Example: He comes here often to catch a glimpse of the placid waters of the canal as he strikes up conversations near a vantage point close to the British-era lock with fishermen, who wait eagerly, their ears trained for familiar sounds of splashing in the nets — the sign of a good catch.
1. Glimpse [glimps]
Noun: a very brief, passing look, sight, or view; a momentary or slight appearance; a vague idea; inkling; Archaic. a gleam, as of light.
Verb: to catch or take a glimpse of; to look briefly; glance (usually followed by at); Archaic. to come into view; appear faintly.
Synonyms: flash, glance, impression, peek, sight, sighting, eye, eyeball, gander, glom, gun, lamp.
Antonym: stare.
2. Placid [plas-id]
Adjective: pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled; tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed.
Synonyms: easygoing, even-tempered, gentle, peaceful, quiet, serene, tranquil, collected, composed, cool, cool as a cucumber, detached.
Antonyms: agitated, clamorous, disturbed, excitedloud.
3. Vantage [van-tij, vahn-]
Noun: a position, condition, or place affording some advantage or a commanding view; an advantage or superiority.
Synonyms: aid, ascendancy, asset, assistance, authority, avail, blessing, boon, break, choice, comfort, convenience, dominance, drop, edge, eminence.
Antonyms: bad fortune, bad luck, block, blockage.
Example: The advent of lorries has snatched away my boats and livelihood but I cannot forget the canal and never miss an opportunity to visit the place,” says the frail Satyanarayana.
4. Lorry [lawr-ee, lor-ee]
Noun: a motor truck, especially a large one; any of various conveyances running on rails, as for transporting material in a mine or factory; a long, low, horse-drawn wagon without sides.
Synonyms: car, crate, freighter, jeep, lorry, pickup, rig, van, wagon, buggy, carryall.
5. Frail [freyl]
Adjective: having delicate health; not robust; weak; easily broken or destroyed; fragile; morally weak; easily tempted.
Synonyms: decrepit, feeble, fragile, infirm, sickly, slender, slim, thin, vulnerable, brittle, dainty, flimsy, slight, tender, delicate, fishy, fracturable.
Antonyms: fat, firm, healthy, hearty, solid.
Example: The boats fetched a decent income and he oversaw the work of 10 labourers who would load tonnes of sand and unload them at Tenali 50 km away.
6. Fetch [fech]
Verb: to go and bring back; return with; get; to cause to come; bring; to sell for or bring (a price, financial return, etc.)
Noun: the act of fetching; the distance of fetching.
Synonyms: carry, earn, go for, obtain, produce, retrieve, sell, sell for, yield, back, bear.
Antonyms: lose, avoid, deny, discourage, dissuade.
Example: “It was back-breaking work, manually lugging the boat.
7. Lug [luhg]
Verb: to pull or carry with force or effort; to introduce or interject in an inappropriate or irrelevant manner; (of a sailing ship) to carry an excessive amount of (sail) for the conditions prevailing.
Noun: an act or instance of lugging; a forcible pull; haul; a wooden box for transporting fruit or vegetables.
Synonyms: carry, ferry, haul, heave, tote, tow, bear, buck, convey, draw, hump, jerk, lift.
Antonyms: hold, keep, maintain, push.
Example: What kept our spirits up were songs we sang together,” Satyanarayana reminisces.
8. Reminisce [rem-uh-nis]
Verb: to recall past experiences, events, etc.; indulge in reminiscence.
Synonyms: look back, remind, bethink, cite, mind, recall, recollect, remember, retain, retrospect, review.
Antonyms: disregard, forget, ignore, neglect, repress.
Example: Trailing the meandering Buckingham Canal from Kakinada to Pulicat lake in Andhra Pradesh, a distance of 560 km, one finds that it is sometimes picturesque, in places full of filth, and disappearing at places only to reappear after a few miles.
9. Meander [mee-an-der]
Verb: to proceed by or take a winding or indirect course; to wander aimlessly; ramble; Surveying. to define the margin of (a body of water) with a meander line.
Noun: Usually, meanders. turnings or windings; a winding path or course; a circuitous movement or journey; an intricate variety of fret or fretwork.
Synonyms: roaming, traveling, wandering, circular, nomadic.
10. Picturesque [pik-chuh-resk]
Adjective: visually charming or quaint, as if resembling or suitable for a painting; (of writing, speech, etc.) strikingly graphic or vivid; creating detailed mental images; having pleasing or interesting qualities; strikingly effective in appearance.
Synonyms: beautiful, charming, colorful, pleasant, quaint, scenic, arresting, artistic, graphic, photographic.
Antonyms: dreary, offensive, plain, repulsive.