Vocabulary for
Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China
with Sniffy the Hamster, resident wordsmith
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Sniffy Says: "You've probably heard of a dung beetle. Well, there are not only dung beetles but also dung flies and dung worms. They all have one thing in common. They like dung. If they ever saw a dunghill it would look like a mountain of ice cream to them. There is even a tree in Australia called the dunga-runga, but that really has nothing to do with dung—I just like the sound of the name: dunga-runga, dunga-runga, dunga-runga. Anyway, if you say something is dungy, like, 'That's a dungy pond,' then you mean it is dirty and gross. Dung is manure, that is, it is poop. I used to listen to Mr. Draeger read my very favorite book to his son: The Story of the Little Mole Who went in Search of Whodunit. It's about a mole who tries to find out who pooped on his head. You could say he had a dung hat. He does find out what animal defecated on him, but I won't ruin the story for you if you haven't read it."
Sniffy Says: "I awoke one morning from uneasy dreams to find myself changed into a gigantic insect—a cockroach. I was completely transformed. No longer was I the cute, cuddly little hamster wordsmith that you love or at least like or maybe tolerate. No. I had been metamorphosed into a black cockroach with long, thin legs. It was a total transformation. I noticed that even my thoughts had been transformed. Instead of desiring my soft bed of cotton balls I wanted to scurry under the stove and eat bits of food that had been dropped there. But don't worry, the next morning when I awoke from more uneasy dreams another transformation had taken place. I was changed back into a hamster, transformed into my real self—it was a metamorphosis. It was good to be a hamster again, though I do kind of miss having all those legs."
Sniffy Says: "Hmmmm. Undaunted? Well, it might help to know what 'daunted' means because when you put the prefix 'un' in front of a word it changes it. 'Un' means 'not.' It changes the meaning of a word to its opposite. I'm daunted or intimidated by cats. I'm afraid of them because cats have teeth and claws and like to eat little hamsters like me for bedtime snacks—cats like crunchy snacks. If I said I was 'undaunted' by cats that would mean I was not afraid of cats, that, instead, I was brave and courageous, that I would happily smack a cat on his little nose and then step on his little toes and tell him to eat someone else—but, of course, then I'd be lying."
Sniffy Says: "I'm sleepy. Can someone just bring me—you, yeah, you right there listening to me—would you bring me a pillow and a little, tiny blanket? I was on an all-night vigil waiting for the arrival of the new Harry Hamster book—this is number six. I watched all night because my mailhamster was supposed to deliver it. I didn't sleep a wink from dusk until dawn—which for a hamster, because I'm nocturnal, is no big deal—but I didn't sleep during the day either. My vigil has lasted for almost a week. I just stare at my mailbox hoping the mailhamster will bring my book. If he doesn't I'll have to read my dictionary for the 47th time."
On-Line Dictionaries
The Free Dictionary: This is now my favorite on-line dictionary (the box above links to this dictionary). Not only does it provide you with audios to pronounce the word, but it also gives you examples of the word used in context. They also have a "References in classic literature" section which provides entire sentences from classic literature in which the word is used. Also includes a thesaurus, encyclopedia and more.
Answers.com: This is not just a dictionary, but it has a dictionary and the reason I list it is because the dictionary has an audio pronunciation feature which is very helpful when one comes across words that are difficult to pronounce or have never been seen before. Access is free.
The Dictionary of Difficult Words: Good resource for those words that your dictionary doesn't have or that other on-line dictionaries do not have.
A Latin Dictionary: This is great resource for Latin. There is even a downloadable version for your computer that will do both Latin/English and English/Latin.
Dictionary.com Free Access. You can purchase additional features.
Merriam-Webster Free Access.
WordSmyth A children's dictionary is also available. This dictionary requires registration. Free Access.
Oxford English Dictionary The best English dictionary in the world! This dictionary requires paid subscription. $29.95 per month or $295.00 per year.
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