Class 12 English Flamingo Book Chapter wise word meaning

Class XII NCERT Flamingo Book difficult word meanings

Here, the difficult words and their meaning of all the chapters of CBSE Class 12 English Flamingo Book have been compiled for the convenience of the students. This is an exhaustive list of the difficult words and meanings of all the chapters from the Flamingo book for CBSE NCERT Class 12 English. The difficult words’ meanings have been explained in an easy language so that every student can understand easily.

Chapter 1 The Last Lesson

A great bustle: a lot of noise created by many people
Apprentice: trainee
At one stroke: at once, in one go.
Beetles: a large-sized insect
Blushed: face turned red in colour due to shame
Bulletin-board: a notice board for putting up the latest news and communication
Choked: became unable to speak due to strong emotions
Commotion: noise and confusion
Cooed: the sound made by the pigeons
Couldn’t give up: cannot leave
Counted on: depended upon
Cranky: strange, short – tempered
Dreadful: frightening
Drilling: exercising
Fix in his mind: store or keep forever
Gazing: looking intently
Gesture: a signal
Grave: serious
In great dread of: fear of
In unison: at the same time
Mixed up: confused
Not even the littlest ones: refers to the pigeons
Nuisance: problem, burden
Pale: used to describe a person’s face or skin if it has less colour than usual
Pretend: show
Primer: basic reader of any language
Rapping: striking
Resist: to stay away
Saar: a river which passes through France
Sawmill: a factory for cutting wood
Solemn: serious.
Sunday clothes: the best dress that a person has.
Tempting: attracting
Thumbed: torn and damaged
Thunderclap: used in comparison to refer to something startling or unexpected
To reproach: blame
Trumpets: a musical instrument.
Twined: twisted
Who worked right on tracing their fish-hooks: scratching with their claws
Wretches: here, it refers to an unfortunate happening

Chapter 2 Lost Spring – Stories of Stolen Childhood

Story 1 – ‘Sometimes I find a Rupee in the garbage’

Abound – exist in large numbers
Acquaintance – contact
Amidst – in the middle of
barefoot – wearing nothing in the feet
Bleak – empty
Bother – worry
Content – satisfied
Desolation – the state of being empty
Discarded – thrown away
Embarrassed – feeling ashamed
Excuse – a reason to justify a fault
Glibly – speaking or spoken in a confident way, but without careful thought or honesty
He would have a hard time believing it – it would be difficult for him to believe that his name meant ‘the Lord of the Universe’
Hollow – meaningless
Lighting up – show joy and happiness
Metaphorically–symbolically
Mutters – to speak in a low voice
Panting – taking short and quick breathes
Periphery- outer area
Permits – legal documents
Perpetual state of poverty – never ending condition of being poor
Scrounging – searching for
Shuffles – slides them over each other
Squatters – a person who unlawfully occupies an uninhabited building or unused land
Tarpaulin- heavy-duty waterproof cloth
Tattered – torn
Transit homes – a temporary home
Wilderness- a wasteland

Story 2 – “I want to drive a car”

Amidst – in the middle of
Apathy – lack of concern
Auspiciousness – good omen
Baggage – burden
Bangs – hits
Beam – shine brightly
Brightness of their eyes – here, refers to the power to see
Bureaucrats – government officials
Choked – blocked
Coexisting – present at the same time and place
Crumbling – falling down
Dawn on her – she will realize
Daylight hours – hours of the day when there is sunlight
Destiny – fate
Dingy – dark, dim
Distinct – separate
Drab – faded, colourless
Draped – covered
Echo – repeat
Furnaces – a closed room or container where heat is produced
Glass-blowing industry – industry related to making glass
God-given lineage – here, a profession carried on through the generations of a family – glass bangle making
Greed – intense and selfish desire for something
Hauled up – dragged, taken away
Hovels – slums
Hurtling down – moving around
Imposed – forced upon
Impoverished – very poor
Labour – hard work
Lament – complaint
Looking straight into my eyes – with confidence and determination
Looms like a mirage – seems that it will be true in the future but actually it will not be so
Mind – numbing – boring
Mounds – heaps
Piled – kept one on top of the other
Primeval – prehistoric
Reaped – received as a benefit
Renovate – repair
Rings – a sound which is repeated
Sanctity – the state of being sacred or holy
Ser – a unit of measuring quantity
Shanty town – a town that is full of small, roughly built huts
Slog – work hard
Soldering – joining
Spiral – here, a never-ending continuous process
Stigma – dishonor
Stinking – bad smell
To dare – do something courageous
Toil – physical hard work done to earn a living
Tongs – an instrument with two moveable arms joined at one end
Unkempt – not taken care of
Veil – a piece of fine material worn by women to protect or hide the face, cover or hide
Vicious – cruel
Volunteers – freely offers to do something
Welding – joining
Welding – the process of joining metal or glass pieces by heating them
Withdraws – goes back
Wobbly – unsteady
Yard – the open area at the back of the house

Chapter 3 Deep Water

Ached – pained
Aping – copying
Aversion – dislike
Bob – jump
Bruiser – a person who is tough and aggressive and enjoys a fight or argument
Cable – thick rope
Canoes – small boats
Cascades – waterfall
Ceased – ended
Choked – unable to breathe
Command – order
Curtain of life fell – life came to an end
Deprived – to take away
Dizzy – faint, unsteady
Drop – slope from the shallow area to the deep area
Ducked – push or plunge someone under water
Expending – losing, giving out
Flailed – waved his hands
Handicap – a circumstance that makes progress or success difficult
In the midst of – between
Knocked me down – threw him down
Limp – lifeless
Miniature – small size
Oblivion – the state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening around one
Panic – fear
Paralysed – incapable of movement
Pounding – repeated beating
Pride – self-respect
Revived – brought back to mind
Rigid – hard
Ruined – destroyed
Seized – gripped
Seized – gripped
Shed – removed
Shrieking – screaming
Skinny – a thin person
Skinny – thin
Slack – to reduce
Specimen – example
Spring – push
Stark – severe
Strategy – plan of action
Strike out – extend
Stroke – a particular style of moving the arms and legs in swimming
Subdued – to overcome
Suffocating – unable to breathe due to lack of air
Summoned – gathered
Surf – wave of the sea
Thrash – hit with force
Throbbed – felt pain in a series of beats
Tinge – touch of colour
To feel at ease – to feel comfortable
Tossed – threw
Treacherous – dangerous
Vestiges – traces
Water wings – A pair of inflatable waterproof bags designed so that one can be attached to each arm, especially of a child learning to swim
Wits – intelligence
Wobbly – weak
Y.M.C.A. – Young Men’s Christian Association
Yakima – a place in Washington, USA
Yell – scream

Chapter 4 The Rattrap

Acquaintance: associate
Alarmed: Frighten
Amazement: wonder
Anvil: a heavy iron block with a flat top and concave sides
Apprentice: learner
Astonished: greatly surprised
Bait: Food placed on a hook to trap a rat, here it is referred to the comforts of life, which is offered to trap someone
Barge: a long flat-bottomed boat for carrying freight on canals and rivers.
Bellows: air bag that emits a stream of air used for blowing air into a fire.
Bossy: Latin word ‘bos’ used for a cow
Boundless: limitless
Carved off: to divide something into parts
Cherished: to love, protect
Clatter: bang
Compassionately: showing sympathy for others
Comrade: A fellow soldier
Confidences: Secrets
Creamery: A factory that produces cheese and cream
Crofter: A person who works on a rented farm
Deigned: do something that one considers to be beneath one’s dignity
Despair: hopelessness
Dissimulate: pretend
Downhill: worst
Dreary: dull
Embarrassed: awkward, shy
Fist: A person’s hand bent
Flesh on his bones: here it means that the seller should eat good food to gain some flesh on his body
Forebodings: a foretelling
Forge: A shop where metal is heated
Generous: liberal
Gleamed: Shone
Gloom: dark
Groomed: ready
Haughty: arrogant
Hesitating: to be reluctant
Impenetrable: impassable
In a good season: early enough
Inconspicuously: invisible or which is not noticeable
Incredulous: unbelieving
Interceded: intervened
Kronor: Currency of Sweden
Manor house: A large country house
Maw: jaws
Mjolis: a game played with playing cards
Modest: humble
Monotonous: boring
Odd Moments: A short period of free time.
Parson: Churchman
Peddler: seller
Perspiration: sweat
Ploddings: walk heavily
Plods: walks heavily
Preach: advice
Prominent: Important
Prosperity: riches
Puckered: wrinkle
Queer: strange
Ragamuffin: A person in rags
Regiment: unit in the army or defence forces
Rolling mill: machine to roll metal into sheets
Scow: a flat-bottomed boat used for transporting cargo to and from ships in harbor.
Sheriff: chief executive officer of crown (in England)
Shoveled: move
Sifted: descended lightly or sparsely as if sprinkled from a sieve
Slouch hat: hat bend on one side of the head.
Smashed: badly broken
Smelter: A machine in which metal is melted to form into a shape
Snare: trap
Sooty panes: window panes covered in soot ( black powder produced when coal, wood etc is burned.
Splendor: luxury
Stagger: To walk with difficulty
Starched collar: Starch is the stuff that makes your shirt collar look crisp and fresh.
Stuffed: to fill up with something
Summoned: gathered
Sunken: lowered
Tempted: convinced
Thickets: A dense group of bushes
Thumping: the sound of some heavy object beating
Thundered: make a loud noise
Tramp: vagabond, wanderer
Trudging: walking slowly
Undeceive: to tell someone that his belief is mistaken
Vagabond: wanderer
Valet: personal attendant
Whipped: beaten with a whip, here to hit something
Whole shoes: Proper fitted shoes
Wretch: miserable person

Chapter 5 Indigo

Abandoned: deserted, inhibited
Abstractions: something which exists only as an idea.
Accompanied: go along with someone
Accompanied: go somewhere with (someone) as a companion or escort
Adamant: firm
Advent: arrival
Advocate: supporter, protector
Alleviate: uplift
Amazement: surprise
Apparently: seemingly, evidently
Arable: land suitable for farming
Arrangement: Process
Assembled: gathered
Associates: supporters
Authorities: officials, power
Baffled: confused
bail: an amount of money that a person who has been accused of a crime pays to a law court so that they can be released until their trial.
Boarded: get on, enter
Bully: trying to harm others considering them to be weak
Cawnpore: British name for the city of Kanpur
Champaran: A place in Bihar
Chided: criticize, scold
Civil Disobedience: peaceful form of political protest
Committed: dedicated
Compelled: forced
Compensation: payments
Complied: followed or obeyed
Conclusion: result, end of something
Concrete: solid
Conferred: granted
Conflict: to be against someone
Conscience: sense of right and wrong
Consequence: result
Consultations: discussion
Contented: willing to accept something, satisfied
Contract: agreement
Convention: agreement
Conveyance: transportation
Courthouse: court building
Deadlock: a situation in which no progress can be made
Deceitfully: dishonestly
Defenders: protector
Defiance: opposition
Delegates: Representatives
Demonstrations: protest
Depositions: a formal written statement
Desertion: action of leaving a place, organization etc
Distress: torture
Dreaded: regarded with great fear or apprehension
Emaciated: thin
En route: on the way
Entreaty: an earnest or humble request
Eruptions: here, a spot, rash, or other mark appearing suddenly on the skin.
Estate: property
Estates: property
Evidence: proof
Extorted: took forcibly
Extraordinary: exceptional, remarkable
Fear stricken: afraid
Forthwith: immediately, at once
Grievances: complaints
Guilty: at fault
Harbour: here, entertain
Haunches: thighs
Hitherto: Earlier, Previously
Humanitarian: Concerned with human welfare
Illiterate: uneducated
Imparting: pass on, giving
Indigo: plant that produces a blue color
Influential: powerful
Initial: at the start
Injustice: unfairness
Instructions: orders, commands
Intertwined: twisted, braided, knitted
Investigations: inquiries
Investigators: the inspectors
Irksome: irritating
Justified: marked by a good or legitimate reason
Leading: prominent, popular
Learned: come to know
Liberation: release
Liberty: free
Lieutenant-Governor: deputy governor
Magistrate: civil officer who administers law
Maltreated: ill treat
Merely: only
Miserable: unhappy, sad
Multitude: a large number of people
Obliged: required, made legally bound to do something
Overtook: went ahead of him
Pacifist: Peace maker
Peasant: small farmer
Permitted: allowed
Pestered: bother, harass
Pleading: the action of making an emotional or earnest appeal to someone
Postpone: delay
Prestige: honour, esteem
Proceeded: begin a course of action
Prominent: Important, well known
Pronounce: declare or announce
Prop: support
Prosecutor: Lawyer or barrister
Protested: objected, disapproved
Protracted: lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual.
Province: region, territory
recess: break
Reconvened: to start again after a small break
Representative: spokesperson, agent
Residents: locals
Resisted: opposed, to be against something
Resolute: determined
Reverted: returned
Self Reliance: self sufficiency, self support
Sharecroppers: a tenant farmer who gives a part of each crop as rent.
Spontaneous: voluntary, unforced
Summoned: called
Superintendent: Manager, supervisor
Surrendered: to give in
Sympathy: support, pity
Synthetic: Chemical based, artificial
Tenacity: determination
Tenants: occupants paying rent in cash or kind
Throbbed: produced a lot of vibrations due to a huge crowd
Thugs: cheats
Triumphed: won
Unanimously: without opposition
Uninterrupted: continuous
Unquestioned: not examined or inquired into
Upshot: result, conclusion
Vehement: showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense.
Vehemently: in an intense manner
Volunteer: a person who offers his service free of cost
Wired: Telegraphed
Withdrew: left
Yeoman: a man who cultivates a small piece of land

Chapter 6 Poets and Pancakes

Affluent: having a great deal of money; wealthy
Andre Gide: A French writer, humanist, moralist, received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947.
Anglo-Burmese: The Anglo-Burmese people, also known as the Anglo-Burmans, are a community of Eurasians of Burmese and European descent, who emerged as a distinct community through mixed relations between the British and other European settlers and the indigenous peoples of Burma from 1826 until 1948 when Myanmar gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
Arthur Koestler: A Hungarian born British novelist, known for his novel Darkness at Noon.
Averse: having a strong dislike of or opposition to something
Bafflement: confusion, bewilderment
Bare: empty
Barge in: to walk into a room quickly, without being invited
Blew over: to pass by or to end
Broadcasting: the transmission of programmes or information by radio or television
Catapulted: move suddenly or at great speed
Coat of mail:- a protective garment made of linked metal rings (mail) or of overlapping metal plates
Cold logic: logic that fails to consider human factors such as culture, language, social dynamics, personality and emotion
Communism: collectivism, socialism
Compunction: reluctance
Conjugal: relating to marriage or the relationship between a married couple
Conscious: aware
Contrary: opposite in nature, direction or meaning
Countermovement: a movement or other action made in opposition to another.
Countryside: from village
Covertly: secretly
Crimson hue: deep red colour
Critic: a person who judges the merits of literary or artistic works
Cubicle: a small partitioned-off area of a room
Deftly: effortlessly
Deliberately: on purpose
Demeanour: manner; attitude
Devadasis: In South India, a devadasi is a girl “dedicated” to worship and serve a deity or a temple for the rest of her life. The system was outlawed in all of India in 1988.
Dhoti: a garment worn by male Hindus, consisting of a piece of material tied around the waist and extending to cover most of the legs
Diction: the style of enunciation in speaking or singing; articulation
Direst: terrible
Drudge: a person made to do hard menial or dull work.
Dwarfed: cause to seem small or insignificant in comparison
Enlightened: having or showing a rational, modern and well-informed outlook
Epics: an exceptionally long and arduous task or activity
Etched: here, defined, described
Fiery: red-hot; scorching
Filial: relating to or due from a son or daughter.
Forbidden: not allowed; banned.
Forthcoming: about to happen or appear
Foul: bad
French window: each of a pair of glazed doors in an outside wall, serving as a window and door, typically opening onto a garden or balcony
Genius: an exceptionally intelligent person
Genuine: true
Haunt: frequently visited by
Having a hand in: to be involved with something
Hideous: extremely ugly
Hierarchy: A system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority
Homilies: sermon; lecture
Hues: complexion
Ignazio Silone: An Italian writer, who was the founder member of the Italian communist party in 1921, and is known for the book. The God That Failed, authored by him.
Ignominy: public shame or disgrace
Improvident: a person who does not plan his expenses and ends up wasting money
Incandescent: emitting light as a result of being heated; burning
Incriminating: making someone appear guilty of a crime or wrongdoing.
Integration: unification
Khadi: an Indian homespun cotton cloth
Lead: main
Leisure: time when one is not working or occupied; free time
Literary: associated with literary works or other formal writing
Literati: well-educated people who are interested in literature.
Louis Fischer: A well known American journalist and a writer of Mahatma Gandhi’s biography entitled
Loyalty: a strong feeling of support for someone
Madras Indian Christian: – a particular caste in Indian Christians of people from Madras who have been converted to Christianity religion
Main players: actors performing the main roles
Manuscript: an author’s handwritten or typed text that has not yet been published
Mess: a building or room providing meals
Misery: a state or feeling of great physical or mental distress or discomfort
Overshadowed: was better than
Persevering: continuing in a course of action despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.
Perverts: a person whose sexual behaviour is regarded as abnormal and unacceptable.
played into their hands – to do something that one does not realize will hurt oneself and help someone else
Potions: a liquid mixture
Prerequisite: a thing that is required as a prior condition for something else to happen or exist
Prohibition: the act of forbidding something
Pursuit: hobby, activity
Refrain: lines that are repeated in poetry
Richard Wright: An American writer, known for his novel Native Son and his autobiography Black Boy.
Sneaking into: doing something in a secretive or stealthy way
Sophistication: having a good understanding of the way people behave
Sprawling: spreading over a large area, detailed
Stephen Spender: An English poet essayist who concentrated on themes of social injustice and class struggle.
Struck dumb: shocked
Subsidiary: secondary, supporting
Surmise: guess; suspect
Sycophant: a person who acts obsequiously (excessively obedient) towards someone important in order to gain advantage
Tempramental: liable to unreasonable changes of mood.
The Life of Mahatma Gandhi. The Oscar winning film Gandhi is based on this biographical account.
Tirade: a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation
Trapeze: a horizontal bar hanging with two ropes and free to swing, used by acrobats in a circus
Unwittingly: unknowingly
Vaguely: in a way that is uncertain
Virtue: behaviour showing high moral standards; here, good luck
Woes: distress

Chapter 7 The Interview

Aesthetics: a branch of philosophy that deals with nature and appreciation of beauty
Amusement: the provision or enjoyment of entertainment
Assault: make a physical attack on
Commonplace: not unusual; ordinary
Condemnatory: expressing strong disapproval
Contemporaries: a person or thing living or existing at the same time as another.
Despise: hate, dislike
Dissertation: a long essay on a particular subject, especially one written for a university degree or diploma
Elevator: a lift
Eliminate: remove
Ethical: relating to moral principles
Extravagant: excessive or elaborate
Fist: a person’s hand when the fingers are bent in towards the palm and held there tightly, typically in order to strike a blow or grasp something.
Formidable: inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense or capable
Frustration: the feeling of being upset or annoyed as a result of being unable to change or achieve something
H. G. Wells: An English novelist, journalist, sociologist and historian he is known for his works of science fiction. Wells best known books are The Time Machine, The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds.
Hypotheses: theory
Interstices: space, gap
Intrusion: the action of intruding; intervention
Joseph Stalin: A great Russian revolutionary and an active political organiser.
Lionized: give a lot of public attention and approval
Medieval: relating to the Middle Ages
Narration: the action or process of narrating a story
Ordeal: a very unpleasant and prolonged experience
Perpetrated: commited; performed
Persistent: continuous
Petitioners: a person who asks for something
Philosophical: relating or devoted to the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence.
Primitive: ancient, olden
Pursue: follow
Repel: drive or force back
Rudyard Kipling: A prolific writer who was known as the poet of the common soldier. Kipling’s Jungle Book which is a story of Kimball O’ Hara and his adventures in the Himalayas is considered as a children’s classic all over the world.
Saul Bellow: A playwright as well as a novelist, Bellow’s works were influenced widely by World War II. Among his most famous characters are Augie March and Moses. He published short stories translated from Yiddish. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1976.
Seminal: influential
Serviceable: fulfilling its function adequately; usable
Staggeringly: to an astonishing or shocking degree
Unprecedented: never done or known before
Unwarranted: not justified or authorised
V. S. Naipaul: Known as a cosmopolitan writer. In his travel books and in his documentary works he presents his impressions of the country of his ancestors that is India. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001.
Vile: extremely unpleasant
Vivid: producing powerful feelings or strong, clear images in the mind.
Wrecked: destroyed or severely damaged

Chapter 8 Going Places

Abruptly: suddenly
Affections: fondness, love
Apparently: seemingly, evidently
Applause: clapping
Apprentice: learner
Approbation: Approval, acceptance
Arcade: Gallery
Boutique: a small shop selling fashionable clothes
Canal: waterway
Cape: wrap, stole
Chastened: subdue, humble
Chuffed: cheerful
Cluttered: untidy, litter
Component: part, piece
Cradled: hold
Crooked: bent
Crumbling: broken
Decent: adequate
Despondent: disheartened
Disdain: scorn, disrespect
Distractions: diversion, disturbance
Dragged: pull
Earmarked: set aside, reserved
Ecstatic: joyful excitement
Elapsed: pass, go by
Envisage: predict
Eruption: explosion
Exotic: foreign, non native
Exposing: uncover
Exultant: overjoyed
Fascination: captivation
Forbade: ban, prohibit
Freckled: pale/brown spot on skin
Frowned: angry
Frowning: annoyed
Gawky: graceless
Gazelle: An Asian-African antelope
Glared: stare angrily
Grimaced: angry
Grimy: dirty, soiled
Grunt: a low rough noise
Hesitant: undecided
Hovered: fly
Hushed: quiet
Inaudible: unheard
Incongruity: inappropriate
Inquisition: questioning
Instinctively: without conscious thought
Jeered: tease someone
Kneeling: be in a position in which body is supported by knees.
Longed: wish
Lumbering: moving in awkward way
Mates: friends
Melancholy: sad
Melodious: musical
Misery: discomfort
Momentarily: briefly
Muffed: messed up
Nosey: curious
Outlying: distant place
Pangs: sharp pain
Perhaps: maybe
Pilgrimage: religious journey, but here their devotion towards football match
Prodigy: a young person with exceptional qualities
Reddening: blush
Resignation: departure, leaving
Reverently: with deep respect
Row: here, so much noise
Scooping: here, eating
Sighed: breathe out
Solitary elm: single tree (elm is a tall tree)
Sophisticated: worldly, Cosmopolitan
Startled: sudden shock
Stooped: shoulder bent forward
Strings: here, group
Suspected: guess, think
Thunderous: so strong like thunder of cloud
Tinkering: repairing
Unlikeliest: unexpected, doubtful
Wharf: dock
Wriggled: twist, turn

Class 12 English Flamingo Book Chapter wise word meaning

Class XII NCERT Flamingo Book difficult word meanings

Chapter 1 The Last Lesson

Chapter 2 Lost Spring – Stories of Stolen Childhood

Chapter 3 Deep Water

Chapter 4 The Rattrap

Chapter 5 Indigo

Chapter 6 Poets and Pancakes

Chapter 7 The Interview

Chapter 8 Going Places

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