colossal
(adj.) extremely large
Ex: I have made a colossal mistake.
desolate
(adj.) deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness
Ex: We may see a Creature with 49 heads who lives in the desolate snow.
extraordinary
(adj.) very unusual or remarkable, often in a positive sense
Ex: It was extraordinary when the peach grew to such a large size.
famished
(adj.) extremely hungry
Ex: After James entered the peach, all the creatures told him how famished they were.
ghastly
(adj.) causing great horror or fear; frightful or macabre; extremely unwell
Ex: She was overcome with horror at the ghastly spectacle.
grope
(v.) feel about or search blindly or uncertainly with one's hands
Ex: They groped around frantically, trying to find something to hold onto in order to weather the storm.
hammock
(n.) a bed made of canvas or rope mesh and suspended by cords at the ends, commonly used as garden furniture or on board a ship
Ex: The Centipede opened his eyes, ambled across the room, and crawled into his hammock to go to bed.
lurk
(v.) to be or remain hidden so as to wait in ambush for someone or something; to be present in a latent or barely discernible state, although still presenting a threat
Ex: It appeared that something was lurking around the corner.
mammoth
(n.) a large extinct elephant of the Pleistocene epoch, typically hairy with a sloping back and long curved tusks
(adj.) enormous or gigantic
Ex: In another minute, this mammoth fruit was as large and round and fat as Aunt Sponge herself, and probably just as heavy.
pandemonium
(n.) wild and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar
Ex: Panic and pandemonium broke out amongst the travelers.
paper doll
(n.) a piece of paper cut or folded into the shape of a human figure
Ex: The peach rolled on. And behind it, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker lay ironed out upon the grass as flat and thin and lifeless as a couple of paper dolls cut out of a picture book.
perambulator
(n.) 1: a machine, similar to an odometer, for measuring distances by means of a large wheel pushed along the ground by a long handle, with a mechanism for recording the revolutions 2: a baby carriage, often shortened to "pram"
Example: "Slowly, almost lazily, the shark opened his mouth (which was big enough to have swallowed a perambulator) and made a lunge at the peach."
pinnacle
(n.) a high, pointed piece of rock; a small pointed turret built as an ornament on a roof; the most successful point, the culmination
Ex: James and the Giant Peach landed on the pinnacle of the Empire State Building.
rambunctious
(adj.) full of high spirits or wild energy, potentially disruptive
Ex: "Pest!" cried the Earthworm. "Why must you always be so rude and rambunctious to everyone?"
scarlet
(adj.) of a brilliant red color; wicked, heinous
Ex: The Ladybug had a scarlet shell.
shilling
(n.) a British coin and monetary unit equal to one twentieth of a pound or twelve pence
Ex: Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker charged one shilling for every visitor who wanted to see the peach.
swine
(n.) a pig; (informal) a person regarded with contempt and disgust
Ex: The Centipede frequently referred to James's aunts as swine.
venomous
(adj.) (of animals, esp. snakes, or their parts) producing and containing poison or venom; capable of injecting venom by means of a bite or sting; (of a person or their behavior) full of malice or spite
Ex: The snake had a venomous bite.
wispy
(adj.) fine, feathery
Ex: The Cloud-Men were very wispy in their appearance.
withering
(adj.) 1: (of heat) intense, scorching 2: (of remarks, criticism, or other interactions) intended to make someone feel mortified or humiliated
Ex: The Old-Green-Grasshopper turned his huge black eyes upon the Centipede and gave him a withering look.
