 bowler hat |
 cupola |
 dirigible |
 fleur-de-lis |
 hardtack |
 maps |
 minaret |
 pumice |
 steeple |
 sultan |
bowler hat |
cupola |
dirigible |
fleur-de-lis |
hardtack |
maps |
minaret |
pumice |
steeple |
sultan |
| Page # refers to the book The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois [ISBN: 0-14-032097-0] | |||
# |
... Examples, Definitions & Resources | ||
| Introduction | |||
| 3... | conveyance | ... A means of transporting, especially a vehicle | |
| 6... | inundate | ... to cover with large amounts of water; to flood | |
| I | |||
| 10... | illustrious | ... dignified | |
| 12... | ascension | ... the act of going up, flying, soaring or ascending | |
| 12... | flotsam | ... debris floating in a river or sea, in particular fragments from a shipwreck | |
| 12... | balustrade | ... a row of balusters topped by a rail, serving as an open parapet, as along the edge of a balcony, terrace, bridge, staircase, or the eaves of a building. [A parapet consists of a barrier at the edge of a structure employed to prevent persons or vehicles from falling over the edge.] | |
| 14... | pomp | ... show of magnificence; parade; display; power | |
| 16... | bestowed | ... presented something to someone as a gift or honour | |
| 17... | unprecedented | ... never before seen or done; without precedent | |
| II | |||
| 19... | swathed | ... swathed in bunting - bandaged; banded | |
| 19... | bunting | ... strips of material used as festive decoration, especially in the colours of the national flag | |
| 20... | dirigibles | ... self-propelled airships that can be steered | |
| 20... | blimps | ... airships constructed with a non rigid lifting agent container
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: credit for coining the term "blimp" is usually given to Lt. A.D. Conningham of the British Royal Navy in 1915. Could "blimp" have been a common term in 1883? |
|
| 22... | steeple | ... a tall tower, often on a church, normally topped with a spire | |
| 23... | cupola | ... a dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome | |
| 23... | pinnacle | ... the highest point | |
| 24... | reverence | ... veneration; profound awe and respect, normally in a sacred context | |
| 26... | malady | ... an ailment; a disease | |
| 27... | postilion | ... a rider mounted on the near, leading horse pulling a carriage who guides the team [also spelled postillion] | |
| 29... | intrepid | ... fearless; bold; brave | |
| 31... | ascot | ... a narrow neckband with wide pointed wings, traditionally made of pale gray patterned silk | |
| III | |||
| 36... | bowler | ... a round black felt hat with a narrow brim and rounded crown formerly popular among British businessmen | |
| 36... | haggard | ... looking exhausted and unwell | |
| 37... | lackey | ... a liveried male servant | |
| 38... | bolster | ... a long narrow pillow or cushion which people hug when sleeping | |
| 38... | tumultuous | ... noisy and disorderly | |
| 39... | Sal Hepatica | ... a laxative mineral salt produced by Bristol, Myers Company, that, when dissolved in water, reproduced the taste and effects of natural mineral waters
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers officially incorporated their first company - Clinton Pharmaceutical - on December 13, 1887 - more than four years after the Krakatoa eruption. Was Sal Hepatica a product before 1883? Why would students put Sal Hepatica in an inkwell? Hepatica is a plant. What does "Sal" mean? |
|
| 43... | ballast | ... Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability | |
| 45... | quinine | ... A bitter colourless powder, an alkaloid derived from cinchona bark, used to treat malaria and as an ingredient of tonic water | |
| IV | |||
| 54... | plummeted | ... dropped swiftly | |
| 55... | rarefied | ... rarefied atmosphere - less dense than usual | |
| 55... | apparatus | ... a complex machine or instrument | |
| V | |||
| 61... | delirious | ... having uncontrolled excitement; ecstatic | |
| 61... | boulevardier | ... in Europe, one who frequents the boulevards, particularly those of Paris; a man about the town | |
| 62... | dickey | ... a detachable shirt front, collar or bib | |
| 62... | wing collar | ... a small standing collar with the points pressed to stick out horizontally, resembling "wings", worn with men's evening dress (white tie or black tie) | |
| 63... | ducks | ... wear whatever white ducks and soft shirts are available - white trousers made of duck (a durable, closely woven heavy cotton or linen fabric) | |
| 67... | fickle | ... quick to change one's opinion or allegiance; insincere; not loyal or reliable | |
| 69... | Jonkers' diamond | ... Time Magazine: Posted Monday, Jun 17, 1935: world's largest uncut gem and the largest privately owned diamond anywhere ... weighing 726 carats.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: This diamond was discovered by a South African farmer named Jonker on January 17th, 1934. Where was the Jonkers' diamond in 1883? |
|
| 72... | spangled | ... having small sparkling objects or spangles | |
| 75... | paltry | ... trashy, trivial, of little value | |
| VI | |||
| 77... | fleur-de-lis | ... a design representing a flower whose three petals are joined together at the bottom, often used in heraldry, where it is particularly associated with the French monarchy | |
| 77... | opulence | ... abundance, bounty, profusion | |
| 81... | chafing | ... in large silver chafing dishes - warming dishes (for food) | |
| 86... | sumptuous | ... magnificent and splendid, suggesting abundance and great expense, and having a flavour of debauchery | |
| 91... | perpetual | ... lasting forever, or for an indefinitely long time | |
| VII | |||
| 97... | prudish | ... of excessive propriety; easily offended or shocked, especially by sexual matters | |
| 98... | minaret | ... the tall slender tower of an Islamic mosque | |
| 99... | flywheel | ... a mechanical battery (a mechanical means of storing energy - a mass rotating about an axis) | |
| 103... | marabout | ... a personal spiritual leader in the Islam faith | |
| 103... | sultan | ... an absolute ruler of a Muslim state (sultanate) such as Oman, Brunei, or an empire such as the Ottoman Empire | |
| 103... | vizier | ... high-ranking political (and sometimes religious) advisor or minister | |
| 105... | tiller | ... a lever attached to a rudder post of a boat in order to provide the leverage for the helmsman to turn the rudder | |
| 110... | ingenuity | ... the ability to come up with (especially original and creative) solutions to difficult problems | |
| VIII | |||
| 114... | nip | ... a small quantity of something edible or a potable liquor | |
| 114... | valet | ... a man's personal male attendant, responsible for his clothes and appearance | |
| 117... | oarlocks | ... a device that attaches an oar to a boat | |
| 117... | tarpauline | ... a large sheet of strong, flexible, water resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas coated with plastic or latex | |
| 118... | ardent | ... full of ardor; fervent, passionate | |
| 118... | trepidation | ... a fearful state; a state of hesitation or concern | |
| 124... | permeate | ... to pass through the pores or interstices of; to penetrate and pass through without causing rupture or displacement | |
| 130... | boom | ... spar at the foot of a sail on a sail boat | |
| 132... | centerboard | ... movable keel on a sailboat, located on the bottom of the hull along the centerline | |
| IX | |||
| 139... | basking | ... taking great pleasure or satisfaction; feeling warmth or happiness | |
| 139... | formidable | ... causing fear, dread, awe or admiration as a result of size, strength, or some other impressive quality; commanding respect | |
| 140... | lavish | ... superabundant; excessive; extravagant | |
| 140... | tycoon | ... a powerful businessperson | |
| 148... | vats | ... large tubs, such as is used for making wine or for tanning | |
| X | |||
| 156... | minstrels | ... traveling entertainers who would sing and recite poetry, often to their own musical accompaniment | |
| 161... | dodder | ... to shake or tremble as one moves, especially as of old age or childhood | |
| 164... | bedlam | ... a place or situation of chaotic uproar, and where confusion prevails | |
| 165... | catapulted | ... hurled | |
| 165... | celluloid | ... any of a variety of thermoplastics created from nitrocellulose and camphor, once used as photographic film | |
| 165... | dilate | ... to become wider or larger; to expand | |
| 166... | concussions | ... violent collisions or shocks | |
| 168... | pumice | ... a light, porous type of pyroclastic igneous rock, formed during explosive volcanic eruptions when liquid lava is ejected into the air as a froth containing masses of gas bubbles - as the lava solidifies, the bubbles are frozen into the rock | |
| 170... | hardtack | ... a simple type of cracker or biscuit, made from flour, water, and salt | |
| 171... | melodrama | ... a kind of drama having a musical accompaniment to intensify the effect of certain scenes | |
| 178... | vaudeville | ... a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s | |
 hardtack |
 pumice |
 Dupuy de Lome's navigable balloon. |
 A model of the Giffard Airship. |
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 flywheel |
THE CATACLYSMIC EVENTS OF AUGUST 26-27: Sunday, August 26. At 12:53 p.m., Krakatau delivered the opening salvo to a climactic eruption that would last throughout the evening of August 27. The initial blast generated an ear-shattering fusillade accompanied by a black churning cloud of volcanic debris ... Krakatau, Indonesia 1883 ... http://www.geology.sdsu.edu
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