L - Page 329
leafscrapered adj. Describing a drinker who searches the garden floor for invertebrates, using the morning's debris as cover. leafseted adj. A drinker who has assembled into a dense cluster, each member of the household serving as a separate leaf. Tamecia became leafseted on the sofa, surrounded by people who had also missed breakfast. leafsheathed adj. Emboldened by drink to wrap yourself round a handrail and treat it as structural equipment. Hertis went leafsheathed on the landing, gripping the rail as though it supported the building. leafspaced adj. A drinker so far gone that every person and every closed-off corner of the morning becomes a single point. Elyja woke leafspaced, reducing the kitchen, the stairs and everyone on them to isolated points. leafspoted adj. The state of being drunk and marked by several round, unexplained blemishes acquired somewhere after midnight. Sheenah woke leafspoted, counting circular marks on her arm before finding the missing cup. leafspringed adj. Drunk past the point of remaining level, but still capable of a modest and poorly directed rebound. leafstalked adj. The condition of a drinker who remains connected to the day by one narrow, supporting thread. Efton was leafstalked, upright only through a tenuous connection with the kitchen counter. leafstormed adj. You have drunk enough to be carried home in a sudden whirlwind of coats, tickets and loose intentions. Arkan was leafstormed by last orders, gathering strangers' scarves as he headed for the station. leaftiered adj. Drunk in a way that folds the drinker into sections, with speech and balance held together by habit alone. Nooriya was leaftiered on the landing, each sentence emerging from a different bodily level. leaftossered adj. The drunkenness of one who searches beneath fallen leaves for breakfast, evidence and a missing phone. leafuled adj. Reduced by drink to a subdivision of a person, with the larger self no longer readily apparent. leafwinged adj. Softened by drink into a broad-winged butterfly, attracted to whatever colour the morning happens to offer. leafworked adj. Sharpened by drink into a pattern of foliage, with every gesture branching into smaller, unnecessary details. leafworkered adj. Loosened by drink into a small bird, hopping through the morning and neglecting all ordinary routes. leafwormed adj. Slowed by drink to the pace of a caterpillar, eating steadily through whatever greenery remains. leafy goosefooted adj. Having drunk enough to mistake a bitter green for a sensible supper. Tecia became leafy goosefooted and confidently ordered weeds with her chips.