Swing: Part 4

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
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. equilibrium
    a stable situation in which forces cancel one another
    Eyes wide
    with hesitance
    and disequilibrium,
    she just shakes
    her head
  2. fugitive
    someone who is sought by law officers
    the place empties,
    bodies mad-dashing,
    knocking over chairs,
    spilling drinks,
    tearing out
    the back door
    and into the woods
    like fugitives
    of the night
  3. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    Please, come in, I say to the EMTs. Junior’s over by the couch, I say, pointing to Junior Wilson, who’s grimacing and holding his leg.
  4. hyperbolic
    enlarged beyond truth or reasonableness
    I'm assuming you’re being hyperbolic, ‘cause putting a flag on a car is not a crime, Walt says.
  5. escalate
    increase in extent or intensity
    Look, we don't have a problem with you. Let's not escalate this.
    Your lack of imagination is the only thing that could escalate this.
  6. menacing
    threatening evil or danger
    And they don’t
    look menacing
    all the time.
  7. confounded
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    We stand
    on the front porch
    confused,
    confounded,
    a little terrified.
  8. dejected
    affected or marked by low spirits
    A dejected hero.
    Almost like
    a lost boy
    in the dark.
  9. console
    give moral or emotional strength to
    The police lights
    fade into the distance,
    just like Sam,
    as I watch her
    hurry down
    my driveway
    to console Cruz.
  10. dumbfounded
    as if rendered speechless with astonishment and surprise
    We stand there
    dumbfounded
    for a millisecond
  11. vacant
    void of thought or knowledge
    I see his eyes
    as he hugs Walt back.
    They’re vacant,
    like his body
    left his soul
    back in Afghanistan.
  12. denial
    a defense mechanism that shuts out painful thoughts
    And Walt is in total denial
    that there's anything wrong
    with his hero,
    his brother.
  13. mortar
    a muzzle-loading high-angle gun with a short barrel
    BAM!
    Mo screams out—
    and it sounds
    like a blast
    from a mortar.
  14. platoon
    a military unit that is a subdivision of a company
    BAM! BAM! BAM! I need my platoon, he continues.
    Your platoon? Walt says, looking a little scared for the first time.
  15. splendor
    the quality of being magnificent or grand
    And love is a many-splendored thing.
  16. jolt
    disturb (someone's) composure
    a loud knock
    to my bedroom door
    jolts me
    back to now.
  17. yearning
    prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
    It's not depressing, it's yearning. It's pure pleasure. It's magic, I say.
  18. vulnerable
    capable of being wounded or hurt
    I don’t know. We were talking about Mo, and we’re here, and I'm feeling kinda vulnerable, and I just wanted to.
  19. indubitably
    in a manner or to a degree that could not be doubted
    Who's da man? Walt asks himself.
    Indubitably, you da man! he shouts.
  20. wretched
    of very poor quality or condition
    As long as we don’t have to listen to any more of that wretched music?
  21. nix
    command against
    Noah, I don’t know, but you may have to nix this love thing if she’s hating on jazz, Walt says to me, shaking his head.
  22. sophisticated
    having worldly knowledge and refinement
    We may be too sophisticated for her.
  23. defer
    hold back to a later time
    The week with Sam
    is like a dream deferred
    that's finally arrived.
  24. deplete
    use up, as resources or materials
    I wanted to take Sam
    to Ruth’s Chris steakhouse,
    but I’ve decided I don’t do
    red meat anymore, she says,
    plus it would have depleted
    the cash my parents left
    for me
  25. defeatist
    someone who is resigned to an unsuccessful ending
    I want to tell Walt
    how I feel
    insecure and unsettled,
    share my frustration
    and defeatist attitude
  26. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    You’re cute when you’re sad. Bye, Noah, she says, leaving me
    bewitched,
    bothered,
    and bewildered.
  27. dismal
    causing dejection
    looking beaten
    and dismal
    with both hands
    holding up
    his head,
    is Baby Bonds.
  28. spar
    fight verbally
    It doesn't mean she wants to engage in witty conversation and occasional verbal sparring.
  29. disheveled
    in disarray; extremely disorderly
    Nah, man, tattered, disheveled. Talked like he had heavyish things on his mind.
  30. accustomed
    in the habit of or adapted to
    Leave her love notes on Wednesdays, but not every Wednesday, because she’ll become accustomed to receiving love notes every single Wednesday, and if you ever forget, Lord, you’ll be in trouble.
  31. testament
    strong evidence for something
    He's been dreaming of this day since I met him, I say, pouring Skittles into my mouth.
    It’s incredible. A testament of his perseverance.
  32. perseverance
    persistent determination
    He's been dreaming of this day since I met him, I say, pouring Skittles into my mouth.
    It’s incredible. A testament of his perseverance.
  33. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    The game is slow.
    The company, aloof.
  34. bluff
    deceive an opponent by a bold bet on an inferior hand
    THIS ONE FELLA FLIRTS
    WHENEVER HE’S BUFFING.
    I’M ABOUT TO CALL HIS...MEAT
    BLUFFING. MEANT. NOAH HELLLPPP!
  35. thesaurus
    a book containing a classified list of synonyms
    perhaps
    i will open
    a thesaurus now
    and find
    a little piece of hope
Created on Tue Nov 06 14:12:39 EST 2018 (updated Wed May 01 11:23:36 EDT 2019)

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