Refusing verb

To not accept something.

Synonyms:

Decline, turn down reject, protest

“Crying and refusing her food.”

Cradle Noun

A small bed for a baby, usually one that can rock.

Synonyms:

Basket, cot

“Lalchland built a cradle for her.”

Sparks Noun

An ignited or fiery particle such as what is thrown off burning wood.

Synonyms:

Flicker, flare, glow, gleam, glint, glitter, sparkle

Crackle Verb

To make slight, sudden, sharp noises quickly and often.

Synonyms:

Snap, pop,

“She could see the sparks play.”

“Listen to the fizz and crackle of the gunpowder.”

Toddled Verb

To move with short, unsteady steps like a young child.

Synonyms:

Wobble, totter, waddle, patter

“She toddled around the work-shop.”

Flared Verb

To burn with an unsteady, swaying flame like a candle in the wind.

Synonyms:

Flicker, blaze, burn, glow

“Laughing as the fire flared and the sparks danced.”

Complicated Adjective

Difficult to understand, explain or do.

Synonyms:

Tricky, difficult, arduous, perplexing

Scorched Verb

Slightly burned.

Synonyms:

Burnt, blistered, charred, singed,

“Your eyebrows are scorched...”

“Soon she was making all the simple fireworks, and thinking about more complicated ones.”

Horrified Adjective

To feel scared or shocked.

Synonyms:

Shocked, afraid, aghast,

terrified, frightened, appalled

Alarmed Adjective

A sudden fear caused by an awareness of danger.

Synonyms:

Fearful, anxious, afraid,

petrified, startled, shook, terror-stricken

“Lila was horrified.”

“They were both alarmed to find it out.”

Punish Verb

To make someone feel pain or

upset. Usually, this happens after someone has committed a crime or behaved inappropriately.

Synonyms:

Discipline, hurt, execute

Victim Noun

A person who has suffered be-cause of something or someone else.

Synonyms:

Casualty, sacrifice, innocent,

martyr, sufferer, sitting duck

“The King wanted to punish one of his courtiers.”

“The White Elephant would be returned to the King, ready for his next victim.”

Servant Noun

A person who is employed by

another person to follow their

orders. They usually clean or cook.

Synonyms:

Slave, minion, helper, assistant,

attendant, butler

Verb

To shake quickly.

Synonyms:

Shaking, trembling

“His personal servant had to go too.”

Quivering

“Pointing with a quivering finger at the White Elephant.”

Flanks Noun

The side of an animal or

person between the ribs and the hips.

Synonyms:

Hip, side

Noun

A dozen is 12, so dozens is a larger number.

Synonyms:

Twelve, lots of, loads,

multiple, an array

“The White Elephant’s snowy flanks.”

Dozens

“Written all over his side in charcoal and paint were dozens of slogans.”

Slogans Noun

A catchy phrase or motto

usually used to advertise

something.

Synonyms:

Catchphrase, saying, jingle

Mystery Noun

Anything that is kept secret, unknown or can’t be explained.

Synonyms:

Conumdrum, enigma, puzzle, question, problem

“Yes, it’s a mystery to me.”

“Written all over his side in charcoal and paint were dozens of slogans.”

Obnoxious Adjective

Rude, mean and often a

show-off.

Synonyms:

Annoying, abhorrent, foul,

loathsome, hateful, horrid, revolting, insufferable

Adverb

A feeling of sadness and grief.

Synonyms:

Sadly, gravely, intently,

distressingly

“Hamlet said mournfully.”

“Look what this obnoxious brat has reduced me to!”

Mournfully

Detest Verb

To extremely hate something or someone.

Synonyms:

Abhor, despise, loathe, reject

“I detest silk sheets!”

Loathe Verb

To feel disgust towards

something or someone.

Synonyms:

Have an aversion to, despise, detest, hate, abhor

“I loathe gold leaves on my tusks!”

Winding Adjective

Bending or turning, something that isn’t straight.

Synonyms:

Crooked, curving, twisting, meandering

Adjective

An intense smell or taste.

Synonyms:

Strong, whiffy, smelly,

stinking, sharp, bitter, acid, peppery

“It lay down a little winding alley full of crackling smells and pungent noises.”

Pungent

“It lay down a little winding alley full of crackling smells and pungent noises.”

Sacred Adjective

Highly respected, usually

connected to religion.

Synonyms:

Divine, dedicated, cherished, revered, religious, spiritual

Noun

Putting a lot of time and

effort into a passion.

Synonyms:

Commitment, devotion

“You need talent and

dedication.”

“Firework making is a sacred art!”

Dedication

Idleness Noun

To be lazy.

Synonyms:

Lazy, sloth, dawdling,

droning, inactivity

Adjective

To cause harm or be annoyingly

troublesome.

Synonyms:

Fatal, deadly, destructive,

malignant, toxic, venomous,

annoying

“The only thing you’re dedicated to is idleness.”

Pestilential

“Yes, you pestilential boy, and already I’ve told you far more than I should.”

Solemn Adjective

A serious or sad feeling or mood.

Synonyms:

Dignified, glum, pensive, stern, somber, thoughtful, grave

Furious Adjective

Extremely angry.

Synonyms:

Raging, livid, enraged,

vehement, violent, fuming, frenzied

“Chuluk said whilst looking solemn.”

“When she heard what Lalchland had told him, she was furious.”

Drastic Adjective

Something that is over the top, a big change, extremely severe, acting with force or violence.

Synonyms:

Harsh, forceful, radical

“That’s a bit drastic.”

Self-igniting Verb

To set on fire without a spark or a flame.

“She packed a few self-igniting Crackle-Dragons.”

Soaked Adjective

To become saturated with

water.

Synonyms:

Drowned, sodden, soggy, drenched, dripping, wet

Adjective

Filled to excess,

uncomfortably close together.

Synonyms:

Cramped, full, jammed, loaded, teeming, brimming, stuffed, over-flowing, swarming, crammed

“The string was soaked with a solution of fire-crystals.”

Crowded

“The streets were crowded.”

Swaying Verb

To move from side to side.

Synonyms:

Swinging, bending, leaning

“The dancers were swaying.”

Wretch Noun

A mean or despicable person.

Synonyms:

Rascal, miscreant, liar, scoundrel, villain

“She’s gone you wretch!”

Perish Verb

To die or be destroyed.

Synonyms:

Cease, rot, decay, die, wither

“She’ll perish in the flames!”

Gulped Adjective

To gasp or choke. To swallow lots of liquid quickly.

Synonyms:

Swallow, gasped

“Chulak gulped.”

Beaming Adjective

Very happy and smiling.

Synonyms:

Cheerful, radiant, smiling, grinning

“Chulak whispered, beaming.”

Heavy-hearted Adjective

Really sad as if there is no hope.

Synonyms:

Depressed, desolate,

destroyed, heartbroken,

disconsolate, dispirited

“He went back to the workshop feeling

heavy-hearted.”

Glowing Adjective

To shine faintly or in an

unsteady way.

Synonyms:

Bright, vivid, flaming,

gleaming, beaming

Adjective

A pattern of smoke.

Synonyms:

Puff, cloud

“With the bare sides rising in a perfect cone to the glowing crater at the top.”

Plume

“A plume of eternal smoke drifted from the summit to join the clouds.”

Eternal Adjective

Lasting forever.

Synonyms:

Constant, forever, never-ending, everlasting, immortal, infinite, permanent

“A plume of eternal smoke drifted from the summit to join the clouds.”

Laboriously Adverb

Needing a lot of work or effort to be put into something.

Synonyms:

Tiresomely, arduously, painfully

“There was no-one to be seen except for some fishermen laboriously rowing their boat.”

Clumped Verb

To hit someone or something.

Synonyms:

Thumped, hit, bashed, strike, pounded, bumped, smashed

“The oar swung round and clumped another fisherman on the head.”

Squeal Noun

A sharp screaming sound when in fear, pain or

surprise.

Synonyms:

Shriek, howl, screech, squawk, wail, yelp, scream, shout

Adverb

Extremely forcefully.

Synonyms:

Fiercely, powerfully,

vigorously, turbulently,

furiously

“He fell off his seat with a squeal.”

Violently

“He fell out of the boat, which rocked so violently that the others all cried out in alarm.”

Hauled Adjective

To pull something using a lot of force or effort.

Synonyms:

Dragged, lifted, tugged, lugged, hoisted

“The fishermen heard her and hauled the man over the stern.”

“He tapped his fingertips together with pleasure.”

Pleasure Noun

Feeling pleased.

Synonyms:

Glee, amusement, bliss, joy, contentment, satisfaction, happiness, enjoyment

Avoid Verb

To stay away from something or someone. To stop some-thing from happening.

Synonyms:

Evade, avert, stay away, dodge, bypass

Apprehensively Adverb

To worry or be fearful about something that may happen.

Synonyms:

Carefully, nervously, anxiously

“Lila sat in the prow, and held the sides apprehensively.”

“She stepped aboard, trying to avoid the man.”

Clash Verb

To make a loud, harsh noise when two objects collide.

Synonyms:

Collide, smash, bang, grate, jangle, clank, clang

Vigorously Adjective

To do something with lots of energy and power.

Synonyms:

Energetically, forcefully,

“He waved his dagger so vigorously that the boat rocked and he nearly fell out.”

“She could hear the clash of oars as the blades banged together.”

Captured Verb

To take something by force, usually without permission.

Synonyms:

Arrest, seized, catch,

conquer, secure, snatch

Desperate Adjective

To be in great need of

something either through sadness, anger or urgency.

Synonyms:

Wild, frenzied, careless,

vicious, fierce, furious.

“You’re captured. Your money or your life! I warn you, we’re desperate men!”

“You’re captured. Your money or your life! I warn you, we’re desperate men!”

Joggle Verb

To shake slightly.

Synonyms:

Wiggle, wobble, shake, jerk, rock, sway, move

“Lila promised to sit still and not joggle the boat.”

Fierce Adjective

Menacingly wild, savage or dangerous.

Synonyms:

Angry, brutal, dangerous, scary, ferocious, murderous, passionate, vicious, powerful

“Some of those pirates did look fierce enough to run after her.”

Vaguely Adverb

Not clear or not with any clear

Direction or need.

Synonyms:

Ambiguously, hazily,

uncertainly, obscurely

“Waving his hand vaguely.”

Transfixed Adjective

To stop and stare with

amazement, fear etc.

Synonyms:

Captivated, staring, enchanted, engrossed, hypnotised,

fascinated, mesmerized, stunned, petrified

“Who stood behind Rambashi, transfixed with fear.”

Whimper Verb

To cry with low, broken sounds.

Synonyms:

Cry, moan, weep, sob, snivel, whine

Fled Verb

Past tense of run away.

Synonyms:

Left, deserted, ran, depart, vanish, escape, scarpered,

“With a whimper, the tiger turned and fled.”

“With a whimper, the tiger turned and fled.”

Ashamed Adjective

To feel guilty for something they have done.

Synonyms:

Embarrassed, apologetic,

distressed, guilty, humiliated, regretful

Investment Noun

The act of paying money for something in order to gain even more money in the

future.

Synonyms:

Venture, loan, transaction,

asset, purchase

“Can I interest you in a little investment?”

“I hope you’re ashamed!”

Eager Adjective

When you really want to do something straight away.

Synonyms:

Keen, ambitious, restless,

impatient, hungry, intent, yearning

“She was eager to hurry on.”

Dominating Adjective

Someone that is in control or

something that is really tall and towers over everything around it.

Synonyms:

Controlling, domineering,

powerful, towering, tall

“So powerful and dominating.”

Smuggle Verb

To sneak something out

without being seen.

Synonyms:

Hide, sneak, take

Adjective

Make a droning or buzzing sound.

Synonyms:

Stupid, absurd, crazy,

brainless, daft, ridiculous, preposterous

“What a foolish old man I am!”

“Chulak was getting ready to smuggle Hamlet out of his new home.”

Foolish

Bashful Adjective

Embarrassed.

Synonyms:

Sheepish, coy, self-conscious, timid.

“The young man looked

bashful.”

Severe Adjective

Serious.

Synonyms:

Harsh, stern, strict,

serious, disapproving, firm, grim, scathing

“Hamlet gave Chulak a severe look as he knelt down.”

Lanterns Adjective

A transparent case which holds a light. Sometimes these can be in paper form.

Synonyms:

Light, beacon, torch, flame

“There were cooking fires and coloured lanterns.”

Tropical Adjective

To describe tropical islands where the weather is very hot.

Synonyms:

Hot, lush, steamy, sweltering, warm, humid, sticky, stifling

“The tropical darkness covered the sky in less than five minutes.”

Sensation Noun

A feeling of excitement or interest caused by a rumor in a community.

Synonyms:

Excitement, commotion, thrill, stir, wonder, scandal, surprise

Scold Verb

To tell off.

Synonyms:

Berate, blame, chide,

criticize, reprimand, nag,

lecture, shout at

“The dancing mistress had to pull them back and scold them.”

“Naturally, a white elephant with an advertisement written on him caused a sensation.”

Exquisite Adjective

Something that is excellent or beautiful.

Synonyms:

Delicious, divine, impeccable, perfect, splendid, lovely

Rebuked Verb

Tell off.

Synonyms:

Scold, admonish, berate,

reproach, chide, criticize

“The goddess rebuked some for asking too much.”

“Our grilled lake trout is exquisite tonight.”

Depart Verb

To leave.

Synonyms:

Leave, go, exit, disappear, vanish, retire

Daz-zled Verb

To be really impressed. To be blinded by light.

Synonyms:

Stunned, blinded, astonished, overwhelmed, impressed,

“He was a little dazzled by her beauty.”

“The goddess was about to depart.”

Frivolous Adjective

A lack of sense or seriousness, not important.

Synonyms:

Foolish, idiotic, impractical, petty, pointless, senseless, childish, flippant, facetious

Commotion Noun

A noisy disturbance can sometimes be violent.

Synonyms:

Fuss, uproar, flap, pande-monium, hubbub, excite-

“What is the cause of all this commotion?”

“The goddess of the lake is not to be disturbed by your frivolous requests.”

Noble Adjective

A royal person or someone that has good morals e.g. a very good, kind-hearted per-son.

Synonyms:

Royal, dignified, gracious, grand, virtuous

Vanished Verb

To disappear from sight.

Synonyms:

“The path became a mere track and then vanished

altogether.”

“Your friend is too wise and noble to be written on.”

Bounded Adjective

To jump or in this case fall.

Synonyms:

Fell, rolled, tumbled

“The rocks bounded on down the mountain.”

Pummelled Verb

To beat against something.

Synonyms:

Bashed, battered, crushed, knocked, smacked, thrashed, hammered, hit, pounded,

“As the rocks pummelled and battered her.”

Gingerly Adverb

To do something with great care or caution.

Synonyms:

Cautiously, carefully,

delicately, hesitantly,

reluctantly, warily

“Lila sat up gingerly.”

Delicately Adverb

Very carefully so that nothing is broken or damaged.

Synonyms:

Carefully, cautiously, softly, skilfully, subtly, tactfully

“Very delicately, she put her naked foot down and found the ground hot beneath it.”

Despair Noun

No hope, feeling helpless.

Synonyms:

Anguish, desperation, misery, pain, sorrow,

Parched Adjective

Extremely thirsty and dry.

Synonyms:

Thirsty, dehydrated,

“Her throat was parched and her lungs were panting in the hot thin air.”

“She nearly cried out in despair.”

Clung Verb

To hold on tightly to

something.

Synonyms:

Clasp, hold, grasp, clutch, grip

Billowing Verb

To rise and puff upwards.

Synonyms:

Rise, puff, wave, swell,

balloon

“A gust of sulphur-laden smoke came billowing out.”

“She fell on her knees and clung with trembling

fingers.”

Astonished Verb

To be surprised or amazed.

Synonyms:

Amazed, astounded, bewil-dered, flabbergasted, shocked, startled, stunned,

Swarmed Adjective

A huge group of things that stay close together.

Synonyms:

Flock, congregate, stream,

“As a thousand fire-imps swarmed upwards.”

“Lila sat up, astonished, as red fire and flame licked and crackled at the rocky roof.”

Plunged Verb

To forcibly put something into something else.

Synonyms:

Dip, dive, immerse,

submerge

Smothered Verb

To suffocate or be completely covered by something.

Synonyms:

“Another mass of rock slid down and smothered them.”

“The greedy creatures plunged their red hands into it.”

Jeers Noun

To shout.

Synonyms:

Shout, taunt, tease, scoff, sneer, banter, mock, jest

Merriment Noun

Lots of cheer and happiness.

Synonyms:

Amusement, cheerfulness, en-joyment, festivity, frolic, fun, glee, happiness, joy, laughter

“A chorus of jeers and shrieks of merriment burst from all the fire-imps.”

“A chorus of jeers and shrieks of merriment burst from all the fire-imps.”

Blazing Adjective

Burning brightly and with great heat.

Synonyms:

Fiery, flaming, smouldering, ablaze, afire, aflame

Wailing Verb

A long high-pitched cry.

Synonyms:

Sobbing, weeping, bawling, blubbering, howling,

snivelling

“Lila could hardly see them, but she heard them

wailing.”

“He clapped his blazing hands.”

Arrogant Adjective

When someone thinks that they are better and more important than everyone else.

Synonyms:

Pretentious, vain, smug, bossy, pompous, egotistic

Lashing Verb

A whipping action.

Synonyms:

Beating, floundering,

hitting, thrashing

“Through the lashing red and yellow and orange his face seemed to waver and flicker.”

“I was arrogant and headstrong.”

Thrusting Verb

To pass something to someone else with great force.

Synonyms:

Give, pass, shove, handing, ram

Soothed Verb

To make someone or some-thing feel better. A soothing feeling is often calm and relieved.

Synonyms:

Calmed, eased, relieved,

“The dryness in her throat and lungs was soothed and moistened.”

“There was a small figure beside her thrusting

something into her hands.”

Harmless Adjective

Can cause no pain or dan-ger.

Synonyms:

Gentle, innocent,

powerless,

Illu-sions Noun

Something that is a lie or not real but you thought it was.

Synonyms:

“When you reach the heart of the fire, all your illusions vanish.”

“The flames were harmless now.”

Dwindled Verb

To become smaller and

smaller or waste away.

Synonyms:

Decay, diminish, fade, peter out, shrink, shrivel, wither

Aimlessly Adverb

Without a purpose.

Synonyms:

Randomly, haphazardly,

pointlessly

“They floated aimlessly for a second.”

“As he said it, he dwindled away.”

Dissapointed Adjective

Sad because something hasn’t worked out the way it was

supposed to.

Synonyms:

Defeated, depressed,

discouraged, disgruntled,

distressed, thwarted, upset, down-hearted, hopeless

Curious Adjective

Wanting to know the answer to something, interested to find out more.

Synonyms:

Inquisitive, interested, inves-tigative, peculiar, mystified, puzzled, perplexed

“She was dazed and disappointed, calm and curious.”

“She was dazed and disappointed, calm and curious.”

Stumbled Verb

To walk unsteadily, falling

often.

Synonyms:

Staggered, slipped, fell,

shuffled, wobbled, tottered,

Executed Verb

To kill someone.

Synonyms:

Killed, murdered,

beheaded and any other way of killing someone.

“Lachland has been arrested and he’s going to be executed!”

“They stumbled out of the grotto.”

Torment Noun

To worry a lot.

Synonyms:

Agony, anguish, misery, pain, suffering, hell, plague

Grovel Verb

To beg in a way that is

undignified.

Synonyms:

Beg, plead

“Grovel! Faces to the ground!.”

“In a torment of fear.”

Anxiety Noun

Worrying due to a fear of something bad happening.

Synonyms:

Angst, concern, worry, doubt, nervous, panic, uncertain,

unease

Anguish Noun

Extreme pain and sadness.

Synonyms:

Agony, grief, heartache, heartbreak, misery, sorrow, suffering, torment, woe,

affliction, distress, torture

“Her anxiety got too much for her, and she knelt up and said in anguish...”

“Her anxiety got too much for her, and she knelt up and said in anguish...”

Sprawled Verb

To be stretched out in an

unnatural or ungraceful way.

Synonyms:

Flopped, lounged, lay, slumped, stretched, spread

“He sprawled on the ground.”

Rare Adjective

Something that there isn’t many of so is hard to find.

Synonyms:

Unusual, uncommon,

extraordinary, exceptional, unique, strange, unimaginable, priceless,

“The White Elephant is a rare and wondrous beast.”

Prevent Verb

To stop something or someone.

Synonyms:

Stop, halt, hinder

Absent-mindedly Adjective

When you’re lost in thought so you do something without really thinking about it.

Synonyms:

Distracted, daydreaming,

“They scooped them up absent-mindedly as they worked.”

“Even Lila’s fear couldn’t prevent her mouth from

watering.”

Immense Adjective

Really big, huge!

Synonyms:

Collosal, enormous,

extensive, gigantic, infinite, monumental, vast,

tremendous

Scrupulous Adjective

Being very precise and careful.

Synonyms:

Careful, conscientious, fussy, meticulously, pain-staking,

rigorously, exact

“He supervised the unloading of his enormous equipment with scrupulous care.”

“He had gone to immense trouble to prepare something as spectacular for the New Year Festival.”

Generations Adjective

Many, many years. A generation is the average time it takes for someone to be born and then for their grandchild to be born.

Synonyms:

Years, era, centuries, decades

Rumoured Verb

A story or statement that lots of people are talking about but it may not be true.

Synonyms:

Gossip, hearsay, reputed

“It was rumoured, he had invented an especially exciting display.”

“His family had been making fireworks for

generations.”

Scarcely Adverb

To have hardly any of

something.

Synonyms:

Hardly, rarely, seldom, barely, infrequently

Hasty Adjective

To do something very quickly.

Synonyms:

Abrupt, hurried, quick, impulsive, swift,

“After a hasty sleep and a hurried breakfast...”

“They barely slept, they scarcely washed, they hardly ate.”

Dismay Verb

A sudden or complete loss of courage or hope.

Synonyms:

Disappoint, dishearten,

discourage, dispirit

Clambering Verb

Climbing or in this example just moving quickly, up and down.

Synonyms:

Climb, scramble

“There was Signor Scorcini clambering about.”

“Lila and Lalchland stopped in dismay.”

Promptly Adverb

To be completed straight away or on time.

Synonyms:

Immediately, instantly, at once, punctually,

unhesitatingly

Disconsolately Adverb

Gloomy and hopelessly.

Synonyms:

Hopelessly, sadly,

desperately

“Hamlet stood disconsolately beside the grandstand.”

“Promptly, at 7 o’ clock the sun went down.”

Revolve Verb

To turn.

Synonyms:

Turn, spin, rotate, circle, whirl, orbit, twist, wheel

“It began to revolve

faster and faster.”

Colossal Adjective

Really big.

Synonyms:

Big, huge, humongous, gigantic, gargantuan, enormous

“The applause was colossal.”

Expertly Adjective

A person who has a special skill and is able to use that skill to do something.

Synonyms:

Neatly, accurately, skilfully, efficiently, precisely

Wide-eyed Adjective

To make your eyes appear wide and bright.

Synonyms:

Doe-eyed, childlike, shocked, amazed, surprised, in awe

“She saw them all watching wide-eyed like little children.”

“Quickly and expertly she and Lalchland touched fire to the end of the master fuses.”

Doomed Adjective

To have an unavoidable bad fate. Something terrible will happen.

Synonyms:

Ill-fated, condemned, cursed, destroyed, ruined

Elegantly Adverb

Very gracefully.

Synonyms:

Beautifully, delicately, gracefully, daintily,

harmoniously, charmingly

“A little figure came strolling out and bowed elegantly to the King.”

“Lalchland was doomed…”

Conquered Adjective

To win something or

someone so that it becomes yours.

Synonyms:

Overcome, won over

Wisdom Noun

To be clever due to having lots of knowledge and experience of life.

Synonyms:

Intelligence, foresight,

understanding, good judgement

“Human beings call it wisdom.”

“She was conquered. Actually, she said she’d loved him all the time.”

Suffering Noun

To be in pain or distress.

Synonyms:

Anguish, discomfort,

hardship, misery, torment

Triumphant Adjective

To win something.

Synonyms:

Victorious, successful

“Dreaming of the triumphant show-business career that lay ahead of them.”

“You can only gain wisdom by suffering and risk.”