Parked: List 1

by Danielle Svetcov
Jeanne Ann and her mother are living out of a van and struggling to make ends meet — but when Jeanne Ann befriends a wealthy boy, she resists his offers of help.

This list covers the sections "Departures" and "Parked."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
30 words 198 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. mutiny
    open rebellion against constituted authority
    Mom only makes lists for “the big stuff”—a waitstaff mutiny or a health inspector visit.
  2. wane
    grow smaller
    You give someone yellow carnations when you want to tell them your love is waning.
  3. checkered
    marked by changeable fortune
    I’ve heard bits and pieces about her checkered past.
  4. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    “Smug little tyrant,” I say, throwing down my book, standing. “Someone needs to wipe the grin off that kid's face.”
  5. bilious
    irritable as if suffering from indigestion
    “You bilious creature born of the sea muck!” she bellows into her megaphone.
  6. canon
    the collection of authentic works by a writer or artist
    —Alphabetical Love, Marilyn Jablonsky (who's considering reading the entire Stephen King canon, despite my fear of the dark, and needs your thoughts on this delicate matter)
  7. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    Something appropriately bleak tonight. Dracula? The Shining?
  8. mar
    cause to become imperfect
    Demand the removal of curb-side squatters—vans, RVs, 
ne'er-do-wells—who mar our breathtaking view for months at
 a time.
  9. haunch
    the upper part of the leg of an animal, often used for food
    “You see that? That big haunch?”
  10. venison
    meat from a deer used as food
    “That’s venison. Fancy name for deer. I always wanted to serve it at O’Hara’s. People woulda loved it. Deer. What’s more American than deer?”
  11. stationery
    paper cut to an appropriate size for writing letters
    But this Sam guy, he’d sent Mom a letter after he’d gone. Blue envelope, blue stationery—postmarked San Francisco.
  12. gist
    the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
    Mom has never read it to me, but I’ve gotten the gist from her since we’ve been parked: It’s raining kitchen jobs in San Francisco...seven days a week; the sun never stops shining and everybody’s smiling; slay the nine-headed snake and come on out.
  13. digest
    arrange and integrate in the mind
    We’re in the intersection before I fully digest what Mom’s said: “The rest of the summer.”
  14. surrogate
    providing nurture though not related by blood or legal ties
    Mac is our head chef, Greenery’s unlicensed plumber, and my surrogate aunt.
  15. patron
    a regular customer
    Instead of cooking, Mom handles “diplomatic matters” now—training servers, making sure farmers give us their best stuff, guiding patrons by the elbow to the tables they love best.
  16. skulk
    move stealthily
    He looks down at himself, wipes his hands on his jacket, sneaks one last look at me, and skulks in the direction of his arrows, then doubles back the other way.
  17. reckoning
    a time or act of being held accountable; a settling of accounts
    Like she knows I didn’t show up for work. Like it’s time for a reckoning.
  18. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    He stops and assesses us.
  19. curdle
    go bad or sour
    I tear at an almond croissant, lay a shred on my tongue; the butter in it curdles somewhere between my mouth and my stomach.
  20. municipal
    relating to a self-governing district
    “I could pay your way through college with the money I owe the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency,” Sandy says.
  21. armoire
    a large wardrobe or cabinet
    “And self-timing ovens that cost six months’ mortgage, and armoires from France, and TVs bigger than king-sized beds, and antique vases that can’t be moved except by professionals with insurance.”
  22. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    “Hey, it's sweet. An admirer,” he says to her, a bit more adamant than I expect.
  23. solemn
    characterized by a firm belief in your opinions
    “There are safer, cleaner places to stay than in a van in a city,” she adds in a solemn voice.
  24. carouse
    celebrate or enjoy something in a noisy or wild way
    “For the others who are merely avoiding responsibilities, well, they need to quit their carousing and return home.”
  25. ensemble
    a coordinated outfit (set of clothing)
    He’s wearing a new brown ensemble today with bright yellow socks, dotted with lightning bolts that match his bow tie.
  26. appeasement
    a policy of pacifying an enemy by making concessions
    We learned about appeasement in sixth-grade world history with Mr. Ruiz; it’s the military strategy of giving your enemies what they want so they’ll leave you alone.
  27. salable
    capable of being sold; fit to be sold
    “Cupcake giveaway! Damaged goods. Totally unsalable!”
  28. resentment
    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
    Mom pokes a finger through a curl of my hair.
    I wish she wouldn’t do that. It makes resentment very hard.
  29. julienne
    cut into long thin strips
    I hear the words deglaze and julienne, and then someone orders someone else to “prepare the stock.”
  30. turret
    a small tower extending above a building
    I would rather hear what happens to us now—but I find the book on the shelf. I Capture the Castle. It’s the cover with a close-up of the turret, every window backlit and aglow against the creeping night.
Created on Wed Jun 30 11:30:12 EDT 2021 (updated Thu Jul 01 12:28:16 EDT 2021)

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