Chapter 1 of Vigorish is here in full — 559 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Vigorish is here in full — 559 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most? I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird. Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass. She hasn't gotten over the squish of it yet. Birds don't trouble me.
Chapter 1 of Vigorish is here in full — 559 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/111 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
without shoes
From this reading “Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.”
(of a young bird) having acquired its flight feathers
From this reading “Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.”
plural of “gag” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “She hasn't gotten over the squish of it yet.”
tell false information to for fun
From this reading “Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.”
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading “Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “_If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?”
plural of “throw” — the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist)
From this reading “I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
without shoes
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading Birds don't trouble me.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Birds don't trouble me.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
(of a young bird) having acquired its flight feathers
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
plural of “gag” — a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
a young female
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading She hasn't gotten over the squish of it yet.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She hasn't gotten over the squish of it yet.
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
tell false information to for fun
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Birds don't trouble me.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
a little girl (usually one you are fond of)
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
used to form the superlative
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
above and across; more than
From this reading She hasn't gotten over the squish of it yet.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
walk through mud or mire
From this reading She hasn't gotten over the squish of it yet.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
carry out
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
plural of “throw” — the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist)
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
a source of difficulty
From this reading Birds don't trouble me.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
at the time that
From this reading Poor kid, when she was a barefoot moppet she stepped on a fledgling robin in the grass.
which person or people
From this reading I know a girl who gags and throws up at the mere sight of a bird.
but in spite of that
From this reading She hasn't gotten over the squish of it yet.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading _If it "takes a thief to catch a thief" ... what does it take to catch a psi-gifted thief?_ What do you hate and fear the most?
Chapter 1 of Vigorish by John Berryman holds 559 sentences, grouped into 112 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 559 sentences of Vigorish, unabridged, divided into 112 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Vigorish by John Berryman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 559 sentences, grouped into 112 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 112 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 112 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Vigorish by John Berryman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1120 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24382, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 93 minutes of reading across 224 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vigorish section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Vigorish to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Vigorish, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
