Read these excerpts from Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist and identify the meaning of the words in bold based on their context.
Now. Mr.Bumble was a fat man, and a choleric so, instead of responding to this open-hearted salutation in a kindred spirit, he gave the little
wicket a tremendous shake, and then bestowed upon it a kick which could have emanated from no leg but a beadle's.
Oliver, having had by this time as much of the outer coat of dirt which encrusted his face and hands, removed, as could be scrubbed off in
one washing, was led into the room by his benevolent protectress.
The boys polished them with their spoons till they shone again; and when they had performed this operation (which never took very long, the
spoons being nearly as large as the bowls), they would sit staring at the copper with such eager eyes, as if they could have devoured the very
bricks of which it was composed; employing themselves, meanwhile, in sucking their fingers most assiduously, with the view of catching up
any stray splashes of gruel that might have been cast thereon.
choleric =
encrusted =
assiduously =
