30 words to know before reading A Christmas Carol

1. An introduction to a book or speech.
2. A preliminary statement or explanation.

Preface I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book to raise the Ghost of an Idea which shall not put

1. Made a sincere and determined effort to achieve something.
2. Attempted or tried hard to accomplish a task or goal.

Preface I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book to raise the Ghost of an Idea which shall not put my readers out of

1. The quality of being amusing or funny.
2. A person's state of mind or mood.

this Ghostly little book to raise the Ghost of an Idea which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their house

1. Used as a reflexive pronoun to refer to a group previously mentioned.
2. Used for emphasis to refer to a group previously mentioned.

book to raise the Ghost of an Idea which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their house pleasantly, and no one

1. To visit or inhabit as a ghost or spirit.
2. To persistently disturb or trouble someone's mind.

were fragments of all the faces it had shown him, wrestled with it. “Leave me! Take me back. Haunt me no longer!” In the struggle, if that can be called a struggle in which the Ghost with no

1. A person employed to keep records or accounts in an office.
2. A sales assistant in a store.

scale. The door of Scrooge’s counting house was open, that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge had a very

1. A miserly, stingy person who hoards wealth and avoids spending money.
2. A reference to Ebenezer Scrooge, the greedy protagonist in Charles Dickens' *A Christmas Carol*.

dead as a doornail. Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Scrooge and he were partners for I don’t know how many years. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole

1. Causing gloom or depression; dreary.
2. Pitifully inadequate or of low quality.

You’re poor enough.” “Come, then,” returned the nephew gaily. “What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough.” Scrooge, having no better answer ready

1. A cylinder of wax with a central wick that is lit to produce light.
2. A unit of luminous intensity.

and tacitly admitted the fact to the expectant clerk in the tank, who instantly snuffed his candle out, and put on his hat. “You’ll want all day tomorrow, I suppose?” said Scrooge. “If quite

1. Deceptive or false talk or behavior; nonsense.
2. A type of hard candy, often flavored with peppermint.

so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach. “Bah!” said Scrooge. “Humbug!” He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge’s,

1. A ghost or phantom; a haunting apparition.
2. A lingering threat or source of fear.

to which its light would have conducted me?” Scrooge was very much dismayed to hear the spectre going on at this rate, and began to quake exceedingly. “Hear me!” cried the Ghost. “My time is

1. A term derived from Hebrew meaning "stone of help," often used as a given name.
2. A reference to a monument or memorial stone symbolizing divine assistance.

to me, Jacob!” “I have none to give,” the Ghost replied. “It comes from other regions, Ebenezer Scrooge, and is conveyed by other ministers, to other kinds of men. Nor can I tell you what I

1. A small dent or hollow in a surface.
2. A ringing sound, like that of a bell.

dong!” “A quarter past,” said Scrooge, counting. “Ding, dong!” “Half past,” said Scrooge. “Ding, dong!” “A quarter to it,” said Scrooge. “Ding, dong!” “The hour itself,” said Scrooge

1. A slang term for the male genitalia (vulgar).
2. A deep resonant sound, like a large bell.

“A quarter past,” said Scrooge, counting. “Ding, dong!” “Half past,” said Scrooge. “Ding, dong!” “A quarter to it,” said Scrooge. “Ding, dong!” “The hour itself,” said Scrooge triumphantly,

1. Fabric panels hung to cover windows for privacy or decoration.
2. Theatrical drapes that open or close a stage.

bed were drawn. The curtains of his bed were drawn aside, I tell you, by a hand. Not the curtains at his feet, nor the curtains at his back, but those to which his face was addressed. The

1. A person who plays the fiddle (violin).
2. Someone who tinkers or makes small, often unnecessary adjustments.

of beer. But the great effect of the evening came after the roast and boiled, when the fiddler (an artful dog, mind! The sort of man who knew his business better than you or I could have told

1. A long, loose outer garment, often worn for warmth or ceremony.
2. A bathrobe, a loose garment worn after bathing or for lounging.

the Spirit. “Look upon me!” Scrooge reverently did so. It was clothed in one simple deep green robe, or mantle, bordered with white fur. This garment hung so loosely on the figure, that its

1. A large waterbird with a long neck, short legs, and webbed feet.
2. The flesh of a goose used as food.

they soon returned in high procession. Such a bustle ensued that you might have thought a goose the rarest of all birds; a feathered phenomenon, to which a black swan was a matter of

1. A sweet, soft dessert made with milk, sugar, and flavorings, often thickened with eggs or starch.
2. A savory dish, such as black pudding, made with blood, grains, and spices.

the previous Monday for being drunk and bloodthirsty in the streets, stirred up tomorrow’s pudding in his garret, while his lean wife and the baby sallied out to buy the beef. Foggier yet, and

1. Slightly fat in a pleasant or attractive way.
2. Full and rounded in shape.

himself amongst the curtains, wherever she went, there went he! He always knew where the plump sister was. He wouldn’t catch anybody else. If you had fallen up against him (as some of them

1. Barely; almost not at all.
2. Only just; by a very small margin.

as he looked, he saw this bell begin to swing. It swung so softly in the outset that it scarcely made a sound; but soon it rang out loudly, and so did every bell in the house. This might have

1. A room for receiving guests or customers, often in a home or business.
2. A shop or business offering specific services, like a beauty parlour or ice cream parlour.

alike. It is enough that, by degrees, the children and their emotions got out of the parlour, and, by one stair at a time, up to the top of the house, where they went to bed, and so

1. Used to emphasize a statement or response.
2. Truly or certainly (often expressing agreement).

be angry, uncle. Come! Dine with us tomorrow.” Scrooge said that he would see him—Yes, indeed he did. He went the whole length of the expression, and said that he would see him in that

1. Belonging to you (archaic or poetic form of "your").
2. Short for "thyroid" in medical contexts (informal).

rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command; for this is thy dominion! But of the loved, revered, and honoured head thou canst not

1. A narrow strip of wood forming part of the sides of a barrel or similar container.
2. A verse or stanza in a poem or song.

Stave II The First of the Three Spirits When Scrooge awoke it was so dark, that, looking out of bed, he

1. Mixed or stirred together randomly (e.g., scrambled eggs).
2. Made unclear or confusing (e.g., scrambled signals).

amends in! “I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future!” Scrooge repeated as he scrambled out of bed. “The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. O Jacob Marley! Heaven and the

1. A loud, excited shout or cry of joy or enthusiasm.
2. A sound resembling a whoop, like a bird's call.

a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy new year to all the world! Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!” He had frisked into the sitting room, and was now standing there, perfectly winded.

1. A person who sells poultry, such as chickens, ducks, and turkeys, for meat or eggs.
2. A shopkeeper specializing in poultry products.

1. Spoken very softly using one's breath without vocal cords.
2. Communicated in a quiet, secretive, or confidential manner.

to you. Allow me to ask your pardon. And will you have the goodness—” Here Scrooge whispered in his ear. “Lord bless me!” cried the gentleman, as if his breath were taken away. “My dear Mr.

1. A seat without a back or arms, typically with three or four legs.
2. Feces; waste matter discharged from the bowels.

hour of shutting up the counting house arrived. With an ill will Scrooge dismounted from his stool, and tacitly admitted the fact to the expectant clerk in the tank, who instantly snuffed his