Animal Farm, Chapter 5 – Vocabulary
The highlighted words are important for the general comprehension, thus you are required to know them actively. Highlighted words
appear in the interactive exercises. All words are listed in the order of their appearance in the book.
draw on
if a time or a season draws on, it passes
pretext for sth/to do sth
a false reason that you give for doing sth,
usually sth bad, in order to hide the real
reason; an excuse
He left the party early on the pretext of
having work to do.
stroll
to walk somewhere in a slow relaxed way
blithe
showing you do not care or are not
anxious about what you are doing
flirt
to wave sth to attract attention and
admiration
prance
(of a horse) to move with high steps
strike (struck, struck)
(of a thought or an idea) to come into sb’s
mind suddenly
An awful thought has just struck me.
whereabouts
the place where sb/sth is
shaft
[usually pl.] either of the two poles at the
front of a carriage or cart between which a
horse is fastened in order to pull it
smart
(of clothes, etc.) clean, neat and looking
new and attractive
dogcart
a vehicle with two wheels and a seat,
pulled by a horse
public house
a pub
check
a pattern of squares, usually of two
colours
Do you prefer checks or stripesə a check
shirt / suit
breeches
short trousers / pants fastened just below
the knee
gaiter
a cloth or leather covering for the leg
between the knee and the ankle. Gaiters
were worn by men in the past and are now
mainly worn by people who go walking
or climbing
publican
a person who owns or manages a pub
coat
the fur, hair or wool that covers an
animal’s body
clip
to cut sth with scissors
come to sth
to reach a particular situation
manifestly
clearly
dispute
an argument or a disagreement between
two people, groups or countries
sow
to plant or spread seeds in or on the
ground
root
a root vegetable
canvass support
to try and get support from a group of
people
in season, out of season
(of fruit or vegetables) easily/not easily
available and ready to eat because it is/is
not the right time of year for them
liable to do sth
likely to do sth
learned [lə:nid]
having a lot of knowledge because you
have studied and read a lot
drain
a pipe that carries away dirty water or
other liquid waste
slag
a chemical spread on soil to improve
crops
cartage
transporting things by carts
come to nothing
to be unsuccessful; to have no successful
result
bide your time
to wait for the right time to do sth
saw
a tool that has a long blade with sharp
points (called teeth)
mangel
a plant with a large root that is used as
food for farm animals
conjure sth up
to make sth appear as a picture in your
mind
at (your) ease
relaxed and confident and not nervous or
embarrassed
to closet
to put sb in a room away from other
people, especially so that they can talk
privately with sb, or so that they can be
alone
utter
say
whimper
to make low, weak crying noises; to speak
in this way
crank
a bar and handle in the shape of an L that
you pull or turn to produce movement in a
machine, etc.
cog-wheel
a wheel with a series of teeth on the edge
that fit between the teeth on the next
wheel and cause it to move
unintelligible
impossible to understand
be at pains
to put a lot of effort into doing sth
correctly
keep / hold (yourself) aloof
to not become involved in sth; to show no
interest in people
urinate
to get rid of urine from the body
quarry
to take stone, etc. out of a quarry - a place
where large amounts of stone, etc. are dug
out of the ground
sail
a set of boards attached to the arm of a
windmill
procure
to obtain sth, especially with difficulty
faction
a small group of people within a larger
one whose members have some different
aims and beliefs to those of the larger
group
reinstate
to give back a job or position that had
been taken away from sb
all the more reason for sth
restive
unable to stay still, or unwilling to be
controlled, especially because you feel
bored or not satisfied
stir sth up
to try to cause arguments or problems
to be bound to do sth
certain or likely to happen, or to do or be
sth
There are bound to be changes when the
new system is introduced.
conquer
to take control of a country or city and its
people by force
set sth forth
to present sth or make it known; expound
advocate
to support publicly
shout sb down
to shout so that sb who is speaking cannot
be heard
eloquent [eləkwənt] adj
able to use language and express your
opinions well, especially when you are
speaking in public
eloquence [eləkwəns] n
be / get carried away
to get very excited or lose control of your
feelings
glowing
giving enthusiastic praise
sordid
very dirty and unpleasant; squalid
harrow
a piece of farming equipment that is
pulled over land that has been ploughed to
break up the earth before planting
reaper
a person or a machine that cuts and
collects crops on a farm
binder
a machine that fastens wheat into bunches
after it has been cut
cast a look at sb
bay
(of a dog or wolf) to make a long deep
sound, especially while hunting
brass studded collar
dog collar with small raised pieces of
metal (here: brass)
bound
to run with long steps, to jump
snap
to try to bite sb/sth; to nip
at / on sb’s heels
following closely behind sb
gain on sb
to get closer to sb/sth that you are chasing
all but
almost
rear
bring sb up
wag
if a dog wags its tail, or its tail wags, its
tail moves from side to side several times
settle a question / an affair
to put an end to an argument or a
disagreement
assemble
come together as a group
dismay
to make sb feel shocked and disappointed:
marshal your arguments, thoughts
organize things, ideas
articulate
(of a person) good at expressing ideas or
feelings clearly in words
disapproval
a feeling that you do not like an idea, an
action or sb’s behaviour because you
think it is bad
menace
v: to threaten; n: threat
sacrifice
the fact of giving up sth important or
valuable in order to get sth that seems
more important
only too
very
moonshine
(informal) nonsense
watchword
a word or phrase that explains what sb
should do in a particular situation
unanswerable
an unanswerable argument, etc. is one that
nobody can question or disagree with;
SYN irrefutable:
maxim
a well-known phrase that represents sth
that is usually true
a break in the weather
a change from one type of weather to a
different one
disinter
to dig up sth, especially a dead body, from
the ground
stump
the bottom part of a tree left in the ground
after the rest has fallen or been cut down
reverent
showing great respect and admiration;
SYN respectful
gruff
(of a voice) deep and rough, and often
sounding unfriendly
disperse
to move apart and go away in different
directions
The crowd dispersed quickly
sly
acting or done in a secret or dishonest
way, often intending to trick people; SYN
cunning