Charlotte Web

1. crumple
   gather something into small wrinkles or folds
   When he returned to the barn, he carried in his mouth an advertisement he had torn from a crumpled magazine.
2. swathe
   wrap in swaddling clothes
   All morning you could hear the rattle of the machine as it went round and round, while the tall grass fell down behind the cutter bar in long greenswathes.
3. gullible
   naive and easily deceived or tricked
   "I was just thinking," said the spider, "that people are very gullible."
4. carouse
   engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking
   "What feasting and carousing!
5. rummage
   search haphazardly
   Templeton was down there now, rummaging around.
6. waddle
   walk unsteadily
   The sheep moved off down the lane, the gander waddled along behind them, pulling grass.
7. provender
   food for domestic livestock
   Skim milk, provender, leftover sandwich from Lurvy's lunchbox, prune skins, a morsel of this, a bit of that, fried potatoes, marmalade drippings, a little more of this, a little more of that, a piece of baked apple, a scrap of upsidedown cake.
8. pummel
   strike, usually with the fist
   "Struggle if you must," said he, "but kindly remember that I'm hiding down here in this crate and I don't want to be stepped on, or kicked in the face, orpummeled, or crushed in any way, or squashed, or buffeted about, or bruised, or lacerated, or
9. rodent
   relatively small placental mammals
   The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything.
10. acrobat
    an athlete who performs acts requiring skill and agility
    "What kind of an acrobat do you think I am?" said Charlotte in disgust.
11. glutton
    a person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess
    I am a glutton but not a merry-maker.
12. offhand
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    I would say, offhand, that spiders and pigs were fully as interesting as Henry Fussy.
13. sedentary
    requiring sitting or little activity
    I'm glad I'm a sedentary spider."
14. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    Wilbur went over backwards, writhing and twisting as he went.
15. idiosyncrasy
    a behavioral attribute peculiar to an individual
    "It's my idio-idio- idiosyncrasy," replied the gander.
16. fascinate
    attract; cause to be enamored
    Don't you think that's fascinating?"
17. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
    It was the best place to be, thought Wilbur, this warm delicious cellar, with thegarrulous geese, the changing seasons, the heat of the sun, the passage of swallows, the nearness of rats, the sameness of sheep, the love of spiders, the smell of ma
18. topple
    fall down, as if collapsing
    He swayed and toppled and landed on the edge of Wilbur's trough.
19. cocoon
    silky envelope spun by the larvae of many insects
    It was a sort of sac, or cocoon.
20. untenable
    incapable of being defended or justified
    "But, my friends, if that ancient egg ever breaks, this barn will be untenable."
21. unremitting
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    "I am sure," she said, that every one of us here will be gratified to learn that after four weeks of unremitting effort and patience on the part of our friend the goose, she now has something to show for it.
22. delectable
    extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
    "In a forest looking for beechnuts and truffles and delectable roots, pushing leaves aside with my wonderful strong nose, searching and sniffing along the ground, smelling, smelling, smelling..."
23. zoom
    the act of rising upward into the air
    Then you would zoom upward into the sky, and look up at the clouds, and the rope would twist and you would twist and turn with the rope.
24. nectar
    a sweet liquid secretion that is attractive to pollinators
    Dandelion stems are full of milk, clover heads are loaded with nectar, the Frigidaire is full of ice-cold drinks.
25. scuttle
    an entrance equipped with a hatch
    Templeton, who had been resting in his home, scuttled away into the barn.
26. budge
    move very slightly
    Wilbur did not budge.
27. giggle
    laugh nervously
    The pupils giggled.
28. amaze
    affect with wonder
    It's amazing how children change from year to year.
29. scheming
    concealing crafty designs for advancing your own interest
    Charlotte is fierce, brutal, scheming, bloodthirsty - everything I don't like.
30. bloat
    swelling of the intestinal tract of animals caused by gas
    "You're too stuffed and bloated to know what you're saying.
31. silky
    having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
    Dozens and dozens of strangers stopped to stare at him and to admire hissilky white coat, his curly tail, his kind and radiant expression.
32. compunction
    a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed
    The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything.
33. opus
    a musical work that has been created
    It is my egg sac, my _magnum _ opus."
34. versatile
    having great diversity or variety
    "I'm versatile."
35. trinket
    cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing
    He lined it with bits of dirty newspapers and rags and whenever he found atrinket or a keepsake he carried it home and stored it there.
36. listless
    lacking zest or vivacity
    Wilbur looked at his friend. listless.
37. jubilee
    a special anniversary or the celebration of it
    Early summer days are a jubilee time for birds.
38. dejected
    affected or marked by low spirits
    Friendless, dejected, and hungry, he threw himself down in the manure and sobbed.
39. scamper
    run or move about quickly or lightly
    He scampered over to the crate, crawled between the slats, and pulled straw up over him so he was hidden from sight.
40. hallowed
    worthy of religious veneration
    You have, chosen a hallowed doorway from which to string your webs.
41. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    "It pays to save things," he said in his surly voice.
42. ramble
    move about aimlessly or without any destination
    "Did you hear the way she rambled on about the animals, pretending that they talked?"
43. designing
    the act of working out the form of something
    It was a perfect piece of designing and building.
44. sprinkle
    scatter with liquid; wet lightly
    They could smell the dust of the race track where the sprinkling cart had moistened it; and they could smell hamburgers frying and see balloons aloft.
45. mimic
    imitate, especially for satirical effect
    "Die of a broken heart," he mimicked.
46. nip
    sever or remove by pinching
    The autumn days grew shorter, Lurvy brought the squashes and pumpkins in from the garden and piled them on the barn floor, where they wouldn't getnipped on frosty nights.
47. buffet
    piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room
    "Struggle if you must," said he, "but kindly remember that I'm hiding down here in this crate and I don't want to be stepped on, or kicked in the face, or pummeled, or crushed in any way, or squashed, or buffeted about, or bruised, or lacerated, or
48. prune
    cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of
    Skim milk, provender, leftover sandwich from Lurvy's lunchbox, prune skins, a morsel of this, a bit of that, fried potatoes, marmalade drippings, a little more of this, a little more of that, a piece of baked apple, a scrap of upsidedown cake.
49. locate
    determine the place of by searching or examining
    He hated to break the lovely stillness of day by using his voice, but he couldn't think of any other way to locate the mysterious new friend who was nowhere to be seen.
50. crafty
    marked by skill in deception
    Templeton was a crafty rat, and he had things pretty much his own way.
51. discourage
    try to prevent; show opposition to
    Fern bit into a raspberry that had a bad-tasting bug inside it, and gotdiscouraged.
52. chuckle
    a soft partly suppressed laugh
    The goose chuckled.
53. hinge
    a joint that holds two parts together so that one can swing
    Here, in a small clearing hidden by young alders and wild raspberry bushes, was an astonishing pile of old bottles and empty tin cans and dirty rags and bits of metal and broken bottles and broken hinges and broken springs and dead batteries and la
54. relaxation
    freedom from activity
    Lazily he placed his forepaws behind his head and crossed his knees, in an attitude of complete relaxation.
55. seasoned
    aged or processed
    Never have I seen such leavings, and everything well-ripened and seasonedwith the passage of time and the heat of the day.
56. morsel
    a small amount of solid food; a mouthful
    Skim milk, provender, leftover sandwich from Lurvy's lunchbox, prune skins, amorsel of this, a bit of that, fried potatoes, marmalade drippings, a little more of this, a little more of that, a piece of baked apple, a scrap of upsidedown cake.
57. transmission
    communication by means of sent signals
    The Zuckermans' driveway was full of cars and trucks from morning till night - Fords and Chevvies and Buick roadmasters and GMC pickups and Plymouths and Studebakers and Packards and De Sotos with gyromatic transmissionsand Oldsmobiles with rocket
58. distribute
    give to several people
    "No, I only distribute pigs to early risers," said Mr. Arable.
59. tangle
    twist together or entwine into a confusing mass
    A fly that had been crawling along Wilbur's trough had flown up and blundered into the lower part of Charlotte's web and was tangled in the sticky threads.
60. spruce
    any coniferous tree of the genus Picea
    The air smelled of the damp earth, of the spruce woods, of the sweet springtime.
61. scoop
    the shovel or bucket of a dredge or backhoe
    He scooped up his frog. splashing soapy water onto the blueberry pie.
62. chilly
    appreciably or disagreeably cold
    His ratty home under the pig trough was too chilly, so he fixed himself a cozy nest in the barn
    
    
    behind the grain bins.
63. doze
    a light fitful sleep
    Overhead, on the main floor, nothing stirred: the cows were resting, the horsesdozed.
64. veritable
    not counterfeit or copied
    In the hard-packed dirt of the midway, after the glaring lights are out and the people have gone home to bed, you will find a veritable treasure of popcorn fragments, frozen custard dribblings, candied apples abandoned by tired children, sugar fluf
65. unload
    leave or discharge
    "You children be quiet till we get the pig unloaded," said Mrs. Arable.
66. pry
    be nosey
    Setting the pail down, he picked up the stick that Avery had dropped and priedthe trough up.
67. languish
    become feeble
    I think I'm languishing, to tell you the truth."
68. filthy
    disgustingly dirty
    "He's filthy behind the ears," said Mrs. Zuckerman.
69. glaring
    shining intensely
    In the hard-packed dirt of the midway, after the glaring lights are out and the people have gone home to bed, you will find a veritable treasure of popcorn fragments, frozen custard dribblings, candied apples abandoned by tired children, sugar fluf
70. cone
    a shape with a circular base and sides tapering to a point
    In the hard-packed dirt of the midway, after the glaring lights are out and the people have gone home to bed, you will find a veritable treasure of popcorn fragments, frozen custard dribblings, candied apples abandoned by tired children, sugar fluff cryst
71. rusty
    covered with or consisting of an oxide coating
    The barn had stalls on the main floor for the work horses, tie-ups on the main floor for the cows, a sheepfold down below for the sheep, a pigpen down below for Wilbur, and it was full of all sorts of things that you find in barns: ladders, grindstones, p
72. tangled
    in a confused mass
    A fly that had been crawling along Wilbur's trough had flown up and blundered into the lower part of Charlotte's web and was tangled in the sticky threads.
73. wade
    walk through relatively shallow water
    When she waded into the brook, Wilbur waded in with her.
74. detest
    dislike intensely
    He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and although he detested flies, he was sorry for this one.
75. zero
    the mathematical symbol 0 denoting absence of quantity
    "You'll
    
    
    worry all right on a zero morning next January when Wilbur is dead and nobody comes down here with a nice pail of warm slops to pour into the trough.
76. discard
    anything that is cast aside
    She found an old milking stool that had been discarded, and she placed the stool in the sheepfold next to Wilbur's pen.
77. gorge
    a deep ravine, usually with a river running through it
    A real gorge!
78. paddle
    a short light oar used to propel a canoe or small boat
    When she returned, she wore rubber boots and an old raincoat, and she carried a bucket of buttermilk and a small wooden paddle.
79. rotten
    having decayed or disintegrated
    "Imagine wanting a junky old rotten egg!" he muttered.
80. strand
    line consisting of a complex of fibers twisted together
    Although it is made of thin, delicate strands, the web is not easily broken.
81. furthermore
    in addition
    And furthermore," said Charlotte, shaking one of her legs, "do you realize that if I didn't catch bugs and eat them, bugs would increase and multiply and get so numerous that they'd destroy the earth, wipe out everything?"
82. sway
    move back and forth
    Charlotte laughed so hard her web began to sway.
83. aloft
    at or on or to the masthead or upper rigging of a ship
    She stands on her head, lets out a lot of line, and is carried aloft on the wind.
84. hatch
    a movable barrier covering an entrance
    I do not play when there are eggs to hatch.
85. stall
    a small area set off for special use
    The barn had stalls on the main floor for the work horses, tie-ups on the main floor for the cows, a sheepfold down below for the sheep, a pigpen down below for Wilbur, and it was full of all sorts of things that you find in barns: ladders, grindst
86. blunder
    an embarrassing mistake
    A fly that had been crawling along Wilbur's trough had flown up andblundered into the lower part of Charlotte's web and was tangled in the sticky threads.
87. orchard
    garden consisting of a small cultivated wood
    "Go down through the orchard, root up the sod!
88. dew
    water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight
    Drops of dew, catching the sun, made the web stand out clearly.
89. sneer
    a facial expression of contempt or scorn
    "Well, I hope you're satisfied," sneered the rat.
90. pasture
    a field covered with grass and suitable for grazing
    When the children grew tired of swinging they went down toward the pastureand picked wild raspberries and ate them.
91. appreciation
    understanding of the nature or meaning of something
    On behalf of the governors of the Fair, I have the honor of awarding a special prize of twenty-five dollars to Mr. Zuckerman, together with a handsome bronze medal suitably engraved, in token of our appreciation of the part played by this pig - thi
92. errand
    a short trip taken in the performance of a necessary task
    Templeton had quit work and gone off somewhere on an errand.
93. attachment
    the act of affixing something
    "Now make an attachment with your spinnerets, hurl yourself into space, and let out a dragline as you go down!"
94. label
    a brief description given for purposes of identification
    "It's a label off an old shirt."
95. swamp
    low land that is seasonally flooded
    In the fields, around the house, in the barn, in the woods, in the swamp - everywhere love and songs and nests and eggs.
96. arrange
    put into a proper or systematic order
    It was soon arranged.
97. whistle
    the sound made by something moving rapidly
    They thrust their little necks out and kept up a musical whistling, like a tiny troupe of pipers.
98. gratify
    make happy or satisfied
    "I am sure," she said, that every one of us here will be gratified to learn that after four weeks of unremitting effort and patience on the part of our friend the goose, she now has something to show for it.
99. relieve
    free from a burden, evil, or distress
    It relieved her mind to know that her baby would sleep covered up, and would stay warm.
100. scratch
     cut, scrape, or wear away the surface of
     As she approached her chair, the carton wobbled, and there was a scratchingnoise.
101. insect
     small air-breathing arthropod
     I just naturally build a web and trap flies and other insects.
102. pledge
     a binding commitment to do or give or refrain from something
     To you, her daughters, I pledge my friendship, forever and ever."
103. admire
     feel high regard for
     Wilbur admired the way Charlotte managed.
104. jet
     a hard black form of lignite that takes a brilliant polish
     She grabbed the fly, threw a few jets of silk around it, and rolled it over and over, wrapping it so that it couldn't move.
105. recover
     regain or make up for
     "What did I do wrong?" asked the pig, when he recovered from his bump.
106. glare
     be sharply reflected
     Charlotte glared at her.
107. award
     give, especially as an honor
     A special award will be made there in twenty minutes.
108. blossom
     a flower or cluster of flowers on a plant
     It was apple- blossom time, and the days were getting warmer.
109. peaceful
     not disturbed by strife or turmoil or war
     Every day was a happy day, and every night was peaceful.
110. modest
     marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
     Wilbur was modest; fame did not spoil him.
111. invent
     come up with after a mental effort
     "Fern," said her mother sternly, "you must not invent things. spiders don't tell stories.
112. aboard
     on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
     Then, using all their strength, the men picked up the crate and heaved itaboard the truck.
113. relieved
     made easier to bear
     It relieved her mind to know that her baby would sleep covered up, and would stay warm.