Hoot: Chapters 4–6

by Carl Hiaasen
Twelve-year-old Roy Ebehardt takes an unexpected interest in the plight of a group of owls endangered by a local pancake house.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapter 15–Epilogue
15 words 1965 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. surveillance
    close observation of a person or group
    Officer David Delinko looked forward to getting up early to scout the construction site. It was a welcome break from his daily routine, which offered few opportunities for real surveillance.
  2. intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
    Vandalism and trespassing weren’t big-time crimes, but Officer Delinko was intrigued by the continuing pattern of mischief at the future site of Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake House.
  3. culprit
    someone or something responsible for harm or wrongdoing
    He had a hunch that the culprit (or culprits) intended something more serious than juvenile pranks.
  4. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    It was Curly, the sullen construction foreman. “Whatsa matter, didn’t you hear me knockin’?”
  5. formidable
    inspiring fear or dread
    She was sitting with three other girls from the soccer team. They looked lanky and tough, though not as formidable as Beatrice.
  6. tussle
    disorderly fighting
    When Mrs. Eberhardt began telling Mr. Eberhardt about the wild tussle between Dana and his mother, Roy slipped out the back door.
  7. errant
    moving in an uncontrolled, irregular, or unpredictable way
    It was late in the afternoon, steamy hot, and few golfers were out. Nonetheless, Roy ran with his head down and one arm upraised for deflection in case another errant ball came flying in his direction.
  8. scour
    examine minutely
    Roy scoured the fringes, looking for a trail or some human sign.
  9. whim
    an odd or fanciful or capricious idea
    On a whim he called out, “Hello? You there?”
  10. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    The slope was littered with brittle dead logs and broken branches, the debris of many cold, windy winters.
  11. assertive
    aggressively self-assured
    See, didn’t I tell you the apology letter was too assertive?
  12. truancy
    failure to attend, especially school
    Being in law enforcement, Roy’s father probably was required to report all crimes, even truancy.
  13. perpetrator
    someone who commits wrongdoing
    “Because I wanted to catch the perpetrators,” Officer Delinko replied.
  14. inevitable
    incapable of being avoided or prevented
    Another confrontation seemed inevitable, and part of him simply wanted to get it over with.
  15. altercation
    a noisy, angry argument or fight between people
    Actually, two good things had come out of the altercation with Dana Matherson.
Created on Thu Sep 22 18:01:00 EDT 2016 (updated Thu Jul 31 11:00:01 EDT 2025)

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