brusque
Blunt, cranky, and doesn't care about popular opinion. A pinch of humor in his mouth, lips turned up at the corners.
creepy
For unknown reasons, the restaurant plays a kind of soft, demented circus music. Everything turns sinister: the glint of cutlery, the irregular laughter. The waiter's secretive smile when I order a hamburger.
fabrication
He introduces me to "Two Truths, One Lie," where you share three things about yourself and everyone tries to guess which one is false. The U.S. states I've visited and number of miles I've walked in a day throw people off.
locomotives
For a couple of hours, we're absorbed in building train routes across Europe.
petulance
Unwilling to do something fun, she claims the sofa and calls attention to herself by complaining.
shrugging
When the adults are being childish, take a break from them and sit at the children's table.
understory
He's absorbed in his rain forest of pop-up trees and plastic prowling animals.
