Wondrous Words Wednesday is hosted by Bermudaonion’s Weblog. Kathy says: “Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.”

With two car appointments in two days, I’ve actually been reading the novel that I have downloaded into the Kindle app on my iPad. That combined with Classical Performance podcasts and a set of headphones and I’m happily isolated in a waiting room, even with a blaring television.

For the purpose of Wondrous Words Wednesday, reading an ebook is perfect. I can look up words immediately and highlight them to come back to when I write my post. The novel, Torchwood: Another Life, is a spin-off book for the BBC sci-fi series. A few of the technobabble terms are defined in the text. Otherwise, unless stated, the definitions are from the dictionary built into Kindle–the New Oxford American Dictionary.

“Smoking can seriously damage your vocabulary,” she told them before haring off down the alley.
The definition that comes up for this is hare meaning, of course, the fast-running, long-eared mammal. I don’t think I had ever heard it used as a verb. I assume this is referring to the fast-running, not the long-eared, aspect of the hare.

She heard a plopping sound, and Wildman regurgitated a green-grey bolus at Jack.
bolus n. (pl. boluses) a small rounded mass of a substance, esp. of chewed food at the moment of swallowing.

“Well, this site isn’t safe to go wandering around in,’ persisted the workman. “I’ll have to let the gaffer know about –”
At first, I thought this was referring to an electrician, but I’ve only heard that use in reference to movie or television sets, not construction sites as this is. It turns out that this is definition 3:
gaffer n. 3. BRIT, INFORMAL a person in charge of others; a boss

She gave up trying to adjust it, and placed the hat on the edge of a rusting yellow skip.
The dictionary comes up with the verb definition of skip, so no help there. Wikipedia to the rescue: a skip is what Americans call a dumpster and what I guessed from context. (Edited to clarify: We Americans call it a dumpster, apparently the Brits call it a skip.)

“That means that foraging wildlife might predate the bodies.”
“Eww,” said Gwen. “Predate? Like predatory? You mean, eat them?”
“Of course.”
No need to look that up since it’s defined in the text. But I’m with Gwen, I didn’t know that predatory had a verb form.

A Brummie that Gwen didn’t recognise, so he must be fairly new.
The dictionary didn’t have a definition for Brummie. Wikipedia for the win again.
Brummie: a colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham, England, as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called Brum.

“Prototype data-gloves,” Toshiko told him, “adjusted to allow haptic feedback.”
Owen screwed up his face into his ‘what the hell?’ look.
“Reacts to touch.”
Another word defined in the text. Haptic gave me a WTH moment, too.

When he cracked open the top pane, Gwen could hear the steady susurration of rain on the pavement below.
susurrus n. POETIC/LITERARY whispering, murmuring or rustling: the susurrus of the stream

That’s it for my words. Check the Wondrous Words Wednesday post for more new words.