The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaberas County by Mark Twain

compliance n fml 1 obedience to a rule, agreement, demand, etc. 2 the tendency to agree (too) willingly to other people's wishes or demands

garrulous adj fml habitually talking too much

call on/upon sbdy./sthg. phr v to pay a short visit to

append v fml to add or join (esp. something written or printed onto the end of a larger piece of written material)

lurk v derog 1 to move or wait quietly and secretly, as if intending to do something wrong and not wanting to be seen. 2 to exist unseen.

countenance n fml 1 [C] the appearance or expression of a person's face. 2 [U] support or approval
countenance v fml to give support or approval to; regard as acceptable.

rouse v 1 [( from, out of )] fml to waken. 2 [(from, out of, to)] to make more active, interested, or excited.

blockade v to put under a blockade
blockade n the surrounding of a place by warships or soldiers to prevent people or goods from coming in or going out.

flume n a sloped channel through which water flows.

curiouser and curiouser quote a phrase from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, used by Alice when she suddenly grew very tall. People remember it because we would usu. say that something was even more curious, not curiouser, and so it is often used humorously

flush v to (cause to) become red in the face:

bust v AmE infml to burst.

fag n (infml person) in rank;, BrE 1 [S] an unpleasant and tiring piece of work.

cavort v infml (esp. of a person) to jump or dance about noisily

straddle v 1 to have one's legs on either side of. 2 to be or happen on either side of (something), rather than in the middle or on just one side.

limber v limber up phr v to make the muscles stretch and move easily by exercise, esp. when preparing for a race, game, etc.

racket n infml a loud noise

ornery adj humor, esp. AmE bad-tempered

furnace n 1 an apparatus in a factory, in which metals and other substances are heated to very high temperatures in an enclosed space. 2 a large enclosed fire used for producing hot water or steam.3 AmE an apparatus which produces heat for the home

hind adj (usu. of animals' legs) at the back or forming the back part

snatch v to take hold of (something) with a sudden quick often violent movement; GRAB.

limp v to walk with an uneven step, one foot or leg moving less well than the other

snake v to move in a twisting way; wind (one's way or body) in moving

lattice n 1 a frame of flat pieces of wood or metal crossed over each other with open spaces between, used as a fence, a support for climbing plants, etc.
2 also lattice window an old type of window with many small pieces of glass held together by narrow pieces of lead