Swing: Part 3

by Kwame Alexander
Best friends Noah and Walt bond over their shared love of baseball and appreciation for jazz. With the help of some vintage love letters (and some intervention from Walt), Noah tries to express his true feelings for his long-time crush, Sam. But as Walt and Noah attempt to "find cool," division and prejudice within their community cause their lives to take an unexpected turn.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5–Epilogue

Here are links to our lists for other books by Kwame Alexander: The Crossover, Booked, Solo, Rebound
35 words 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. prerequisite
    something that is needed or obligatory in advance
    We are all part of America. United in our values, in our belief that basic respect of life and humanity is a prerequisite for true democracy.
  2. iteration
    the act or process of doing or saying again
    You can't give her any iteration of this. I say start over.
  3. quintessential
    representing the perfect example of a class or quality
    Decent? Yo, this is quintessential bossa nova.
  4. serene
    completely clear and calm
    THIS is what floating inside a love boat on the serene sea of soulmates feels like.
  5. frantically
    in an uncontrolled manner
    YEAH, I SAW HIM,
    I SAW HIM,
    a man in glasses
    says frantically
    to the police officers.
  6. ruffle
    trouble or vex
    You okay, Youngblood? You look ruffled, he says, like he actually cares.
  7. pummel
    strike, usually with the fist
    And for a moment in my mind,
    I am pummeling him.
  8. dislodge
    remove or force from a position previously occupied
    My arm feels like
    it’s going to dislodge
    from my shoulder
    and float away
    in bliss.
  9. ingenuity
    the power of creative imagination
    The art of the secret love letter is smooth. Floyd gives you an A plus for ingenuity and delivery, but an F minus for execution.
  10. unadulterated
    not mixed with impurities
    Dexter Gordon. Best music ever, she says, walking over to the old record section. This is the only one we have of his, but it's pure, unadulterated jazz genius.
  11. delusional
    suffering from or characterized by erroneous beliefs
    He's there a lot. Pretty committed.
    Delusional too.
  12. vouch
    give personal assurance; guarantee
    How’d you get the truck back?
    I vouched for you, plus he was just funnin’.
  13. inter
    place in a grave or tomb
    By the way, Langston Hughes died in New York on May 22, 1965. He had complications from prostate cancer, then BAM! A dream interred.
  14. evoke
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    Art is expression of human creativity, skill, and imagination, all at the same time, typically in a visual form such as a painting or sculpture, that uses beauty to evoke powerful emotion, I dictate from the dictionary app on my phone.
  15. gild
    decorate with, or as if with, gold leaf or liquid gold
    It’s being gilded
    in golden mystique
    so ancient, it’s new.
  16. mystique
    an aura of heightened interest surrounding a person or thing
    It’s being gilded
    in golden mystique
    so ancient, it’s new.
  17. undulate
    move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
    ...you have
    your own masterpiece
    inside of you,
    to create the way
    you want to live
    if you dare
    run through
    the Undulating Paths
    to find
    your gifts.
  18. crass
    so unrefined as to be offensive or insensitive
    You’re so crass, Walt! Sam says.
  19. melancholy
    a feeling of thoughtful sadness
    You cannot see her face, I continue,
    but you know
    it sings
    a song of melancholy
  20. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    There is a woman
    with curves that ripple

    in a taut, striped indigo dress.
  21. longing
    prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
    She is imprisoned

    by trust and longing.
  22. zephyr
    a slight wind
    She’s waiting on zephyr.
    She’s waiting

    on the cool, calm kiss
    of summer
  23. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    My hopes
    have been mangled.
  24. lapel
    a fold of fabric below the collar of a coat or jacket
    They jump out
    in matching
    red velvet jackets
    with purple lapels
  25. sashay
    walk with a lofty proud gait, often to impress others
    When Divya sashays
    through the door,
    Walt abandons
    any sense of chill
    he’s acquired
    from Floyd’s School of Cool.
  26. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    SWING, BROTHER, SWING, they both say in unison, high-fiving.
  27. imbibe
    take in liquids
    Whew! Walt says, ‘cause I could never give my heart wholly and solely to a woman who imbibes.
  28. enrapture
    hold spellbound
    And then
    they just stare
    at each other
    like they’re enraptured
  29. faze
    disturb the composure of
    No one’s
    listening
    to the live
    elevator music,
    except Walt and Divya,
    which doesn't faze them
    ‘cause it’s their world
    right now.
  30. decency
    the quality of conforming to rules of propriety and morality
    A gang
    of baseball players
    led by Cruz
    staggers in from
    the backyard,
    where they’ve been
    testing the limits
    of decency
    in my pool.
  31. cliche
    a trite or obvious remark
    Noah, you hear this clown with his clichés?
  32. verve
    an energetic style
    Verve
    There’s this tune
    on the GO! album
    called Second Balcony Jump
  33. ultimatum
    a final peremptory demand
    Hey, partner, why don’t you leave the lady be,
    less like a question,
    more like an ultimatum,
    and the drunk fool will answer,
    I reckon this is none of your business, stranger
  34. reckon
    expect, believe, or suppose
    Hey, partner, why don’t you leave the lady be,
    less like a question,
    more like an ultimatum,
    and the drunk fool will answer,
    I reckon this is none of your business, stranger
  35. fresco
    a mural done with watercolors on wet plaster
    I am no Michelangelo.
    But you are my mezza fresco.
Created on Tue Nov 06 14:12:02 EST 2018 (updated Wed May 01 11:23:25 EDT 2019)

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