The Promised One (29 page)

precipice
n
. a sheer, steep cliff face

precipitous
adj
. very steep

predator
n
. a carnivorous (meat-eating) animal; a
hunter-killer

predicament
n
. a difficult situation

prehensile
adj
. adapted for grasping

presentiment
n
. a premonition; a sense about something that is going to happen

prevail
v
. to win; to prove superior; to overcome

prick up
v
. to start to listen with great interest. In Chapter 8 Lucy
pricked up her ears
which means she listened very intently

prime
v
. to prepare an explosive charge for detonation

primitive
adj
. early; crude; undeveloped

prise
v
. to lever or force open

prodigious
adj
. very great; vast

proffer
v
. to offer; to present

proficient
adj
. skilled; able; having great facility in doing something

project
n
. Chapter 1: a task; a plan; a job

v
. Chapter 16: to throw one’s voice (or, in Lucy’s case, a thought) so that it can be heard at a distance

prologue
n
. an introductory section to a story, play, speech, etc.

protrude
v
. to stick out; to project beyond a surface

pseudo
adj
. pretended; fake; put on

psittacosaurus
n
. a small (2-metre) dinosaur with a parrot-like beak. It lived in what is now Asia approximately 100 million years ago

psycho
n
. (slang) a psychopath – one who commits antisocial and violent acts

pulsate
v
. to throb; to vibrate; to quiver

punctuate
v
. to occur or to insert at frequent intervals; to interrupt

punk
n
. a youth cult of the 1970s, featuring unusual clothes and hairstyles

punster
n
. one who makes puns – jokes that play on words

pustule
n
. a small spot containing pus

quandary
n
. a puzzling situation; a predicament

quarantine
n
. a period of isolated detention to prevent the spread of disease

quest
n
. a search; a mission to find something or someone

quicksilver
n
. an old name for the bright liquid metal mercury, which moves rapidly when touched. In Chapter 3
your mind of quicksilver
means that Lucy’s mind can move rapidly from thought to thought

quintessential
adj
. having the very essence of; possessing the most representative features or elements of something

rabies
n
. a viral infection of animals and man. Also known as hydrophobia, it can cause affected animals to behave abnormally and unpredictably

radiologist
n
. a doctor who specializes in images such as X-rays and body scans

random
adj
. unplanned; haphazard; occurring by chance

ransack
v
. to plunder and pillage; to take apart

rat (on)
v
. slang term meaning to betray or reveal secret information

raucous
adj
. hoarse; loud; harsh

recipe
n
. the ingredients and directions for making something, usually a meal

recognize
v
. to know someone or something as being familiar from a previous meeting

reconstructed
adj
. put back together; rebuilt; restored to a former state

recount
v
. to tell; to describe; to narrate

refined
adj
. elegant; polite; not vulgar or coarse

reflect
v
. to bounce something back (usually light). In Chapter 14 the eyes of the animals were acting like mirrors by
reflecting
the light of the fire

refracture
v
. to break again

refuge
n
. a place of safety; somewhere providing shelter or protection

refurbish
v
. to restore; to renovate and repair; to redecorate

regurgitate
v
. to bring food back from the stomach to the mouth

relentless
adj
. without stopping; sustained; unremitting

relish
v
. to enjoy; to savour

reminiscent
adj
. reviving memories of something

remnants
n
. remaining pieces or parts

remote
adj
. far away; distant; out-of-the-way

rend
v
. to tear forcefully; to rip

rent
v
.
the past tense and past participle of the verb ‘to rend.’

replenish
v
. to put back what has been used up; to replace; to restore to completion

resentful
adj
. feeling aggrieved or bitter about something; indignant

reservoir
n
. a store

resound
v
. to echo; to reverberate; to ring with sound

resourceful
adj
. capable; ingenious; having the ability to deal with difficult situations

restrain
v
. to hold back

resume
v
. to start again

retch
v
. to heave as if to vomit; to vomit ineffectually

retrieve
v
. to recover something; to get something back

reunion
n
. a gathering together again of people after a period of separation

revelation
n
. something revealed or disclosed, usually in a surprising way

reverie
n
. a daydream; a state of absent-mindedness

revert
v
. to go back to a previous state, practice or topic

revulsion
n
. drawing back in disgust; loathing

rheumatism
n
. pains in the joints or muscles

rival
n
. a competitor

role reversal
n
. the exchange of normal behaviour patterns between individuals. In Chapter 18, Lucy is looking after and instructing her father instead of the other way round

rueful
adj
. sorrowful; repentant

ruffian
n
. a rowdy or violent person; a villain

rummage
v
. to search carelessly or untidily

sabbatical leave
n
. a special period of leave granted to university staff to do extra research, etc.

sadist
n
. one who enjoys inflicting physical or mental pain on others

sagacious
adj
. wise

salvageable
adj
. saveable; capable of being retrieved

sarcasm
n
. a contemptuous or mocking remark, often ironically worded; a taunt

saunter
v
. to stroll at a leisurely pace

saurian
n
. a lizard-like reptile

savannah
n
. open grassland, studded with trees and bushes

scale
v
. to climb to the top of a height

scam
n
. (slang) a swindle; a method of cheating

Scotland Yard
n
. the world-famous police headquarters in London

sedation
n
. a state of drowsiness or calm induced by a hypnotic or sleep-inducing drug

see red
v
. to get very angry about something

seething
adj
. moving in an agitated state, as though boiling or foaming

self-made
adj
. to have achieved success through one’s own efforts

semi-coherent
adj
. not making complete sense; illogical; inconsistent

serpentine
adj
. snake-like

serrated
adj
. having sharp teeth like a saw

shackles
pl. n
. fastenings, usually metal, used to secure the ankles or wrists

shamefaced
adj
. looking ashamed

shard
n
. a broken piece or fragment of pottery, glass or similar substance

shrewd
adj
. clever; astute; perceptive; penetrating

silhouette
n
. the outline of a solid object

sinister
adj
. threatening; suggestive of evil; ominous

sinuous
adj
. winding; twisting

slang
n
. a word or phrase that is not standard language but is used informally; jargon

smoulder
v
. to burn slowly and smokily without a flame

so-and-so
n
. an unpleasant person. The term is often used to avoid using a swearword to describe someone

sonorous
adj
. deep and resonant (sound)

sophisticated
adj
. refined; complex; classy; state-of-
the-art

sparse
adj
. scanty; scattered; small in number

specimen
n
. an object of interest, collected and kept for future study or display

spectacular
adj
. dramatically impressive

spontaneous
adj
. occurring naturally, without prompting or preparation; unpremeditated

spooky
adj
. eerie; ghostly; supernaturally frightening

static
n
. unwanted hissing and crackling sounds on a radio

statistics
n
. facts and figures; quantitative data on a subject

status
n
. position or rank in a group or hierarchy; relative importance or standing

stifle
v
. to cover up or suppress a sound

stipulation
n
. a condition

stock exchange
n
. a financial market in which stocks, shares and securities are bought and sold in a regulated manner

stoop
v
. to swoop down

strewn
adj
. spread or scattered

strident
adj
. loud; harsh; insistent; clamorous

stupefaction
n
. bewildered amazement; astonishment stupefy v. to astound; to astonish

subconsciousness
n
. part of the mind that operates below the level of awareness

subtle
adj
. not very obvious; difficult to detect

suburb
n
. a district on the outskirts of a town or city, usually residential (where people live)

suffix
n
. something added to the end of a word

summary
n
. a short account giving the main points of something; a precis

supervise
v
. to oversee; to watch over

supple
adj
. bendy; flexible

suppress
v
. to hold back; to keep in check; to restrain

surmount
v
. to rise above

surreal
adj
. having an unreal or dreamlike quality

surveillance
n
. watching; observation; scrutiny

suss (out)
v
. (slang) to assess a situation

sustainable
adj
. capable of being maintained at a steady level

swarm
n
. Chapters 18, 21: a large group of small animals, especially bees and other insects

v
. Chapter 16: to move about in large numbers; to climb

swat
v
. to strike or hit something, especially an insect

swivel
v
. to turn or twist

symbol
n
. a sign, logo or character

sympathy
n
. emotional feelings for others (compassion, anguish, etc.)

systematically
adv
. in a methodical fashion

tabloid
n
. a newspaper written in a sensational style designed to appeal to a mass readership

taken aback
adj
. surprised; disconcerted; startled

tantalizing
adj
. frustrating; teasing; offering the hope of something desirable

tawny
adj
. having a browny-orange colour

taxi
v
. (of an aircraft) to move along the ground

teeming
adj
. full of; abounding with

tend
v
. to look after; to care for; to treat, as in
tend a wound

tentative
adj
. hesitant; cautious; uncertain

tentatively
adv
. uncertainly; cautiously; hesitantly

tenuous
adj
. insecure; flimsy; insignificant; of little substance

termite
n
. an ant-like tropical insect. Colonies can build large strong hills which may be attacked by anteaters

terse
adj
. short; curt; abrupt

testy
adj
. touchy; irritable

theoretical
adj
. not actually tried in practice; possible in theory or thought

thermal
n
. a column of rising air produced by uneven heating of the ground and local area. May be used by birds or gliders to gain height with minimum effort

thrash
v
. to beat hard

throng
n
. a large crowd gathered closely together

tidings
n
. news; information

timorous
adj
. timid; fearful

titanic
adj
. possessing or involving colossal strength