English

〝My dear,〞said the old man gently, 〝I think that you are repeating what you have heard older people say. You are pretending to be touchy, but you are not really. Stop being so tiresome, and tell me instead what part of the church you want to see. To take you to it will be a real pleasure.〞

1. touchy (adj.) tending to become angry or upset very easily

    Example: Are you always so touchy about your work?

    (adj.) likely to make people angry or upset

    Example: Politics was always a touchy subject with those people.

    touchily (adv.), touchness (n.)

2. tiresome (adj.) making you feel annoyed or bored

    Example: Checking all the address labels was a tiresome work.

    Example: a tiresome old man

    tiresomely (adv.)

She was then no longer either deferential or patronizing; no longer either a rebel or a slave.

3. deferential [͵dɛfəˋrɛnʃəl] (adj.) showing that you respect someone and want to treat them politely

    deferentially (adv.)

    deference (n.) behavior that shows you respect someone and are willing to accept their opinions or decisions

4. patronizing  [ˋpetrən͵aɪzɪŋ] (adj.) behaving or speaking in a way that shows you think you are more intelligent or important than someone

    patronizingly (adv.)

    patronize (v.) to behave or talk in a way that shows you think you are more intelligent or important than someone

    (v.) [ formal ] to use a restaurant, hotel, or other business

    Example: a good city pub patronized by loyal regulars

〝But aren't they always waylaying you to go out with them, dear?〞said the little lady inquisitively.

5. inquisitive [ɪnˋkwɪzətɪv] (adj.) asking a lot of questions about things, especially things that people do not want to talk about

    Example: an inquisitive journalist

    (adj.) keen to learn about a lot of different things

    Example: an intelligent and inquisitive young man

    inquisitively (adv.), inquisitiveness (n.)