Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda: Chapters 8-14

by Becky Albertalli
In this funny and heartwarming novel, sixteen-year-old Simon Spier finds himself in the middle of a real-life drama when a classmate threatens to expose his secrets. Learn these words from Becky Albertalli's award-winning debut.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-7, Chapters 8-14, Chapters 15-21, Chapters 22-28, Chapters 29-35

Here is a link to our lists for Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ignorance
    the lack of knowledge or education
    Anyway, I forgive you for your ignorance.
  2. connoisseur
    an expert able to appreciate a field
    FROM: [email protected]
    TO: [email protected]
    DATE: Nov 12 at 5:37 PM
    SUBJECT: Re: all of the above
    Jacques,
    It's true, I had no idea I was talking to such an Oreo connoisseur.
  3. apparently
    seemingly; as far as one can tell
    Abby tapes on my bow tie and pokes my cheeks, which is something she does weirdly often because apparently my cheeks are adorable.
  4. casualty
    someone injured or killed in an accident
    And speaking of cake-related casualties: Martin Addison is sprawled out on the stage with his face in the empty cake box.
  5. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    And speaking of cake-related casualties: Martin Addison is sprawled out on the stage with his face in the empty cake box.
  6. consist
    be composed of
    But I don’t exactly want him to know that my plans consist of hanging out with my family and reading birthday messages on Facebook.
  7. discernible
    perceptible by the senses or intellect
    No discernible reaction to the Oreos. But I guess that doesn’t have to mean anything.
  8. incoherent
    without logical or meaningful connection
    I'm just going to email you and I hope that's okay and I know this is probably going to be totally incoherent so you can't judge me, okay?
  9. choreograph
    compose a sequence of dance steps, often to music
    We had the voices perfected and the theme song choreographed, and we used to do these performances on the ledge in front of the fireplace.
  10. elaborate
    add details to clarify an idea
    And it’s so obvious that there’s something else, but she doesn’t elaborate.
  11. destined
    governed by fate
    Simon means “the one who hears” and Spier means “the one who watches.” Which means I was basically destined to be nosy.
  12. paranoid
    suffering from delusions of persecution or grandeur
    But maybe I’m just paranoid, because Cal doesn’t seem to read anything into it.
  13. intangible
    incapable of being perceived by the senses, especially touch
    But I've listened to it a few times now, and the funny thing is, it really does remind me of you somehow. It's not the lyrics or even the overall mood of the song. It's something intangible.
  14. awkward
    socially uncomfortable; unsure and constrained in manner
    And the thing is, I'm actually considering doubling down on the awkward factor and turning this mess into a coming out thing.
  15. yarmulke
    a skullcap worn by religious Jews, especially at prayer
    Should I be looking in the halls for guys in yarmulkes?
  16. solitary
    single and isolated from others
    I think, for me, listening to music is a very solitary thing.
  17. matrilineal
    based on or tracing descent through female ancestors
    I'm not even Jewish, technically, because Judaism is matrilineal, and my mom's Episcopalian.
  18. urge
    a strong, restless desire
    I don't know why, but lately, I've just felt this urge to put it out there.
  19. blasphemous
    grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
    I’m a little hung up on Blue’s parents being religious. I feel like a freaking moron, honestly, because I’m basically the most blasphemous person in the world. Like, I don’t even know how not to use the Lord’s name in vain.
  20. unfurl
    unroll, unfold, or spread out
    His cheeks have gone pink, and a red blotch unfurls around the collar of his T-shirt.
  21. orientation
    a predisposition in favor of something
    I'm just going to talk about your sexual orientation now like it's my business, Simon.
  22. maneuver
    a deliberate coordinated movement requiring dexterity
    Martin stretches and yawns in this weird vertical maneuver, and I watch as he attempts to position his arm next to Abby’s on the table.
  23. prominent
    having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
    He has extremely prominent knuckles. Martin has prominent everything: huge eyes, long nose, full lips. Looking at him is exhausting.
  24. allegedly
    according to what has been declared but not proved
    “But Taylor has a photographic memory,” Martin says, “allegedly.”
  25. latke
    a pancake made of grated potato
    I got there, and my dad had everything set up for Hotel Hanukkah: the menorah, presents wrapped and lined up on the nightstand, and a plate of latkes and two glasses of chocolate milk (my dad has to have chocolate milk with all fried stuff).
  26. churning
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    My stomach was churning, because I was really planning on telling him.
  27. clueless
    totally uninformed about what is going on
    Just when you think your parents couldn't be more clueless, right?
  28. nauseated
    feeling queasy, as though one is about to vomit
    Or maybe you were just nauseated, in which case I'm sorry you got nauseated over nothing.
  29. politics
    social relations involving intrigue to gain power
    I can't even wrap my mind around the politics of coming out to divorced parents.
  30. forthcoming
    of the relatively near future
    Keep me posted about all forthcoming conversations with your mom, okay?
Created on Mon Jul 24 12:12:04 EDT 2017 (updated Fri May 25 09:23:10 EDT 2018)

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