Vocabulary in Death of a Naturalist

A wet, slimy, messy liquid; here it describes the thick, gooey texture of frogspawn sitting in the water, emphasizing its unpleasant, viscous quality.

The mass of frog eggs surrounded by a clear, jelly-like substance, found floating in ponds or damp places in early spring.

Thickened into lumps or a dense, congealed mass; here it describes water made heavy and semi-solid by the dense accumulation of spawn.

A pool or pond where cut flax plants were soaked in water to soften their fibres for linen-making; a feature of the rural Irish linen industry.

Having a large, swollen, and repulsive stomach; used here to make the frogs seem bloated and physically disgusting rather than harmless.

Positioned or perched at a tilted, upright angle, suggesting the frogs are alert and poised, almost like soldiers ready for action.

Chunks of earth held together by grass or plant roots; clumps of muddy ground at the edge of the dam on which the frogs sit.

Expanded and contracted rhythmically, like a heartbeat; here it describes the visible throbbing of the frogs' loose throat sacs as they croak.

Deeply offensive and repulsive in a way that feels almost indecent; here it conveys that the frogs' sounds strike the boy as grotesque and threatening rather than natural.

Was overcome by a wave of disgust and dread so strong it felt almost physical, like nausea; the speaker's reaction goes beyond simple fear to a gut-level revulsion.

The speaker's name for the frogs at this moment, casting them as powerful, menacing rulers of the dam's filth; the phrase transforms ordinary frogs into something mythic and terrifying.

Punishment inflicted in return for a wrong; the boy imagines the frogs have assembled deliberately to take revenge on him for stealing their spawn.

To grab and grip tightly, refusing to let go; here it suggests the spawn would seize the boy's hand like a living, hostile thing seeking to trap him.