Thread: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Vocabulary

As CoffeeCup is reading this one, I figured I would put up some vocabulary for it.... One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) a novel by Ken Kesey.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Vocabulary
Part 1

1.	Acoustic	of or relating to sound, the sense of hearing, or the science of sound. Example: The day room was designed to enhance the acoustic qualities of the radio.
2.	Bile	a bitter digestive liquid in the liver, ill temper Example: The patient could taste his own bile when he threw up.
3.	Callus	a hardened or thickened part of the skin Example: McMurphy put his big callused hand out for Chief to shake.
4.	Croon	sing softly and plaintively Example: The bird seemed to sing and croon behind Chief in the closet.
5.	Chronic	of long standing; inveterate; continual Example: The chronic patients could not be cured and just stood around in the day room.
6.	Folio	a sheet of paper folded once; a book of largest size; a page number Example: Nurse Ratched created a folio that included a written description of the acutes’ status.
7.	Hallucinate	feeling a sensory experience that does not exist outside of the mind Example: Chief was hallucinating when he thought he was inside the fly fishing painting.
8.	Heft	weight; heave; test the weight of by lifting Example: The acutes bet McMurphy that he couldn’t lift the cabinet because of its heft.
9.	Hovel	a disorganized, dirty dwelling or hut Example: Chief used to live in a hovel in the woods.
10.	Ineffectual	powerless; ineffective Example: The doctor was ineffectual because the big nurse constantly undermined his authority.
11.	Knobby	full of or covered with knobs. Shaped like a knob. Example: The control panel was knobby and had a lot of places where McMurphy could get a hand-hold.
12.	Matriarchy	a social system ruled by mothers or women Example: Nurse Ratched is part of a matriarchy that controlled the doctor and the male staff.
13.	Maudlin	tearfully, or drunkenly; sentimental Example: Nurse Ratched is never maudlin, she always acts pleasant and in control.
14.	Ornery	of ugly disposition; hard to manage Example: Pete was so ornery that he was always picking fights.
15.	Overzealous	Excessively enthusiastic Example: McMurphy entered the conversation enthusiastically with an overzealous statement.
16.	Prototype	the original or model on which something is based or formed. Example: Chief was supposed to be the prototype of a patient cured by shock therapy, but the therapy failed
17.	Sadism	the association of satisfaction with the infliction of pain on others Example: Chief thinks that the interns’ sadism showed when they tortured the patients with the thermometer.
18.	Sadistic	any enjoyment in being cruel Example: Nurse Ratched only picked cruel and sadistic people to work for her.
19.	Varnish	a resinous coating material that produces a glossy surface Example: The light reflected off the polished varnish on the floor.
20.	Wheedle	to persuade or influence Example: McMurphy tried to wheedle the patients into voting for more TV time.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Vocabulary Synonyms Matching Part 1

_____ acoustic _____ bile _____ callous _____ chronic _____ croon _____ folio _____ hallucinate _____ heft _____ hovel _____ ineffectual _____ knobby _____ matriarchy _____ maudlin _____ ornery _____ overzealous _____ prototype _____ sadism _____ sadistic _____ varnish _____ wheedle

A. audible, B. bamboozle, con, hoodwink C. barbaric, brutal D. barbarism, E. blister F. bumpy G. crabby H. depressed, sentimental I. eternal, forever J. excited, anxious K. fantasize, daydream L. feminist, queendom? M. folder, portfolio, album N. impotent, useless O. polish, coating P. premiere, original model, Q. shack, pig sty, Louis’ cardboard box R. sing S. stomach acid, nasty liver juice T. weight, substance

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Vocabulary
Part 2

21.	Atrocity (262)-	A savage or cruel act Example: She called the doctor to report the atrocity she had discovered.
22.	Auctioneer (17)-	Person who conducts sales by bidding Example: His swagger reminded me of an auctioneer or a car salesman.
23.	Begrudge (224)-	To envy or resent the good fortune of someone Example: You wouldn’t begrudge her bringing me a drink would you?
24.	Calamity (195)-	A great misfortune or disaster Example: If there is some sort of awful calamity, every one of us could be lost at sea.
25.	Collaboration (254)-	To work together in joint effort Example: The effort to bother the nurse became a collaboration between the patients.
26.	Cormorants (210)-	a dark colored long necked fishing water bird Example: The cormorants went after a school of candle fishes.
27.	Croupier (222)-	Attendant at gaming table, card dealer Example: How much do you think he made as croupier of the ward?
28.	Gurney (237)-	A flat padded table or stretcher with wheels. Example: The gurney came out with the first patient on it.
29.	Irrevocable (254)-	Unable to be repealed or annulled. Example: You are witnessing the end, the absolute, irrevocable, fantastic end.
30.	Lagged (169)-	Slowness or retardation Example: McMurphy lagged back at the tail end of the bunch.
31.	Latrine (71)-	A toilet or bathroom Example: I tried to go to the latrine, but I felt buried under a ton of sand squeezing my bladder.
32.	Lenience (171)-	Lightening of penalty or excusing of chore Example: The foolish lenience on the part of your parents may have caused your present illness.
33.	Pathology (98 ) -	Science of course and nature of disease, symptoms Example: Harding though he was good at diagnosing pathology through palm reading.
34.	Philanthropy (222)-	Effort to increase mankind’s wellness through charity Example: Nurse examined McMurphy’s philanthropy one ‘gift’ at a time.
35.	Scurvy (192)-	Contemptible, despicable, mean Example: The rest of the scurvy landlubbers should follow the captain.
36.	Sinewy (153)-	Having strong tendons, tough, strong Example: Fredrickson was a sinewy bloodless guy with stringy eyebrows.
37.	Strenuous (235)-	Demanding, laborious Example: McMurphy hoped that it was not to strenuous because he was hurt.
38.	Swagger (17)-	Walk or strut with attitude, to boast or brag Example: His swagger reminded me of a car salesman.
39.	Syndicate (272)-	A group or organization with a specific goal or duty Example: The syndicate tried to commit the wrestler to a nuthouse.
40.	Whittled (233)-	Cut, trim or shape Example: The nurse looked like a bit of nothing whittled to a fine point.

1. electroshocktherapy (n) a form of shock therapy in which electric current is applied to the brain

2. acute (adj) having a rapid onset and following a short but severe course

3. chronic (adj) lasting a long time or recurring often OR extremely sharp or severe; intense

4. loony (n) someone not entirely in control of their mental faculties

5. lobotomy (n) a surgical operation in which a lobe of the brain, especially the frontal lobe of the cerebrum, is cut into or across as a treatment for psychosis

6. electroencephalograph (n) an instrument for making electroencephalograms, graphic tracings of minute voltage changes resulting from bioelectric activity in the brain.

7. pinochle (n) any of a family of card games, usually for three or four persons and typically played with a 48-card deck made up of two of every card above the eight, including the ace.

8. individuality (n) the quality or state of being individual; singularity

9. conformity (n) action or behavior in correspondence with socially accepted standards, conventions, rules, or laws

10. matriarchy (n) government, rule, or domination by women

11. patriarchy (n) government, rule, or domination by men

12. croon (v) to sing or hum in a low, gentle tone; to sing (popular songs) in a soft, sentimental manner

13. paranoid (adj) characterized by extreme suspiciousness, grandiose delusions, or delusions of persecution

14. schizophrenia (n) Any of a group of psychotic disorders usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disturbance

15. maudlin (adj) foolishly and tearfully or weakly sentimental

16. latrine (n) a toilet, privy, etc. for the use of a large number of people

17. gurney (n) a stretcher or cot on wheels, used in hospitals to move patients

18. convulsion (n) a violent, involuntary contraction or spasm of the muscles

19. Faulknerian (adj) a reference to American writer and Nobel Laureate William Faulkner, known for his fiction that depicts human frailties

20. punitive (adj) inflicting, concerned with, or directed toward punishment

21. leucotomy (n) lobotomy [see #5 above]

22. wheedle (v) to influence or persuade (a person) by flattery, soothing words, coaxing, etc.

23. jounce (v) to shake, jolt, or bounce, as in riding

24. flophouse (n) a very cheap hotel frequented chiefly by indigents

25. keelhaul (v) to haul (a person) down through the water on one side of a ship, under the keel, and up on the other side as a punishment or torture

26. troll (v) to fish with bait or a lure trailed on a line behind a slowly moving boat

27. jetty (n) a kind of wall built out into the water to restrain currents, protect a harbor or pier, etc.

28. vermin (n) various insects, bugs, or small animals regarded as pests because they are destructive, disease-carrying, etc.

29. hallucinate (v) to perceive sights, sounds, etc. and so on that are not actually present

30. ramshackle (adj) loose and rickety; likely to fall to pieces; shaky

Thanks, rockzmom. It does help. Actually I was struggling with "Acutes" and came to the conclusion that they are just opposite in some way to "Chronics". On the other hand for a non native much more difficult are the words which are simple every day words for an American but used in some specific way which is not obvious for a non native. For an example it took me quite a long time to get that the "Greens" is a sort of patient's clothes.

Excellent point! Let me see what I can find. Until then I did find this...

The Acutes are "less ill" then the Chronics.

The Chronic category is again subdivided into three groups:

1. the Walkers (these are those who still can walk, for example Chief Broomden)
2. the Wheelers (those in a wheelchair)
3. the Vegetables (paralytic patients).