The Nutcracker and the Mouse King Glossary

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King Glossary

somber

Gloomy and downcast.

lintel

A solid support beam constructed across the top of a door or window.

sheath

A sheath for carrying the blade of a sword or dagger.

torte

A very rich, therefore usually small, cake smothered in cream and fruit.

hussars

Soldiers belonging to a light cavalry unit in Europe especially noted for their impressive uniforms.

lavishly

Extravagantly and with great adornment or decoration.

intricate

Complicated with a marked focus on detail and a complex arrangement of connections.

spindly

Long and thin; lanky.

dismay

A feeling of consternation and distress resulting from a confrontation with the unexpected.

commotion

A situation of turbulent upheaval; a ruckus.

carillon

A musical instrument somewhat similar to a player piano with bells in a tower substituting for strings in a box.

brandish

Waving something back and forth in the air in a way usually conveying a threat.

battalion

A military infantry squadron.

monotonous

Tedious, repetitive and seemingly never ending

incomprehensible

So convoluted or mysterious that it is incapabe of being understood.

contraption

A machine or gadget whose purpose or function is not immediately obvious.

antipathies

A series of things that are disliked.

accursed

Believed to be under a curse.

mournfully

Expressed with emotions similar to those one feels during a period of grieving.

zephyr

A light, breezy blast of wind.

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