Very bad, like a blackguard
INTACT
All of a piece, nothing missing Whole, complete
Intractable
Difficult to manage or manoeuvre
Stubborn as anything
INTREPID
Courageous
Fearless, undaunted, incredibly brave
IRONIC
The use of words or actions to show the opposite of their meaning
Humorous, clever
IRREPLACEABLE
Unable to be replaced or substituted
Crucial, indispensable
LA CERATED
Torn; distressed deeply; cut with jagged edges (words can lacerate, too)
Mangled, wounded
LITERALLY
To uphold the true meaning of a word
Really, actually
LUGUBRIOUS
Mournful, from the Latin lugubri(s), (says Elena)
Doleful, gloomy
MALLEE BULL
Extremely strong and fit, to survive the dry country of the Mallee in Victoria
MANGY
Wretched, squalid
MOROSELY
In a melancholy way
Sullenly, gloomily
NONCHALANT
Seemingly unconcerned; having a donft.care attitude
Casually indifferent
OMINOUS
An omen or sign, menacing
Portentous, threatening
PERIL
Imminent terrible danger, serious risk!
PERPLEXITIES
Things that puzzle, or are very complicated or intricate
Puzzlements, intricacies
PIQUANT
Pleasantly disturbing taste or odour
Spicy, pungent
PONDERING
Considering carefully
Thinking over, weighing up
PUNGENT
Sharp, biting taste or smell; pointed, penetrating comment
Acrid, caustic
REMOTEST
Furthest away
REVERIE
Lost in thought
Trance, daydream
RIGOR MORTIS
Muscles going stiff and rigid after death
ROBUST
Strong, healthy, well.developed
RUEFULLY
Expressing sadness or regret; often with a faintly sardonic, bitter kind of compassion
Wryly
SARDONICALLY
Scornfully, mockingly, influenced by the Latin herba Sardonia ‘Sardinian herb’, a poisonous plant that distorts the face of the eater (says Elena, who was told by her Aunty Maria from Sardinia)
Cynically, sarcastically
SCABROUS
Rough to the touch, not very nice, a bit rude
Knotty, yucky
SINISTER
Suggesting an evil force or motive; from the Latin, meaning on the left, which was thought to be unlucky in the old days, (says Elena)
Malign, dire (rhymes with wire), ominous
STAGNATE
Stop moving or flowing; lie inactive for ages; become stale, lose energy
STATISTICS
The collection, organisation and interpretation of numerical data
SUBLIME
Majestic, something of extremely high worth
Awesome, grand, supreme, noble, exquisite!
Teasing or tormenting by giving a glimpse of something appealing but keeping it out of reach
TERRESTRIAL
Of the earth or its inhabitants as opposed to something heavenly
Earthly, mundane
THYME
An aromatic herb from the genus
Thymus, often used for seasoning
TRANSFIGURED
Figure or appearance changed
Transformed, altered
TRANSLUCENT
Allowing light to shine through but blurring, making images indistinct
TUMULTUOUS
Noisy and disorderly
Riotous
VA LIANTLY
Acting with valour or stout heart Bravely, courageous (Compiled with assistance from The Heritage Illustrated Dictionary and Elena Spezia)
ANNA FIENBERGbegan writing stories when she was only eight years old. She says: ‘I’ve always had a passion for words. I used to collect them, like some people collect stamps. Certain words gave me a special, billionaire feeling, and when uttered, seemed to have a magical effect. But it was my son and his passion for wrestling that gave me the idea for this book. He and his friends spent hours trying to roll their eyeballs up into their heads, poking out their tongues and scowling like the wrestling star, The Undertaker. They folded each other over like envelopes, pounded, leaped on, crashed into, headlocked, and jumped over each other. The noise from the other end of the house was sometimes so alarming.
‘One thing I noticed as I was growing up was that it was good to have a passion of your own, but lonely if no one else shared it. Words were the perfect passion to have, though, because eventually, if you figured out how to use them in the right way, you could share what you cared about most. And when you read other people’s words you could go inside their minds and understand what they cared about most. What I love about books is that they tell you what everyone is thinking, but not saying.
‘It was C S Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, who said, “We read so as not to be alone.” Those wonderful books of his, and all the myriad of others I’ve read in my life have always been such rich company. I hope when you pick up Louis Beside Himself that you’ll find that sort of company, too.’
Anna Fienberg has written picture books, junior novels and fiction for teenagers and adults. Her books include the popular Tashi series, The Witch in the Lake, Number 8 and Horrendo’s Curse, which was an Honour Book in the 2003 CBCA awards.