Merry Christmas! Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like a demon-possed 12 year old--and that's what you have here today. At long last, The Exorcist vocabulary list is completed. Let's skip the fluff and jump straight to the chase. Words seventeen through thirty-three after the jump.
languidly, non sequitur, novenas, obdurately, proffered, profligate, promulgate, purveyed, sacristan, sedulous, sententious, sibilant, somnambulism, somnolent, tetany, tumefied, valise
17. languid
"'Evil against evil,' breathed the curator, languidly fanning himself..." p. 6
(adj.) 1) lacking energy, spirit, or vitality
2) lacking interest, enthusiasm; indifferent
3) sluggish; faint; drooping from weakness of fatigue
18. non sequitur
"...Regan appeared not to understand and mumbled non sequiturs. Her eyes were vacant and clouded." p. 86
(noun) 1) a thought, statement, or conclusion that has little to do with the statement that preceded it.
2) a statement containing an illogical conclusion
19. novenas
"Yes, young lady, and what can we do for you today? We're running a special on novenas." p. 83
(noun) a Roman Catholic devotion consisting of nine separate, but consecutive days of prayer or services.
20. obdurate
"...the servant remained obdurately silent." p. 336
(adj.) 1) unmoved by pity, tender feelings or persuasion; unyielding
2) impervious to moral persuasion; hardhearted
21. proffer
"He turned a significant look to the dialogue coach, who padded up to him dutifully and proffered his open script like an aging altar boy the missal to his priest at solemn Mass." p. 23
(verb) to put before a person for acceptance; offer; tender
(noun) an offer or proposal
22. profligate
"Profligate peacock! Ancient heretic! I adjure you, turn and look on me!" p. 363
(adj.) 1) shamelessly immoral; debauched
2) wasteful; recklessly extravagant
(noun) a profligate person
23. promulgate
"When she'd laughingly mentioned the incident later, the director had grown furious and accused her of promulgating 'gross hallucinations' that people were 'likely to believe just because you're a star!'" p.35
(verb) to formally or officially announce; make an open declaration or proclaim
24. purvey
"Dyer was good for him; made him laugh;...purveyed new anecdotes about the Jesuit Prefect of Discipline." p. 99
(verb) 1) to provide, furnish, or sell on a large scale (esp. food or provisions as a business or service)
2) to publish or make available (lies, scandal, etc.)
25. sacristan
"He described the desecrations. In the first of the incidents, the elderly sacristan of the church had discovered a mound of human excrement on the altar cloth..." p. 75
(noun) a person or official who handles or is in charge of religious or sacred vessels
26. sedulous
"Plump. In his middle fifties. Jowly cheeks that gleamed of soap. Yet rumpled trousers, cuffed and baggy, mocked the sedulous care that he gave his body."
(adj.) diligent in use or attention; persevering
27. sententious
"'She'll get better,' he repeated sententiously." p. 164
(adj.) 1) excessive use of pithy sayings, axioms, or aphorisms
2) given to indulgence in pompous moralizing; self-rightous
28. sibilant
"Gliding spiderlike, rapidly, close behind Sharon, her body arched backward in a bow with her head almost touching her feet, was Regan, her tongue flicking quickly in ad out of her mouth while she hissed sibilantly like a serpent." p. 141
(adj.) 1) a hissing sound
2) phonetically, relating to sounds or the consonants "s" and "z".
29. somnambulism
"'You mean somnambulism? She's doing it in her sleep?'" p. 58
(noun) sleepwalking (also called noctambulism)
30. somnolent
"Then who was the trickster? A somnolent mind imposing order on the rattlings of heating pipes or plumbing?" p. 13
(adj.) sleepy or drowsy
31. tetany
"As they came, she went rigid, as if in the stiffening grip of tetany, and the doctors looked at each other significantly." p. 129
(noun) a state marked by an abnormal increase in muscular pain and contractions, caused by abnormal calcium metabolism.
32. tumefy
"Chris stifled a gasp. Her daughter's features were contorting into a malevolent mask: lips pulling tautly into opposite directions, tumefied tongue lolling wolfish from her mouth."
(verb) to become, make, or cause swelling
33. valise
"He rushed for the seven-ten train back to Washington, carrying pain in a black valise." p. 56
(noun) a small piece of luggage; an overnight traveling case
Das is alle!
Next time: "Our Town" by Thorton Wilder
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