Out of the Dust: Summer 1934 - Autumn 1934

by Karen Hesse
Written in free verse, this Newbery Medal-winning novel details the struggles of an Oklahoman teenager during the dust-filled years of the Great Depression.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Winter 1934-Spring 1934, Summer 1934-Autumn 1934, Winter 1935, Spring 1935, Summer 1935-Autumn 1935
15 words 3034 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. oblige
    cause to be indebted
    Daddy asked if the boy wanted a bath,
    a haircut,
    a change of clothes before he moved on.
    The boy nodded.
    I never heard him say more than "Yes, sir”
    or "No, sir” or
    "Much obliged.”
  2. antiseptic
    a substance that destroys harmful microorganisms
    He bathed my burns in antiseptic.
  3. chafe
    tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading
    Grit scratched my eyes,
    it crunched between my teeth.
    Sand chafed inside my clothes,
    against my skin.
  4. scorch
    destroy completely by or as if by fire
    Daddy
    has made a tent out of the sheet over Ma
    so nothing will touch her skin,
    what skin she has left.
    I can’t look at her,
    I can’t recognize her.
    She smells like scorched meat.
  5. threshold
    the sill of a door
    Daddy found the money
    Ma kept squirreled in the kitchen under the
    threshold.
  6. quench
    satisfy, as thirst
    She cried
    for the pain of the water running into her sores,
    she cried for the water that
    would not soothe her throat
    and quench her thirst,
    and the whole time
    my father was in Guymon,
    drinking.
  7. stupor
    a state of being half-awake
    They didn’t say a word about my father
    drinking himself
    into a stupor
    while Ma writhed, begging for water.
  8. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    They didn’t say a word about my father
    drinking himself
    into a stupor
    while Ma writhed, begging for water.
  9. carcass
    the dead body of an animal
    On either side of the road are
    the carcasses of jackrabbits, small birds, field mice,
    stretching out into the distance.
  10. octave
    a musical interval of eight tones
    There is barely a blade of grass
    swaying in the stinging wind,
    there are only these
    lumps of flesh
    that once were hands long enough to span octaves,
    swinging at my sides.
  11. sod
    surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and roots
    He’s stubborn as sod.
    He and the land have a hold on each other.
  12. irritated
    aroused to impatience or anger
    I am awkward with him,
    and irritated
  13. wilt
    become limp
    I couldn’t watch at dawn,
    when the flower,
    touched by the first finger of morning light,
    wilted and died.
  14. revue
    a variety show with topical sketches and songs
    Vera Wanderdale
    is putting on a dance revue at the Palace
    and Arley asked
    if I’d play a number with the Black Mesa Boys.
  15. deform
    become misshapen
    He doesn’t stare at my deformed hands.
Created on Tue Oct 17 17:31:09 EDT 2017 (updated Tue Jun 17 18:30:40 EDT 2025)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.