Vocabulary ladder

Moby-Dick

CHAPTER 3. The Spouter-Inn.

5,949 words. Everyday vocabulary (band A) covers 57% of the text; the hard 7% is 285 entries — all of them below.

A 56.8% (607 types) B 6.6% (263 types) C 4.9% (227 entries) D 3.4% (157 entries) E 2.2% (85 entries) N 1.1% (43 entries)

Band B — common reading vocabulary

A sample of 24 of 263 — you will meet these often; they are explained only at the fullest help level.

Band C — recognition checklist

All 227 upper-intermediate words in this chapter. Tick the ones you know; the rest are explained at the fullest help level.

Band D — advanced (157 entries)

bedwards
toward bed
breaking-up
coming apart
corner-anchored
held fast at the corners
crosslights
light coming from the side
dark-looking
dark in look
death-harvesting
gathering in the dead
fire-board
a board set before a fireplace
fireboard
a board set before a fireplace
gettee
get, said in broken English
half-attained
only partly reached
ice-island
a floating mountain of ice
long-armed
having long arms
oilpainting
a picture made with colours mixed in oil
pitch-like
like thick black tar
plane-iron
the blade in a tool for smoothing wood
scalp-knot
the lock of hair on the top of the head
sea-gods
gods of the sea in old tales
shelf-like
like a flat board fixed to a wall
sleeping-partner
one who shares a bed
sticking-plaster
a strip that sticks over a cut
tell-ee
tell, said in broken English
whaleman ×2
a man who hunts whales
who-ee
explained by the text itself
wrapall
a garment that wraps right round
plaguy
bothersome
inions
the bump at the back of the skull
topers
one who drinks strong drink often
andirons
an iron bar that holds logs in a fire
sufferable
able to be borne
unlacing
to undo the cords of
uncomfortableness
the state of being ill at ease
who-e
who, said in broken English
old-fashioned
of the old fashion
unsay
to take back what was said
wash-stand
a stand holding a basin
mast-heads
the tops of a ship's tall poles
kill-e ×2
kill, said in broken English
seal-skin
the skin of a sea beast used for clothing
tenpin
a shaped piece of wood knocked down in a game
footpads
a robber who works on foot
speak-e ×2
speak, said in broken English
bedfellow · bedfellows ×3
bed-fellow: one who shares a bed
arter
after, said in dialect
icebound
shut in by ice
jack-knife
a folding pocket knife
sing-song
in a rising and falling chant
shipmate · shipmates ×3
a fellow sailor
supernaturally
beyond nature's course
bar-room
a room where drink is sold
overstocked
to fill with more than is needed
impaling
to drive a sharp point through
tramping
stamping heavily
wakened
to wake
unobserved
without being seen
footfall
the sound of a step
imbedded
imbedded: fixed deep inside
comely
pleasing to look at
boggy
soft and wet underfoot
remotest
farthest away
unearthly
not of this earth
limber ×2
the wheeled front of a gun carriage
dam-me ×2
damn me, an oath
revelry
noisy merrymaking
sooty
black with soot
decanters
a glass bottle for wine
desirous
wishing
fain
gladly; willingly
trod
worn down by treading
unceremoniously
without ceremony
guttural ×2
from deep in the throat
delineate
to describe in detail
peddler
a traveling seller of small wares
scalding
scalded: burned with hot liquid or steam
crockery
dishes and cups
doze
nineteen to the dozen: without stopping
jiffy
a moment
rickety
shaky and about to fall
tufted
tufted: in tufts
purplish ×3
somewhat purple
dint
a small dent
lar
a household god of the old Romans
couldn ×3
could — couldn't: could not
defaced
defaced: spoiled the surface of
hilarity
loud laughing fun
brawn
pressed meat; muscle
bulwarks
a defending wall
mightily
greatly
reminiscences
a remembered story of the past
sojourning
a short stay
bewitched
to charm as by magic
mountaineers
mountaineers: people of the mountains
wouldn ×2
would — wouldn't: would not
dusky · duskier ×2
dark; dark-skinned
harpoon · harpoons ×3
a spear on a rope, thrown to catch a whale
whittling ×2
whittling: shaving wood with a knife
abominable ×2
hateful; disgusting
spraining
a wrenched joint
astonishment
great surprise
mildewed
the mould that grows on damp things
yon
yonder; that over there
spliced
to join two ropes by weaving the ends
goblets
a drinking cup with a stem
porcupine
the spiny animal
tomahawk ×8
a light axe of the American peoples
prodigious
enormous
devotee
an ardent follower
gulp
one big swallow
exasperated
worn out with anger
hurrah
a cheer
abreast
side by side
deliriums
wild fever dreams
hags
an ugly old woman; a witch
aloof
apart; at a distance
dumplings ×4
a small ball of boiled dough
infernal ×2
hellish; devilish
molasses
molasses: a thick dark sweet syrup
sill
silly; foolish
adorning
to decorate
peddling ×2
small and petty
extinguished · extinguishing ×2
put out
muffled
softened; wrapped so as to quiet
cannibal · cannibals ×8
one who eats human flesh
exclaimed
to cry out
indestructible
impossible to destroy
ghastly
horrible; deathly pale
hunch
humped
outlandish
strange and foreign
rascal
a dishonest rogue
draught
at one draught: in one swallow
sacrificial
offered up to a god
scorching
burned at the surface
leviathan
the great sea beast of the Bible, taken to mean the whale
yoking
a harness; subjection
conjured
to beg solemnly
mower
one who cuts hay
snug
warm and comfortable
glimmer
to shine faintly
quills
a feather pen
shuddered · shuddering ×2
a shiver of horror
wrinkled ×2
a crease line in the skin
diligently
with steady care
inexplicable
impossible to explain
averted
to turn away; ward off
ere ×2
before — an old word
flukes ×2
a lucky chance
soggy
wet and soft
stooped · stooping ×2
to bend down
contemplation
quiet steady gazing; deep thought
grunt
a village on the Austrian campaign road
officiating
acting in a set office at a rite
unimaginable
too strange to picture in the mind
shilling
an old British coin; twenty made a pound
handkerchief
a cloth for the nose or eyes
nooks
a small sheltered corner
shaggy ×2
covered with rough hair
crammed
to stuff full
sprawling
spread out loosely

Band E — rare & archaic (85 entries)

a-whalin
out hunting whales
airley ×2
early, said in dialect
bamboozingly
in a way meant to fool
bedarned
bedarned: mended with stitches
besmoked
to make black with smoke
catarrhs
heavy colds in the nose and throat
debel
devil, said in dialect
gable-ended
with a pointed end wall
half-foundered
partly sunk
harpooneer · harpooneers ×36
the man who throws the whale spear
head-peddler
a man who goes about selling heads
head-peddling ×2
going about selling heads
low-arched
with a low curved roof
new-mown
freshly cut
obstreperously
with loud and unruly noise
peddlin
peddling
rayther
Yorkshire for rather
sabbee ×4
understand, said in broken English
sarmon
sermon, said in dialect
sartainty
certainty, said in dialect
sickle-shaped
curved like a sickle
skrimshander ×2
carved work made on whale bone or teeth
slanderin
speaking evil of
sleepe
sleeper: one who sleeps
squitchy
soft and wet underfoot
sticking-plasters
strips that stick over cuts
vum
to swear, said in dialect
counterpane
a bed cover
direful
dreadful
abominated
to hate
heathenish
not Christian; wild
unwarrantable
not to be justified
villanous
wicked
haint
is not
tidiest
neatest
airth ×2
earth, said in dialect
idolators
a person who prays to an image
goggling
staring with wide eyes
corn-cobs
the hard middle parts of ears of maize
irresolute
unable to decide
grego ×3
a short thick hooded coat
glim
a light or lantern
coffer-dam
a water tight case built to keep water out
psalmody
psalm-singing
dreadnaught
a thick coat that keeps out cold and wet
bedstead
the frame of a bed
wainscots
wooden boards lining the lower part of a wall
hunch-backed
with a rounded back
diabolically
like a devil
deceitfully
in a lying way
balmed
balmed: soothed as with sweet oil
arrantest
thorough; downright
manikin
a very small man
farrago
a confused mixture
brimmers
a cup filled to the top
jambs
the upright sides of a doorway
sublimity
lofty grandeur
straggling
to trail behind in disorder
tolerably
fairly; reasonably
purty
pretty, said in dialect
pantaloons
loose trousers
eider
a sea duck with very soft feathers
nonplussed
to leave at a loss what to say
portentous ×2
like an omen; warning of something big
rejoinder
a sharp answer back
glistened
to shine wetly
ponchos
cloaks made of one piece with a hole for the head
grunted
made a short low sound
ruminating
to chew over in thought
moccasin
moccasins: soft hide shoes
mystifying
making hard to understand
beget
begotten: born of
exasperating
maddening
afore ×2
before — dialect
curios
a small rare object kept for its interest
icicles
a hanging spike of ice
tallow
candle fat
avast
stop
embalmed
treated so the dead body will keep
sellin
selling
connexion
connection
tinkling
to ring lightly
weltering
to roll and toss about
ponderous
heavy and slow
stammering
to speak with halting breaks

False friends — common words wearing old senses (4)

fain
gladly — the old sense here
interest
the spectacle that draws a crowd — the old sense here
passage
a sea-journey — the old sense here
use
habit; custom — the old sense here

Names (24)

alleghanian
of the Allegheny mountains in the eastern United States
bulkington ×3
a tall silent sailor Ishmael meets at the inn
cape-horner
a ship or man that has rounded Cape Horn
feegees
the Fiji islands
spouter-inn ×2
the New Bedford inn where Ishmael takes a bed
hyperborean
of the far north
queequeg ×4
the tattooed harpooneer from a Pacific island, Ishmael's friend
grampus
a kind of small whale; also the name of a ship
hecla
a burning mountain in Iceland
javan
of Java, a large island of southeast Asia
southerner
a man from the southern states of America
blanco
a Spanish word meaning white
labrador ×2
a cold northern coast of Canada
sal ×3
a woman's name, used for a sailor's wife
congo ×2
a great river and region of Africa
coffin ×2
the box a dead body is laid in; also a common family name on Nantucket
ridge
a long raised line along the top
nathan
a prophet of the Bible; also a man's name
battery
a park at the southern tip of Manhattan, facing the sea
Cape Horn
the stormy southern tip of South America
New Zealand
a country of two islands in the south Pacific
Peter Coffin
the landlord of the Spouter Inn at New Bedford
Right Whale
the slow thick whale with long strainers in its mouth
South Seas
the Pacific ocean