abysmal
adj.
very bad; terrible
(modern informal usage)

access
n.
the right or ability to enter, use or approach something

acknowledge
v.
to recognize the truth of something; to admit a reality

acquire
v.
to get something; to obtain; to gain possession

acrid
adj.
unpleasantly sharp; pungent; having an irritant smell or taste

acronym
n.
a pronounceable word made up from some or all of the initial letters of a longer title

adjacent
adj.
next to; near; adjoining

adopt
v.
Chapters 2, 3, 4: to take responsibility for; to take into the family;
v.
Chapters 16, 20: to take on or use

adrenaline
n.
a hormone associated with excitement, stress or activity

advocate
n.
one who pleads a cause; one who speaks on behalf of another

affluent
adj.
wealthy; rich

affront
v.
to insult; to offend; to upset the dignity of

aforementioned
adj.
someone or something that has been referred to previously

aftermath
n.
the results of a previous event; the period after an event

aggro
n. (slang)
an abbreviation of aggravation meaning annoyance or nuisance

aghast
adj.
filled or overcome with horror; appalled

agog
adj.
very curious; intensely attentive

akin
adj.
like; similar to; having the same characteristics

alcove
n.
a recess in a wall; a niche

alert
adj.
attentive; vigilant

alleged
adj.
described as such; presumed to be; said but not proved to be

allocate
v.
to give to; to assign; to allot

aloof
adj.
distant; having a superior attitude; supercilious

amateur
n.
a non-professional person; one who engages in an interest for enjoyment or sport, rather than for remuneration

ambition
n.
a strong desire for success or power

ambush
n.
a trap, usually involving people waiting in hiding to catch or attack others

ammo
n. (slang)
an abbreviation for ammunition

ammunition
n.
projectiles that can be fired from a weapon e.g. bullets

anagram
n.
a word or phrase the letters of which can be rearranged to form another meaningful word or phrase

analyse
v.
to study in detail; to examine to discover specific information, meaning or composition

analysis
n.
the results obtained from examining something, or determining its composition

anguish
n.
severe pain; misery; intense grief

animanet
n.
see Lucy’s Lexicon

anon
adv. (poetic or archaic)
soon; in a short time

aperture
n.
an opening

appal
v.
to horrify; to shock; to dismay

apprehension
n.
a state of fear or anxiety about something that might happen

approbation
n.
praise; approval

appropriate
adj.
suitable; fitting

archaic
adj.
out of date; ancient; antiquated

arduous
adj.
strenuous; difficult; requiring great effort

arrogant
adj.
conceited; boastful; proud

artefact
n.
a man-made article

ashen
adj.
pallid; drained of colour; like ashes

aspiration
n.
the hope or desire to achieve something

assemble
v.
to gather together

assent
n.
agreement; compliance

assets
pl. n.
possessions; property

assignment
n.
task; mission

assuage
v.
to calm; to soothe

assume
v.
to suppose; to take for granted; to accept without proof

audit
n.
the process of inspection and verification, e.g. of accounts

Auf Wiedersehen!
German phrase
Goodbye!; See you again!

auspices (under the auspices of)
phrase
under the authority of; under the guidance or patronage of

avaricious
adj.
greedy for riches

aversion
n.
repugnance; extreme dislike for something or someone

avert
v.
to turn aside (one’s gaze)

awesome
adj.
very impressive; amazing; outstanding

balcony
n.
a projecting platform on the wall of a building, having a rail or balustrade

ballast
n.
heavy material providing stability or weight

BAOR
abbrev.
British Army On the Rhine

barrel
n.
the metal tube in a firearm from which the bullet or projectile emerges

bayonet
n.
a blade for stabbing that can be attached to a firearm

beacon
n.
a signal; a light or fire to attract attention

beak
n. (slang)
magistrate, judge, headmaster, or similar authority figure

benign
adj.
kindly

bewildered
adj.
confused; puzzled

binoculars
n.
optical instrument with a telescope for each eye which magnifies distant objects

bird
n. (slang)
an informal term for a girl or young woman

bite one’s tongue
phrase
to try very hard to stop oneself from saying something

bizarre
adj.
very unusual; odd; extraordinary

blab
v.
to give away a secret (in speech)

black panther
n.
a melanistic (black) variant of a big cat such as a leopard, cougar or jaguar

blackmail
n.
the use of threats (usually of disclosure) to obtain money or, as in Chapter 21, to influence the actions of another

bleeper
n.
a portable radio receiver

blighter
n.
an old-fashioned slang word meaning an annoying or irritating person or thing

bloody
adj. (slang; swearword)
a strong imprecation used to lend particular emphasis to a phrase or statement

boisterous
adj.
lively; unruly; unrestrained

bond
v.
to create a close relationship with another; to befriend

boon
n.
a favour

booty
n.
stolen valuables; plunder

booze
n. (slang)
any kind of alcoholic drink

botanist
n.
one who studies plants

bowdlerize
v.
to remove unwanted words or passages from an article or account; to edit; to redact

brand
v.
an identifying mark made on the skin, usually with a hot iron

breakthrough
n.
a significant discovery; a ground-breaking development

bribe
n.
a gift of money or goods in exchange for a favour

brood
n.
the young in a family; offspring

brunch
n.
a late morning meal, combining
br
eakfast with l
unch

bureaucracy
n.
a system of administration, particularly one that is rigid or impedes progress

bush
n.
uncultivated, wild countryside (especially in Africa and Australia)

bush meat
n.
the flesh of wild animals killed for food (often illegally)

butt
n.
the end of the stock of a rifle that is placed against the shoulder

cacophony
n.
an unpleasant mixture of different sounds or notes

cahoots
pl.n.
“in cahoots with” means in league with; in collusion

cairn
n.
a mound of stones, usually erected as a memorial

calamity
n.
a disastrous event

caldera
n.
the basin-like crater within a volcano

canape
n.
a small piece of bread, biscuit or toast covered with a tasty topping

canopy
n.
the highest general level of foliage in a forest, formed by the crowns of trees and penetrated by only the tallest species

captor
n.
one who captures and holds another captive

carburettor
n.
engine part that controls the air–fuel mixture

carcass
n.
a dead body

caricature
n.
an inaccurate representation of some person or thing, often exaggerating certain characteristics

carnage
n.
slaughter; massacre

carpe diem
phrase (Latin)
seize the day; take action; go for it

cassava
n.
a tropical plant, also called manioc, with an edible starchy root

cataract
n.
a rough waterfall, often across rocks; rapids

causeway
n.
a raised road or path crossing water, mud, swamp, etc

cavort
v.
to jump around; to caper; to prance

cf.
abbrev. (Latin)
confer; compare; see. Used to guide the reader to another source of information

chassis
n.
the steel frame of a vehicle

cite
v.
to refer to; to mention; to quote

cliché
n.
a word or expression that has lost its force through overuse

cluster
v.
to gather round in a close group

coarse
adj.
Chapters 2, 18: vulgar; indelicate; ribald;
adj.
Chapters 4, 15: rough; unrefined

cock-a-hoop
adj.
boastful; crowing; in high spirits

cocktail
n.
a drink mixed from different elements, usually alcoholic and usually drunk before meals

coincidence
n.
the simultaneous chance occurrence of events that are apparently connected

commonplace
n.
ordinary; everyday; common

commune
v.
to communicate closely

compass
n.
an instrument used to find direction by means of a magnetized needle that points north

comply
v.
to agree with or submit to rules, conditions or requirements; to be obedient

composure
n.
calmness; serenity; tranquillity

comprehension
n.
understanding

compromise
n.
a settlement arrived at by choosing something between two extremes

compunction
n.
mercy; regret; remorse

concession
n.
a right to land, or to conduct a certain activity, granted by a government or other authority

concierge
n.
a caretaker or attendant

concur
v.
to agree

condone
v.
to pardon; to overlook; to forgive

condor
n.
a species of large vulture found (principally) in the South American Andes

confer
v.
to bestow upon; to endow; to grant

confidential
adj.
secret; private

conscience
n.
the feeling of what is right or wrong; a sense of morality

conscript
v.
to enrol for military service

conservateur
n. (French)
warden; guardian; custodian

console
v.
to comfort; to bring solace

consternation
n.
worry; concern; anxiety

contorted
adj.
twisted

contrive
v.
to arrange; to manage

convalescence
n.
a period of recovery from illness

conviction
n.
a state of feeling convinced; feeling sure or certain about something

coordinates
n.
sets of numbers that define an exact location

cope
v.
to manage; to deal with a situation; to succeed (often in the face of difficulty)

coy
adj.
shy; demure, usually in a provocative manner

crackdown
n.
a policy of strict enforcement; the imposition of severe measures

craton
n.
a part of the earth’s crust that has been geologically stable for many millions of years

credence
n.
belief (in); acceptance

Cretaceous Period
n.
the last period of the Mesosoic era, between the Jurassic and Tertiary periods, 144–65 million years ago

crucial
adj.
decisive; critically important

crustacean
n.
one of a class of animals having a carapace or shell

cryptid
n.
a cryptozoological term for a creature rumoured to exist but not recognized by mainstream science

crystal
n.
a substance with a characteristic regular shape that results from the specific internal arrangement of its atoms or molecules

culminate
v.
to end; to bring to a final stage

curator
n.
person in charge of a museum, department, etc.