Name: __________________
“The Most Dangerous Game” Vocabulary
Carefully read the following words and definitions that are found in the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. Note the page number in
parentheses after each word. This is the page on which the word can be found in the story.
You will need to create a word-map for each RED word below. We will fill in most of the information on the word-maps in class, but before we do
that, you should set up a word-map for each word. To do so, write the word, page number, part of speech, and sentence from the book for each word
on a separate word map.
In class we will discuss all the red words and fill-in the remaining information, including: the definition, synonyms and antonyms, other forms of the
word, your own sentence using the word and an image that represents the definition of the word.
You will be responsible for knowing the words in red for a quiz in the coming weeks.
rot -- (p. 1) – NOUN - garbage, rubbish, nonsense
soft -- (p. 1) – ADJECTIVE - wimpy
lore -- (p. 2) – NOUN - traditions, belief that are accumulated; knowledge
brier -- (p. 2) – NOUN - a pipe made of brierroot.
reports -- (p. 2) – NOUN - a loud noise, as from an explosion: the report of a distant cannon.
.
vitality -- (p. 3) – NOUN - physical or intellectual vigor; energy.
opaqueness – (p. 3) – NOUN - darkness, something that you cannot see through
headlong - (p. 3) – ADVERB - without delay, hastily
vigor -- (p. 3) – NOUN - active strength or force; vitality
lacerated -- (p. 3) – ADJECTIVE or (to lacerate – VERB) -- mangled or jaggedly torn or shredded
palatial -- (p. 4) – ADJECTIVE - like a palace or palace-like
chateau -- (p. 4) – NOUN - French word for a castle or fortress
gargoyle -- (p. 4) – NOUN - a grotesquely carved figure of a human or animal, often used to adorn a building
astrakhan -- (p. 4) – NOUN - The curly, wavy wool of young lambs from Astrakhan, a city is southern Russia
aristocrat -- (p. 5) – NOUN - A member of a ruling class or of the nobility.
Cossack – (p. 5) – NOUN - A member of a people of southern European Russia and adjacent parts of Asia noted as cavalrymen (or horsemen)
especially during czarist times, or when the czars ruled Russia (1721 – 1917).
refectory -- (p. 5) – NOUN - dining hall
amenity – (p. 6) - NOUN (plural: amenities) - any feature that provides comfort, convenience, or pleasure: The house has a swimming pool, two
fireplaces, and other amenities.
affable – (p.6) - ADJECTIVE - pleasantly easy to approach and to talk to; friendly, cordial, congenial, warmly polite: an affable and courteous
gentleman
cosmopolite – (p. 6) - NOUN (synonym: cosmopolitan) - a sophisticated person who has travelled in many countries
Crimea -- (p. 6) – PROPER NOUN - As a former part of the Russian empire, Crimea, in southern Ukraine, was one of the strongholds of opposition
to the Soviet government after the Russian Revolution.
ardent -- (p. 6) – ADJECTIVE- intensely devoted, eager, or enthusiastic
debacle -- (p. 7) - NOUN
a complete collapse or failure.
other forms: debacles
synonyms: disaster, ruin, fiasco, catastrophe, calamity
antonyms: miracle, wonder, success
sentence from the text: “After the debacle in Russia I left the country, for it was imprudent for an officer of the Czar to stay there.”
used in another sentence: From a story on the NFL in the New York Daily News: “The pitiful loss, called a debacle by many, to the
Carolina Panthers shows that the New York Giants' Super Bowl run in 2007 was a fluke.”
imprudent -- (p. 7) – ADJECTIVE- unwise, ill-advised
cunning -- (p. 7) – ADJECTIVE- artfully subtle or shrewd; crafty; sly.
quarry -- (p. 7, 8) – NOUN - a hunted animal; prey; an object of pursuit: The police lost their quarry in the crowd.
condone – (p. 8) - VERB - to give tacit approval to: By his silence, he seemed to condone their behavior.
OR to pardon or forgive (an offense); excuse.
naïve or naive -- (p. 8) - ADJECTIVE
having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous: She's so naive she believes everything she reads.
other forms: naively, naiveness, naïveté
synonyms: childlike, trusting, gullible, inexperienced, ignorant, innocent, simple, unsuspecting
antonyms: experienced, wise, leery, skeptical
sentence from the text: “One does not expect nowadays to find a young man of the educated class, even in America, with such a naïve,
and, if I may say so, mid-Victorian point of view.”
used in another sentence: He has a very naive attitude toward politics because he does not truly understand how they work.
scruple(s) – (p. 8) – NOUN - an uneasy feeling arising from conscience or principle that tends to hinder action; a qualm.
Lascars – (p. 8) – proper NOUN – (Transport / Nautical Terms) a sailor from the East Indies
barbarous -- (p. 9) – ADJECTIVE - like a barbarian; savage, wild, uncivilized
bark -- (p. 9) – NOUN- a sailing vessel having three or more masts
eludes – (p. 9) – VERB - to avoid or escape by speed, cleverness, trickery, etc.; evade:
knouter -- (p. 9) – NOUN - official torturer – who uses a knout, or a whip with a lash of leather thongs, formerly used in Russia for flogging criminals.
tartar or Tartar -- (p. 9) NOUN- a member of any of the various tribes, chiefly Mongolian and Turkish, who, originally under the leadership of
Genghis Khan, overran Asia and much of eastern Europe in the Middle Ages.
Folies Bergere -- (p. 10) – PROPER NOUN
The Folies Bergère is a Parisian music hall which was at the height of its fame and popularity from the 1890s through the 1920s.
solicitously - (p. 10) – ADVERB - anxiously or eagerly
opiate - (p. 10) – NOUN - anything that calms and induces or causes sleep
wan - (p. 10) – ADJECTIVE - ashen, pale
ennui - (p. 10) – NOUN - listlessness, dissatisfaction; boredom
venerable - (p. 10) – ADJECTIVE - impressive or interesting because of age, antique appearance, etc.: a venerable oak tree.
Chablis - (p. 10) – NOUN - a white wine from the Burgundy region of France
woodcraft - (p. 11) – NOUN - skill and experience in matters relating to the woods, as hunting, fishing, or camping.
sloop - (p. 11) – NOUN - large sailboat
rowels -- (p. 12) NOUN - a small wheel with radiating points, forming the extremity of a spur.
futile -- (p. 12) - ADJECTIVE
incapable of producing any result; ineffective; useless; not successful: Attempting to force-feed the sick horse was futile.
zealous – (p.12) - ADJECTIVE
filled with or inspired by intense enthusiasm or zeal; ardent; fervent: a zealous sports fan
other forms: zealously, zealousness, zealot (enthusiast, extremist, fanatic)
synonyms: enthusiastic, ardent, avid, burning, devoted, dedicated, fanatic, impassioned, spirited
antonyms: apathetic, indifferent, uninterested, unenthusiastic, lethargic, disinterested, passive
sentence from the text: “Even so zealous a hunter as General Zaroff could not trace him there, he told himself; only the devil himself
could follow that complicated trail through the jungle after dark.”
used in another sentence: “In the first place, I have never been a zealous student. I graduated last of my class. I cared more for
athletics, and--there is no reason I should not confess it--more for billiards.” - Jack London, Before Adam
pungent - (p. 12) – ADJECTIVE - affecting the organs of taste or smell with a sharp acrid sensation.
Malacca - (p. 13) – PROPER NOUN - a state in Malaysia, on the SW Malay Peninsula
placid - (p. 14) – ADJECTIVE - calm, tranquil
inevitable - (p. 14) – ADJECTIVE - sure to occur, happen, or come; unalterable
flask - (p. 15) – NOUN - a broad flattened necked vessel used especially to carry alcoholic beverages on the person
Madame Butterfly - (p. 15) – PROPER NOUN - Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly) is an opera in three acts (originally two acts) by Giacomo
Puccini,
Pol Roger - (p. 15) – PROPER NOUN – a very expensive French champagne; company founded in 1849
Chambertin- (p. 15) – PROPER NOUN – a red wine (burgundy) from the Burgundy region of France
Marcus Aurelius -- (p. 15) – PROPER NOUN - A Stoic philosopher and emperor of Rome in the second century a.d. He is best known for his
Meditations, a philosophical autobiography that is a classic work of personal writing and a remarkable exposition on Stoicism.
Stoicism is: a philosophy that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome. Stoics believed that people should strictly restrain their emotions in order to
attain happiness and wisdom; hence, they refused to demonstrate either joy or sorrow.
at bay – (p. 15) – ADJECTIVE PHRASE - the position or stand of an animal or fugitive that is forced to turn and resist pursuers because it is no
longer possible to flee (usually prec. by at or to): a stag at bay; to bring an escaped convict to bay.
repast – (p. 15) - NOUN
a meal: On Sundays our evening repast takes on an extra importance.
other forms: (to) repast, repasting, repasted, repasts
synonyms: meal, banquet, feast, food, grub, formal dinner, snack
antonyms: lack of food?
sentence from the text: “One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds.”
used in another sentence: On Sundays our evening repast takes on an extra importance.