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Nascent – coming into being; being born; beginning to form, start, grow, or develop
“Though a historian in the making and a still-nascent politician, Roosevelt intuited that a politician must lead the people with an original set of principles, not just mirror those cobbled to the lowest common denominator.”
lion in the White house, Aida D. Donald
Simpatico – congenital or like-minded; likeable
“When he was only twenty-eight years old, Roosevelt published his life of Benton, who served fifty years in Washington… Roosevelt thought the book evolved mainly from his “inner consciousness,” so simpatico was he with so many of Benton’s political trials.”
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Terrapin – any of several species of North American fresh-water or tidewater turtles characterized by a horny beak, a shield covered with epidermic plates, and partly webbed feet
“[Roosevelt] weighed eight and a half pounds and began life as a hearty baby, bright and hyperactive. His mother remarked that he looked like a terrapin, but he was soon declared a beautiful child, blond and blue-eyed.”
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Ameliorate – to grow better or less severe
“That private charity could only ameliorate conditions would be revealed to [Theodore Roosevelt Sr’s] son a generation later.”
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Ebullient – overflowing with enthusiasm, high spirits, etc; showing much exuberance or exhilaration
“[Roosevelt’s] ebullient and joyful persona entranced voters.”
from the introduction to Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
“The colonel [Roosevelt] was probably the best-known politician in the country, having been a military hero and in public life since the age of twenty-three. His ebullient personality, varied talents, war record, and reputation as a reformer – although a not wholly successful one – in an age of acute conservatism made him a popular figure.”
Lion in the White House, Aida D. Donald
Cavalier – casual; lighthearted; showing a lack of proper concern
“Mancuso frowned at his chart, nervous at being forced to pilot the massive submarine in so cavalier a manner.”
The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy
Temporize – to be indecisive or evasive to gain time or delay acting; to treat or parley so as to gain time
“So,” he said, checking traffic on Pennsylvania Avenue before making a left turn.
“So, the meeting went exactly as I had predicted, and now we can be absolutely certain why they are kidnapping our men,” Arbatov replied.
“And that is, Comrade Ambassador?” the driver prompted. He did not let his irritation show. Only a few years before this Party hack would nor have dared temporize with a senior KGB officer.
A Senior KGB Officer and Ambassador Arbatov, The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy
Putative – commonly regarded as such; reputed
“[T]he Red October‘s crewmen met with American sailors, some of whom were Russian-speaking officers disguised as enlisted men, others of whom were Russian language specialists in the enlisted rates flown out jus as the last load of Soviets had arrived aboard. The fact that they were aboard a putatively hostile vessel and had found friendly Russian-speaking men had been overpowering for many of the young conscripts.”
The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy
“The exact number of collisions that had occurred between Soviet and American submarines was a closely guarded secret; that there had been such collisions was not. One characteristically Russian tactic for forcing Americans to keep their distance was a stylized turn called the Crazy Ivan in the U.S. Navy.”
The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy
When the American submarine USS Dallas found Red October, they began to follow the Russian sub as quietly as possible. Rather than backing away, the captain opted to stay close. Every few hours, Red October would begin a full turn, dubbed by the U.S. Navy the Crazy Ivan. Captain Mancuso of the Dallas stayed close to Red October so that the Russian sonar could not pick up them up. In one of the turns, the two subs were only about a hundred fifty years from each other. A very dangerous position. And a very exciting part of the book!
I decided during this description of the Crazy Ivan that I needed to become familiar with naval directional terms. While these terms had been used several times before, I could better understand a Crazy Ivan by knowing the terms for myself.
Bow – the forward end of a vessel or airship
Stern – the after part of a vessel; the back or rear of anything
Aft – at, close to, or toward the stern of a ship or tail of an aircraft
Starboard – the right-hand side of or direction from a vessel or aircraft, facing forward
Port – the left-hand side of or a vessel or aircraft, facing forward
Acuity – sharpness, acuteness, keenness
“He saw and heard everything with great acuity, as though someone had taken sandpaper to all his senses to make him fantastically alert.”
Jack Ryan, The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy
Hi! I'm Cadie. Welcome to my Collection of Bookish Thoughts where I will share with you everything I love about books.
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