shamble mourning feud crusty respite

shamble

sham‧ble /ˈʃæmbəl/ verb [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]

• to walk slowly and awkwardly, not lifting your feet much, for example because you are tired, weak, or lazy SYN shuffle
  • shamble over/past/along etc
    • The old man shambled out of the room muttering to himself.
  • shambling gait (=a shambling way of walking)

mourning

mourn‧ing /ˈmɔːnɪŋ $ ˈmɔːr-/ noun [uncountable]

1. great sadness because someone has died:
   • The Armenian authorities declared May 29 a national day of mourning.
   • in mourning
     • (=feeling great sadness)
   • It was the custom to visit those in mourning and sit quietly with them.
2. black clothes worn to show that you are very sad that someone has died:
   • She was recently widowed and wearing mourning.

feud

feud1 /fjuːd/ noun [countable]

• an angry and often violent quarrel between two people or groups that continues for a long time
  • feud over
    • a bitter feud over territory
  • feud with/between
    • a feud between rival drug organizations

crusty

crust‧y1 /ˈkrʌsti/ adjective

1. bread that is crusty is pleasant to eat because it has a hard crust:
   • a crusty baguette
2. informal someone who is crusty is bad-tempered SYN grumpy:
   • a crusty old man
3. having a thin dry hard layer of something on the surface:
   • The lake was ringed by crusty salt deposits.

respite

res‧pite /ˈrespɪt, -paɪt $ -pɪt/ noun [singular, uncountable]

1. a short time when something bad stops happening, so that the situation is temporarily better
   • respite from
     • The trip was a welcome respite from the pressures of work.
     • a brief respite from persecution
   • without respite
     • The pain went on without respite.
2. a short period of time before you have to do something that you do not like:
   • We have a few days’ respite before we have to pay them.