1. knobkerrie (also knobkerry) — short wooden club with heavy knob at its head used by South African tribes
The similarities between the knobkerrie and the shillelagh go further than the merely physical, however, as both were banned by the ‘powers-that-were’.
2. futtock shroud — [nautical] lines securing platform attached to mast by running below the top to the mast itself
Jake’s experience hauling himself up the futtock shrouds stood him in good stead as he hauled himself up the overhanging cornice to rescue the mewling kitten.
3. lucerne — alfalfa
We walked through fields of lucerne towards the cliffside village, the fragrant crop contrasting with the salt spray of the ocean breezes.
4. crab — [falconry] (of a hunting hawk) to claw or to fight with another hawk, rather than the intended prey
But then she spied Sir Percy’s bird and they crabbed at once, plummeting to the earth as they fought.
5. pertinacious — stubbornly or persistently holding to a purpose, opinion, or plan
Your pertinacious zeal may have served you on the playing fields, sir, but your present contumacy will lead only to your eventual loss.
6. whinge — [British] to whine, to complain
It’s always the toughest blokes that whinge the most about having to do chores around camp.
7. bumboat — small boat selling provisions or wares to ships in port or offshore
All the sailors knew just which bumboat would sell them liquor on the sly, though the officers remained entirely ignorant.
8. tineman — night officer of the forest in medieval England
Nobody really expects any better from a lazy tineman than to stay quietly in his shelter until sunup, so we were surprised to hear Archibald’s booming voice ordering us to stop.
9. impecunious — penniless, poor
The former titan of industry is now an impecunious dry goods merchant, struggling to make ends meet where once he left five dollar steaks half eaten upon his plate.
10. anisotropy — difference in the value of a substance’s properties along different axes
The strength of pressboard is needed where the anisotropy of most woods might lead to breakage along the lines of grain.
Bonus Vocabulary
(fashion, late 19th Century to 1970s)
liberty bodice — sleeveless bodice originally created as a less constrictive alternative to corsets
In addition to providing warmth during the chilly English winters, a child’s liberty bodice with its cotton strapping was supposed to develop good posture.