Like a House on Fire

Like a House on Fire Glossary

delinquent

(adjective) (typically of a young person or that person's behavior) showing or characterized by a tendency to commit crime, particularly minor crime

locus

(noun) a particular position, point, or place

prone

(adjective) [predic.] (prone to/prone to do something) — likely to or liable to suffer from, do, or experience something, typically something regrettable or unwelcome

agitator

(noun) a person who urges others to protest or rebel

rupture

(verb) [no obj.] (especially of a pipe, a vessel, or a bodily part such as an organ or membrane) break or burst suddenly

unstinting

(adjective) given or giving without restraint; unsparing

hernia

(noun) a condition in which part of an organ is displaced and protrudes through the wall of the cavity containing it (often involving the intestine at a weak point in the abdominal wall).

secateurs

(plural noun) (chiefly Brit.) a pair of pruning clippers for use with one hand.

pinion

(verb) [with obj.] tie or hold the arms or legs of (someone)

cornice

(noun) an ornamental molding around the wall of a room just below the ceiling.

colostrum

(noun) the first secretion from the mammary glands after giving birth, rich in antibodies.

perineum

(noun) [Anatomy] the area between the anus and the scrotum or vulva.

cumbersome

(adjective) large or heavy and therefore difficult to carry or use; unwieldy

midwife

(noun) a person (typically a woman) trained to assist women in childbirth.

fraternize

(verb) [no obj.] associate or form a friendship with someone, especially when one is not supposed to

sleeper

(noun) a railroad tie.

redgum

(noun) an Australian gum tree with smooth bark and hard dark red timber.

let-down reflex

(noun) the milk-ejection reflex of the mammary gland

antibodies

(noun) a blood protein produced in response to and counteracting a specific antigen. Antibodies combine chemically with substances that the body recognizes as alien, such as bacteria, viruses, and foreign substances in the blood.

sodden

(adjective) saturated with liquid, especially water; soaked through

terra cotta

(noun) unglazed, typically brownish-red earthenware, used chiefly as an ornamental building material and in modeling

excavator

(noun) a large machine for removing soil from the ground, especially on a building site

topsoil

(noun) the top layer of soil

perambulate

(verb) [no obj.] walk or travel through or around a place or area, especially for pleasure and in a leisurely way

polystyrene

(noun) a synthetic resin that is a polymer of styrene, used chiefly as lightweight rigid foams and films.

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