Mark Helprin quote ✍️

Quote

I was raised on the Hudson, in a house that had been the stable of the financier and Civil War general Brayton Ives. In midcentury, we had fire pits in the floor for heating, and rats everywhere, because they nested in the hay insulation.
Boast – black bird
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C
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Hint 1 meaning
A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles. It has a harsh, croaking note. See Caw.
Hint 2 anagram
ORWC
Hint 3 another clue
Ridicule
7 +1

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