- abolish: get rid of
- anxious: nervous
- crestfallen: disappointed
- din: loud, annoying noise
- flourished: grew a lot; did very well
- frantically: hurriedly, in a panicked way
- gaunt: weak
- impractical: not reasonable; wouldn't make sense to do; not useful
- luminous: bright
- metropolis: city
- obstinate: stubborn
- parlor: a living-room type of space
- podium: box that people stand behind when giving speeches
- trotted: slowly jogged
- vast: great, large