Unknown Vocabulary From SHF

Unknown Vocabulary in SHF Ch. 8: All definitions are from the Oxford English Dictionary

Haggardly (Pg. 173): “They thought he might be having a heart attack, and Billy seemed to confirm this by going to a chair and sitting down haggardly.” I think that the word ‘haggardly’ means ‘to do something in an awkward or uncomfortable manner’. It means: “’Looking exhausted and unwell, esp. from fatigue, worry, or suffering’”. One example of a sentence with this word is: After pondering on my big misteak, I haggardly cooked myself dinner.”

Psychosomatic (Pg. 172): “Billy had powerful psychosomatic responses to the changing chords.” I think that the word ‘psychosomatic’ means ‘a psychological response that affects the body’. It means: “‘(of a physical illness or other condition) caused or aggravated by a mental factor such as internal conflict or stress’”. Ex: My psychosomatic response to the exams were my physical illness.

Lugubriously (Pg. 168): “As Trout lugubriously slung the bag from his shoulder, Billy Pilgrim approached him.” I think that the word lugubriously means ‘to execute in with a negative attitude’. It means: “’looking or sounding sad or dismal’”. Ex: I lugubriously played the guitar.

Halitosis (Pg. 168): “It was about a robot who had bad breath, who became popular after his halitosis was cured.” I think that ‘halitosis’ means ‘an illness that causes terrible breath’. It means: “’Technical term for bad breath’”. Ex: My halitosis alienated others.

Whitewash (pg. 165): “The Americans went to these, brushing away flakes of whitewash before they sat down.” I think that ‘whitewash’ means ‘the snowflake-like material that results from a humid freezer. It means: “’a solution of lime and water or of whiting, size, and water, used for painting walls white’”. Ex: I used whitewash to paint my room.

Pinschers (Pg. 171): “I’m afraid of cancer and rats and Doberman pinschers.” I think that ‘pinschers’ means ‘a type of dog of the Doberman family.’ It means: “’Any of three breeds of dogs whose ears and tail are usually cropped’”. Ex: My pinscher looks like a rat with its tail.

Uproariously (Pg. 172): “Kilgore Trout laughed uproariously.” I think that ‘uproariously’ means ‘to feign amusement’. It means: “’Characterized by or provoking loud noise or uproar’”. Ex: The party went on uproariously.

Fringe (Pg. 173): “Valencia stayed with him, and Kilgore Trout, who had been on the fringe of the crowd, came closer, interested, shrewd.” I think that ‘fringe’ means ‘of the uncommon and unpopular sort’. It means: “’not part of the mainstream; unconventional, peripheral, or extreme’”. Ex: The study of fringe science is not widely accepted by conservatives.

Nacreous (Pg. 177): “It was nacreous pink.” I think that ‘nacreous’ means ‘strong tone’. It means: “’Consisting of or resembling mother of pearl’”. Ex: The nacreous background went well with the rugs.
Calcimine (Pg. 177): “All that happened down there was an occasional shower of calcimine.” I think that ‘calcimine’ means ‘the effect of calcium storage over long periods of time’. It means “’A kind of white or pale blue white wash for walls and ceilings’”. Ex: The calcimine of the walls landed on my bead and made me sneeze.