Contortion — A Vocabulary Story
The Marble Under the Sofa
Rahul's best marble, the green one with the swirl, rolled under the sofa on Saturday morning. The sofa was old and heavy, and it did not give things back.
Rahul crouched beside it and stretched one arm into the gap. His fingers found dust, a button, and a very old raisin. No marble.
"Try the other side," said his sister, Anika, from the armchair.
He tried the other side. He turned his head one way and his arm the other. He hooked a leg over the cushion for balance. It was quite a contortion, and it still did not work.
Contortion means a twisted or bent shape or movement, especially of someone's body or face. It can also mean the act of twisting something out of its usual shape.
"You look like a pretzel," said Anika.
"Pretzels do not have marbles," said Rahul, through the gap.
His grandmother came in from the hall and stopped in the doorway. "What on earth is that boy doing?"
"Contortions," said Anika. "For a marble."
His grandmother put down her knitting. She had an idea, and her ideas were usually good. She fetched the long handle of the mop, slid it under the sofa, and swept it slowly from left to right.
Out came the dust. Out came the button. Out came the very old raisin. And out, at last, came the green marble with the swirl, rolling straight into Rahul's hand.
Rahul untangled himself one limb at a time.
"Next time," said his grandmother, "ask before you turn yourself into a pretzel."
Rahul nodded. Then he noticed the marble was dusty and blew on it. He pulled such a contortion of a face that Anika laughed until she had to hold the armchair. The raisin, everyone agreed, could stay where it was.
Word Definition
contortion
meaning
a twisted or bent shape or movement, especially of the body or face; the act of twisting something out of its normal shape
synonyms
twist · distortion
antonyms
straightness · alignment
example sentence
The acrobat amazed the crowd with contortions that seemed impossible.