1. bore — large tidal wave caused either by meeting of two tides or by tidal water rushing into a narrow estuary
Surfing the Pororoca—as the tidal bore formed at the mouth of the Amazon River is known—can be treacherous, not only because of the river’s sometimes dangerous wildlife, but also due to the flotsam carried by the downstream current.
2. perforce — of necessity, compulsorily
I held perforce her hand as I aided her across the precarious scree, but I found myself distracted by the warmth of her hand in mine, and almost lost my own footing.
3. baldric — belt worn across the breast from shoulder to hip, supporting a sword or bugle, etc.
Le Notre wore a matched pair of heavy flintlock pistols, slung from crossed baldrics so as always to be ready at hand, though to my mind they made him resemble a member of a fife and bugle corps.
4. halcyon — calm, quiet, peaceful
He had wisdom enough to set aside funds and provender during those halcyon times between the wars, and so was prepared when the conflict reignited.
5. mast — nuts from oak, chestnut, or beech trees, used as food for swine
He found the hog feeding on mast in an oak grove a bit upriver, but dared not enter to secure the animal because the glade was thought to be sacred to the druids.
6. truckle bed — low bed on casters for rolling it beneath a fixed bed when not in use
The stained clothes were spread out upon the truckle bed, meaning that it could not be properly stowed out of the way.
7. serinette — 18th century mechanical instrument capable of playing programmed tunes through pipes by turning a crank, meant to teach songs to caged birds
The primary difference between a serinette and the common music box is immediately apparent to the listener, as the serinette uses an internal bellows to propel air through small pipes to produce its distinctive tone.
8. tatty — shabby, cheap
Hope springs eternal, I suppose, and so once again I found myself kneeling at the back of the record store, poring through box after box of tatty LPs in hopes of finding an overlooked treasure.
9. gynandry — hermaphroditism
As often occurs in cases of true gynandry, Pat was infertile.
10. lapstrake — (nautical) clinker-built, having a hull with overlapping planks; a vessel built thusly
Thom’s boat was a tidy little lapstrake skiff painted red and grey-blue, built, he told us, by his father before the surgery.
Bonus Vocabulary
(criminal slang)
loid — to unlock a door by sliding a thin piece of plastic or celluloid between the door and frame, releasing simple spring latches; a device so used
If you’re not going to install a deadbolt at least put on the security chain, although that’s not going to stop random tweeters from loiding their way in here any time you’re out of the apartment.