The Most Dangerous Game

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gargoyle

Back 1

a grotesquely carved figure of a human or animal

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gargoyle

Back 2

The stone steps were real enough; the massive door with a leering ______ for a knocker was real enough; yet above it all hung an air of unreality.

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dank

Back 3

unpleasantly moist or humid

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dank

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"Can't see it," remarked Rainsford, trying to peer through the _____ tropical night that was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht."

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palpable

Back 5

readily or plainly seen, heard, perceived, etc.; obvious; evident

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palpable

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"Can't see it," remarked Rainsford, trying to peer through the dank tropical night that was _____ as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht."

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amend

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to change for the better

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amended

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"The best sport in the world," agreed Rainsford.
"For the hunter," ______ Whitney. "Not for the jaguar."

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lore

Back 9

the body of knowledge, especially of a traditional, anecdotal, or popular nature, on a particular subject

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lore

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"Even cannibals wouldn't live in such a God-forsaken place. But it's gotten into sailor _____, somehow."

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taint

Back 11

a trace of something bad, offensive, or harmful

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taint

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"'One superstitious sailor can taint the whole ship's company with his fear.'"

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tangible

Back 13

capable of being touched; discernible by the touch; material or substantial

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tangible

Back 14

Sometimes I think evil is a _____ thing--with wave lengths, just as sound and light have.

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yacht

Back 15

a boat used for private cruising, racing, or other noncommercial purposes.

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yacht

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"There was no sound in the night as Rainsford sat there but the muffled throb of the engine that drove the ______ swiftly through the darkness, and the swish and ripple of the wash of the propeller."

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indolent

Back 17

lazy; having a disposition to avoid effort; slothful

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indolently

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"Rainsford, reclining in a steamer chair, _____ puffed on his favorite brier."

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sensuous

Back 19

perceived by or affecting the senses

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sensuous

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"The ______ drowsiness of the night was on him."

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dogged

Back 21

persistent in effort; tenacious

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doggedly

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"They had come from the right, and doggedly he swam in that direction, swimming with slow, deliberate strokes, conserving his strength."

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vitality

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exuberant physical strength or mental vigor

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vitality

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"He did not recognize the animal that made the sound; he did not try to; with fresh _____ he swam toward the sound."

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staccato

Back 25

characterized by performance in which the notes are abruptly disconnected

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staccato

Back 26

"He heard it again; then it was cut short by another noise, crisp, _____."

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crag

Back 27

a steep, rugged rock; rough, broken, projecting part of a rock

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crags

Back 28

"Jagged _____ appeared to jut up into the opaqueness; he forced himself upward, hand over hand."

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jut

Back 29

to extend beyond the main body or line; project; protrude (often followed by "out")

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jut

Back 30

"Jagged crags appeared to _____ up into the opaqueness; he forced himself upward, hand over hand."

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opaque

Back 31

not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not allowing light to pass through

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opaqueness

Back 32

"Jagged crags appeared to jut up into the _____; he forced himself upward, hand over hand."

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peril

Back 33

danger

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perils

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"What _____ that tangle of trees and underbrush might hold for him did not concern Rainsford just then."

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weary

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tired

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weariness

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"All he knew was that he was safe from his enemy, the sea, and that utter _____ was on him. "

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utter

Back 37

complete; total; absolute

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utter

Back 38

"All he knew was that he was safe from his enemy, the sea, and that ______ weariness was on him."

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vigor

Back 39

healthy physical or mental energy; active strength or force

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vigor

Back 40

"Sleep had given him new _____; a sharp hunger was picking at him."

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flounder

Back 41

to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements

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flounder

Back 42

"He saw no sign of a trail through the closely knit web of weeds and trees; it was easier to go along the shore, and Rainsford _____ along by the water."

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lacerate

Back 43

to tear roughly; to distress or torture mentally or emotionally

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lacerated

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"... the jungle weeds were crushed down and the moss was ______..."

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quarry

Back 45

an animal or bird, hunted or pursued

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quarry

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"I suppose the first three shots I heard was when the hunter flushed his _____ and wounded it."

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palatial

Back 47

like a palace

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palatial

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"His eyes made out the shadowy outlines of a _____ chateau; it was set on a high bluff, and on three sides of it cliffs dived down to where the sea licked greedy lips in the shadows."

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chateau

Back 49

castle; mansion

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chateau

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"His eyes made out the shadowy outlines of a palatial _____; it was set on a high bluff, and on three sides of it cliffs dived down to where the sea licked greedy lips in the shadows."

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bluff

Back 51

a cliff, headland, or hill with a broad, steep face

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bluff

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"His eyes made out the shadowy outlines of a palatial chateau; it was set on a high ______, and on three sides of it cliffs dived down to where the sea licked greedy lips in the shadows."

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leer

Back 53

to look with a sideways or oblique glance, especially suggestive of sexual interest or sly and malicious intention

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leering

Back 54

"The stone steps were real enough; the massive door with a _____ gargoyle for a knocker was real enough; yet above it all hung an air of unreality."

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discern

Back 55

to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend

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discerned

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The first thing Rainsford's eyes _______ was the largest man Rainsford had ever seen--a gigantic creature, solidly made and black bearded to the waist.

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disarm

Back 57

to deprive of a weapon

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disarming

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"'Don't be alarmed,' said Rainsford, with a smile which he hoped was_______."

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menace

Back 59

threaten

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menacing

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"The _____ look in the eyes did not change."

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cultivated

Back 61

educated; refined; cultured

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cultivated

Back 62

"In a ______ voice marked by a slight accent that gave it added precision and deliberateness, he said, "'It is a very great pleasure and honor to welcome Mr. Sanger Rainsford, the celebrated hunter, to my home.'"

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aristocracy

Back 63

a class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility

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aristocrat

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"He had high cheekbones, a sharp cut nose, a spare, dark face--the face of a man used to giving orders, the face of an _____."

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canopy

Back 65

a covering, usually of fabric, supported on poles or suspended above a bed, throne, exalted personage, or sacred object

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canopied

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"It was to a huge, beam-ceilinged bedroom with a ______ bed big enough for six men that Rainsford followed the silent giant."

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baronial

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belonging to a baron - a member of the nobility

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baronial

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"There was a medieval magnificence about it; it suggested a ______ hall of feudal times with its oaken panels, its high ceiling, its vast refectory tables where two score men could sit down to eat."

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feudal

Back 69

of, or pertaining to, the Middle Ages

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feudal

Back 70

There was a medieval magnificence about it; it suggested a baronial hall of ______ times with its oaken panels, its high ceiling, its vast refectory tables where two score men could sit down to eat.

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specimen

Back 71

an example; a pattern or model

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specimens

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"....larger or more perfect specimens Rainsford had never seen."

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surpassing

Back 73

to go beyond in amount, extent, or degree; be greater than; exceed

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surpassingly

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"The cocktail was _____ good; and, Rainsford noted, the table appointments were of the finest--the linen, the crystal, the silver, the china."

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palate

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the sense of taste

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palates

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"They were eating borscht, the rich, red soup with whipped cream so dear to Russian _____."

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amenity

Back 77

any feature that provides comfort, convenience, or pleasure

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amenities

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"We do our best to preserve the _____ of civilization here."

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lapse

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an unimportant slip or error;
an accidental or temporary decline or deviation from an expected or accepted condition or state; a temporary falling or slipping from a previous standard

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lapses

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"Please forgive any _____. We are well off the beaten track, you know. Do you think the champagne has suffered from its long ocean trip?"

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affable

Back 81

pleasantly easy to approach and to talk to; friendly; cordial; warmly polite

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affable

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He was finding the general a most thoughtful and _____ host, a true cosmopolite.

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cosmopolite

Back 83

a worldly, sophisticated person

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cosmopolite

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"He was finding the general a most thoughtful and affable host, a true _____."

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cease

Back 85

to stop

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ceased

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"Hunting tigers _____ to interest me some years ago. I exhausted their possibilities, you see. "

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cavalry

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the part of a military force composed of troops that serve on horseback

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cavalry

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"I went into the army--it was expected of noblemen's sons--and for a time commanded a division of Cossack ______, but my real interest was always the hunt."

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debacle

Back 89

a complete collapse or failure

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debacle

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"After the ______ in Russia, I left the country, for it was imprudent for an officer of the Czar to stay there."

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imprudent

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unwise

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imprudent

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"After the debacle in Russia I left the country, for it was ______ for an officer of the Czar to stay there."

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quarry

Back 93

any animal or bird hunted or pursued

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quarry

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"I always got my _____. Always. There is no greater bore than perfection."

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proposition

Back 95

proposition - the act of offering or suggesting something to be considered, accepted, adopted, or done

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proposition

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"Simply this: hunting had ceased to be what you call `a sporting ______.' It had become too easy."

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surmount

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overcome

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surmounted

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"The general smiled the quiet smile of one who has faced an obstacle and ______ it with success."

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condone

Back 99

to give silent approval of; to forgive

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condone

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"'Surely your experiences in the war--'
"'Did not make me _____ cold-blooded murder,' finished Rainsford stiffly."

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scruples

Back 101

a moral or ethical consideration or standard that acts as a restraining force or inhibits certain actions.

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scruples

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"'Dear me,' said the general, quite unruffled, 'again that unpleasant word. But I think I can show you that your _____ are quite ill founded.'"

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barbarous

Back 103

uncivilized, wild, crude

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barbarous

Back 104

"I assure you I do not do the thing you suggest. That would be ______. I treat these visitors with every consideration."

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opiate

Back 105

drug from opium; anything that causes dullness or inaction or that soothes the feelings

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opiate

Back 106

"The bed was good, and the pajamas of the softest silk, and he was tired in every fiber of his being, but nevertheless Rainsford could not quiet his brain with the _____ of sleep."

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solicitous

Back 107

anxious or concerned; careful or particular

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solicitous

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"General Zaroff did not appear until luncheon. He was dressed faultlessly in the tweeds of a country squire. He was ______ about the state of Rainsford's health."

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venerable

Back 109

deserving of respect due to great age

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venerable

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He filled Rainsford's glass with _______ Chablis from a dusty bottle.

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stamina

Back 111

strength of physical constitution; power to endure disease, fatigue, privation, etc

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stamina

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"Your brain against mine. Your woodcraft against mine. Your strength and _____ against mine. Outdoor chess!"

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deplorable

Back 113

causing or being a subject for grief or regret; lamentable

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deplorable

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"We call it Death Swamp. There's quicksand there. One foolish fellow tried it. The ______ part of it was that Lazarus followed him."

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futile

Back 115

useless

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futile

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"He saw that straight flight was ____; inevitably it would bring him face to face with the sea."

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inevitably

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unavoidably

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inevitably

Back 118

"He saw that straight flight was futile; ______ it would bring him face to face with the sea."

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imperative

Back 119

commanding; necessary

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imperative

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"His need for rest was ______ and he thought, 'I have played the fox, now I must play the cat of the fable.'"

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zealous

Back 121

ardently active, devoted, or diligent; full of, characterized by, or due to zeal; enthusiastic

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zealous

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"Even so ______ a hunter as General Zaroff could not trace him there, he told himself..."

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dingy

Back 123

dull, drab, gray, dirty

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dingy

Back 124

"Toward morning when a _____ gray was varnishing the sky, the cry of some startled bird focused Rainsford's attention in that direction."

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tapesty

Back 125

a fabric consisting of a warp upon which colored threads are woven by hand to produce a design, often pictorial, used for wall hangings, furniture coverings

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tapestry

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"He flattened himself down on the limb and, through a screen of leaves almost as thick as ______, he watched. . . . ."

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pungent

Back 127

sharply affecting the organs of taste or smell, as if by a penetrating power; biting; acrid

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pungent

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"Then he straightened up and took from his case one of his black cigarettes; its _____ incense-like smoke floated up to Rainsford's nostrils."

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precarious

Back 129

dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; unstable; insecure

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precariously

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"Three hundred yards from his hiding place he stopped where a huge dead tree leaned _____ on a smaller, living one."

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sheath

Back 131

a case or covering for the blade of a sword, dagger, or the like

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sheath

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"Throwing off his sack of food, Rainsford took his knife from its _____ and began to work with all his energy."

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protrude

Back 133

to stick out; to project

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protruding

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"His foot touched the _____ bough that was the trigger. Even as he touched it, the general sensed his danger and leaped back with the agility of an ape."

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bough

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a tree branch

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bough

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"His foot touched the protruding _____ that was the trigger. Even as he touched it, the general sensed his danger and leaped back with the agility of an ape."

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agility

Back 137

the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness

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agility

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"His foot touched the protruding bough that was the trigger. Even as he touched it, the general sensed his danger and leaped back with the _____ of an ape."

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leech

Back 139

any bloodsucking or carnivorous aquatic or terrestrial worm of the class Hirudinea, certain freshwater species of which were formerly much used in medicine for bloodletting

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leech

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"Then, as he stepped forward, his foot sank into the ooze. He tried to wrench it back, but the muck sucked viciously at his foot as if it were a giant ______."

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cower

Back 141

to flinch; shrink back in fear

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cowered

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"He leaped up from his place of concealment. Then he _____ back. Three feet from the pit a man was standing, with an electric torch in his hand."

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sapling

Back 143

a young, green, flexible tree

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sapling

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"He caught hold of a springy young _____ and to it he fastened his hunting knife, with the blade pointing down the trail; with a bit of wild grapevine he tied back the sapling."

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abrupt

Back 145

sudden; without warning

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abruptly

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"The baying of the hounds stopped _____, and Rainsford's heart stopped too. They must have reached the knife."

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repast

Back 147

a meal

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repast

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"I see," he said. "Splendid! One of us is to furnish a _____ for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed."