The Bell Jar Vocabulary List

Front 1

fusty

Back 1

1. (Adj) smelling old, damp or not fresh

2. (Adj) old-fashioned

Ex: My father is a fusty man

Front 2

bawl

Back 2

1. (V.) to shout loudly, especially in an unpleasant or angry way

2.(V.) to cry loudly, especially in an unpleasant and annoying way

Ex: The boy bawled loudly when his mom did not give him a candy

Front 3

quilted

Back 3

(Adj.) made of two layers of cloth with soft material between them, held in place by lines of stitches

Ex: That quilted sweater is horrible

Front 4

license

Back 4

to give somebody official permission to do, own, or use something

Ex: Copyright licenses are destroying knowledge and culture

Front 5

awning

Back 5

(n.) a sheet of strong cloth that stretches out from above a door or window to keep off the sun or rain

Ex: The restaurant's awing is big enough to cover a hundred people from the rain

Front 6

gawky

Back 6

(adj.) awkward in the way they move or behave

Ex: My mom walks in a gawky way all the time.

Front 7

wilt

Back 7

1. (V.) if a plant or flower wilts, or something wilts it, it bends towards the ground because of the heat or a lack of water

2. (V.) to become weak or tired or less confident

3.(V.) thou wilt (old use) used to mean ‘you will’, when talking to one person

Ex: My friends wilted three weeks after working on the mines; the pay was low, the treatment inhuman and the conditions unberable

Front 8

waver

Back 8

1. (V.) to be or become weak or unsteady
2. (V.) to hesitate and be unable to make a decision or choice
3. (V.) to move in an unsteady way

Ex: My father wavered for many years before he letted me leave the country.

Front 9

cut

Back 9

1. (V.) to make an opening or a wound in something, especially with a sharp tool such as a knife or scissors
2. (V.) to remove something or a part of something, using a knife, etc
3. (V.) to make or form something by removing material with a knife, etc
4. (V.) to divide something into two or more pieces with a knife, etc
5. (V.) to make something shorter by cutting

Ex: Cutting your throat will make you die

Front 10

glass

Back 10

1. (n.)　a hard, usually transparent, substance used, for example, for making windows and bottles

Ex: could you break my glass cup?

Front 11

balk

Back 11

1.(V.) to be unwilling to do something or become involved in something because it is difficult, dangerous, etc
2.to prevent somebody from getting something or doing something

A friend balked me from getting a second hamburger; he believes that more than one will make you vomit.

Front 12

mimeograph

Back 12

1. (n.) A duplicator that makes copies of written, drawn, or typed material from a stencil that is fitted around an inked drum.
2. (n.)A copy made by this method of duplication

I used the mimeograph for publishing a couple of books, it was very inefficient.

Front 13

lurid

Back 13

1. (Adj.) too bright in colour, in a way that is not attractive

2. (Adj.) shocking and violent in a way that is deliberate

Ex. the movie was disgusting and lurid, with plenty of gore, rape and nudity.

Front 14

nonplussed

Back 14

(Adj.) so surprised and confused that you do not know what to do or say

Ex: I was nonplussed when I realised I had killed the person I didn't meant to kill.

Front 15

rabid

Back 15

1. (Adj.) having very strong feelings about something and acting in an unacceptable way

2. (Adj.) violent or extreme

Ex. The rabid dog went closer as my heart beat rose up and sweat started falling through my skin.