commotion: a disorderly outburst or tumult
“I sit by Kemmerich’s bed. He is sinking steadily. Around us is great commotion” (Remarque 26).
I confusingly stood in the commotion as people excitingly threw rocks at the prisoner.
furtive: secret and sly or sordid
They have dysentery; furtively many of them display the blood-stained tails of their shirts” (Remarque 190).
She furtively took out her phone and started texting during class.
quixotic: not sensible about practical matters
“If it were possible for us to save them, then it would be seen how much we cared - we would have a shot at it through we went under ourselves; for we can be dammed quixotic when we like; fear we do not know much about - terror of death, yes; but that is a different matter, that is physical” (Remarque 139).
The president talked of quixotic dreams but never actually had a practical plan.
revile: spread negative information about
“I won’t revile anymore, it is senseless, I could drop down and never rise again” (Remarque 32).
The politicians reviled the opposite party spreading lies about their past.
skirmish: a minor short-term fight
“After a while Mittelstaedt stops the skirmish and begins the very important exercise of creeping” (Remarque 177).
The skirmish ended when mom stepped in between the two furious sisters and grounded both of them.
upbraid: to express criticism towards
“Mittelstaedt continues to upbraid him” (Remarque 175).
The company was upbraided by the inspector for how they treated the workers.
surreptitious: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
“Now I see that he is tormenting me, he is merely raking about in the wound and looking up surreptitiously at me over his glasses“ (Remarque 243).
The assassin surreptitiously followed her target, paying close attention to who may be watching her.
banal: overfamiliar through overuse; repeated too often
“If one wants to appraise it, it is at once heroic and banal - but who wants to do that?” (Remarque 272).
On Valentines day he sent his crush a banal poem that was nothing but boring.
gangrene: the localized death of living cells
“This atmosphere of carbolic and gangrene clogs the lungs, it is a thick gruel, it suffocates” (Remarque 29).
I shouldn't have searched up black hands and legs affected by gangrene in google images.
belabor: attack verbally with harsh criticism
“We sit as though in a boiler that is being belaboured from without all sides” (Remarque 111).
Belabored by media and the public for stealing other artists' work, the only escape for the musician was to commit suicide and die.
indigent: poor enough to need help from others
“An indigent looking wood receives us” (Remarque 56).
They are already suffering from low wages. Raising tax will surely crush the indigent working class.
magistrate: a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law
“He seems to have overdone it with a couple of young recruits on the ploughed field at home and unknown to him the son of the local magistrate was watching” (Remarque 76).
The magistrate was known for being ruthless. He did not listen to any of people's claims or excuses.
indignation: feeling of righteous anger
“Three quarters of his vocabulary is derived from these regions, and they give an intimate flavour to expressions of his greatest joy as well as of his deepest indignation” (Remarque 8).
The students protested in indignation after they were told there would be no spring break.
laconic: brief and straight to the point
“‘How does the cow-shit come on the roof?’ retorts Müller laconically, and turns to Haie Westhus again” (Remarque 78).
While the others rambled on his speech was laconic and ended in two minutes.
peevish: easily irritated or annoyed
“Everyone is peevish and touchy, we do not take kindly to all this polishing, much less to the full-dress parades” (Remarque 202).
The officer was sleep-deprived and peevish from all the night patrols.