I’m very much non-expert on this, but I’m told table access is fast.
Anyway, your code looks it does some very nice adjective extracting. One potential issue is that it doesn’t involve direct reference to substances anymore (the slag isn’t doing anything, it seems), though that might be what you want. Another thing is that it completely ignores irrelevant words, so that “ponder hot moist throbbing quivering jello” gives you “Air.”
But hey, at this point you’re better at this than I am.