Harriet the Spy

Harriet the Spy Glossary

Mutter

To speak in a low voice

Foe

Enemy

Grind

Crush

Infiltrator

Gain access to a place in order to obtain secret information

Foreign

Strange and unfamiliar

Endangered

At risk

Pondering

Taking time to think something through

Sluggish

Slow moving

abruptly

suddenly

absolution

formal release from guilt

affording

providing

archly

teasingly playful

assigned

designated

ballooned

swollen up like a balloon

barrage

rapid succession (e.g. of questions or criticisms)

considerable

notable

discarded

rejected or disposed of

dossiers

collection of documents and notes about a person

dubiously

doubtfully

dumbwaiter

small elevator for carrying food and beverages between floors

enigma

a puzzling person or thing

gingerly

in a cautious manner

immense

immeasurably large

impudence

disrespectful insolence

infinite

boundless or endless

interminable

tediously long

means

money or resources

momentum

strength derived from initial effort

mooch

borrow with no intention of making a payment

petrified

paralyzed with fear

petulant

peevishly impatient

pondered

weighed up, thought long and hard about

profound

having great knowledge or insight

quizzically

amusedly or perplexedly

rambling

talking in a digressive way

realism

viewing and dealing with things as they actually are

replica

a duplicate of a work

retraction

withdrawal

reverie

state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts

solitude

state of being alone

spectacular

strikingly large or obvious

theatrical

showy, artificial

wallop

thrash, beat

zeal

earnestness

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