Slam!: Chapters 7–13

by Walter Dean Myers
Seventeen-year-old Greg Harris of New York's South Bronx must learn to work with others both on and off the basketball court to improve his game and his math grades.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–21
30 words 341 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. curio
    something unusual, maybe worthy of collecting
    When I got down to Carl’s Curio Shop he was talking to a girl who smelled like the toilet in a men’s room.
  2. partial
    being or affecting only a segment
    You will get partial credit so make sure all of your work is on the paper you hand in.
  3. distinguished
    befitting an eminent person
    He was kind of a good-looking guy, distinguished.
  4. barrack
    a building or group of buildings to house military personnel
    “He lost his sight in the army. There was an explosion in the barracks, Lebanon or some place like that, and he was blinded.”
  5. rotate
    exchange on a regular basis
    The coach stood up and looked at his clipboard as St. Peter’s rotated again, but this time their center picked Trip deep and they got an easy bucket.
  6. marauder
    someone who attacks in search of loot
    The St. Peter’s team was called the Marauders.
  7. hustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    Two guys brought the ball down and then the two guys who had hustled down into the forward slots came out and took the ball.
  8. accomplish
    achieve with effort
    Whenever he lets you play, get into the game and show what you got. They can argue with what you say, but nobody can argue with what you accomplish.
  9. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    The coach looked over at me and I looked the other way. If he was expecting me to show humble he was wrong big time.
  10. brace
    prepare for something unpleasant or difficult
    It got down to fifteen seconds and I reached my hand up like I was going to push the guard again but instead I swiped after the ball. He braced himself for an instant and I got a fingertip on the ball.
  11. nonchalant
    marked by casual unconcern or indifference
    The ref gave him the ball and he looked like he was nonchalanting the shot.
  12. humongous
    very large
    Sometimes school was just this humongous diss you had to wear around your neck so everybody could check it out.
  13. hesitation
    indecision in speech or action
    Mtisha said no, that she wasn’t thinking about cutting me loose, but there was a moment of hesitation before she said it.
  14. civil
    not rude
    “Yo, Daddy, what you think about me being a moviemaker?” Derek asked.
    Pops grunted.
    “Jimmy, the boy asked you a civil question,” Moms said. “You can at least give him a civil answer."
  15. ghetto
    a poor densely populated city district
    “This is where you live?” Margie asked.
    “No, down the street,” I said.
    “This is really the ghetto!” she said.
  16. scramble
    move hurriedly
    Nick was scrambling all over the place on defense and Jimmy was steady giving him high fives like they were doing something.
  17. unadulterated
    not mixed with impurities
    When I thought about Mtisha I could hook up some pictures of us getting married, going shopping in a mall, the whole thing. I wasn’t just sweating the chick I was dripping pure unadulterated love.
  18. adjustment
    the act of adapting something to match a standard
    We need to center our game, keep it under control so that if we need to make adjustments we can do it.
  19. stocky
    having a short and solid form or stature
    One was tall and skinny and the other one was short and stocky.
  20. huddle
    crowd or draw together
    The team huddled and put our fists together.
  21. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    “Come on!” Brothers beckoned me to him.
  22. confidence
    belief in yourself and your abilities
    We were playing them good and you could tell that the team was getting their confidence back.
  23. funky
    having an offensive or unpleasant smell
    We didn’t shower, just got on the bus smelling funky and feeling worse.
  24. rustle
    make a dry crackling sound
    “You see them millionaires? They got them big ears. Anytime a dollar rustle they hear it. Them small ears you got, all you can hear is pennies falling.”
  25. buzzard
    a vulture common in South America and the southern U.S.
    One time he said he thought buzzards was circling over his head waiting for him to get weak enough to fall.
  26. relieve
    free from a burden, evil, or distress
    “Yeah, that’s good,” he said.
    He nodded to himself, and I thought he looked relieved. I was relieved, too.
  27. unwind
    reverse the twisting of
    “I don’t think it’s permanent,” Ducky said, unwinding this enormous scarf from around his neck.
  28. immature
    childish in behavior or emotional development
    “Margie came on with an immature attitude when she brought me the tape,” Mr. Parrish said. “Is that why you don’t want to go on with it?”
  29. straddle
    sit or stand astride of
    I straddled the bench near Goldy.
  30. bitter
    marked by strong resentment or cynicism
    He went through a lot of hell during the Second World War. At first he was bitter, then he was mad, then he figured it all out.
Created on Thu Feb 20 22:40:47 EST 2014 (updated Thu Aug 24 19:05:35 EDT 2023)

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