by Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll's sequel to Wonderland takes Alice into a mirror-world structured like a chess game, filled with memorable characters including Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and the Red Queen.
adj. given to arguing
Tweedledee grew argumentative the moment his brother spoke, contradicting every word simply out of stubborn habit.
v. to confuse or puzzle
The chess-board landscape was utterly bewildering, with brooks and hedges dividing it into impractical little squares.
adj. feeling or showing open dislike for someone or something
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously and declared that he could make any word mean exactly what he chose.
adj. opposite in nature or character.
Everything in the looking-glass world was contrary to sense, with memory working backwards and jam never today.
adv. in a way that shows authority or power.
The Red Queen imperiously commanded Alice to run faster, insisting they were barely staying in the same place.
adv. in an angry and scornful manner
Alice replied indignantly that a name ought to mean something, which Humpty Dumpty dismissed with great scorn.
adj. done in an orderly and careful way.
The White Knight was methodical in attaching things to his horse, however unlikely their practical purpose appeared.
adj. having no meaning or making no sense.
The Jabberwocky poem struck Alice as entirely nonsensical, though she felt it was filling her head with ideas.
adj. stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course.
The Red Queen was obstinate on the subject of manners, correcting Alice's conduct between every other sentence.
v. 1 be undecided about something; 2 move or swing from side to side regularly
The looking-glass landscape seemed to oscillate between dream and logic, never settling into either for very long.
adj. seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true
It was paradoxical that running as fast as possible kept Alice rooted to exactly the same square.
v. be a mystery or bewildering to
The White Queen's habit of screaming before she pricked her finger never failed to perplex Alice entirely.
adj. becoming less or moving back.
The destination kept receding as Alice walked toward it, always visible yet never any closer than before.
n a reversing or being reversed; esp; a change to the opposite as in one's fortune Law annulment; change; or revocation; as of a lower court's decision
Every rule Alice knew had undergone complete reversal, making the looking-glass world impossible to navigate by logic.
adv. joyful over a victory or success
Alice rose triumphantly from her chair and seized the tablecloth, sending every queen tumbling to the floor.
This content is for educational and editorial purposes. Books featured are in the public domain or referenced under fair use; their authors and publishers are not affiliated with or endorsing Vocab Loco.