The Road to Memphis: List 3

by Mildred D. Taylor
As World War II looms, seventeen-year-old Cassie Logan and her brothers experience the trials and tribulations of growing up and face shocking racial violence.

This list covers "Escape from Jackson"–"The Road to Memphis."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
30 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. striking
    having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
    The woman was striking, fashionably dressed in a bold Irish-green suit, and wore a dart of a green hat on her upswept hairdo.
  2. engrossed
    giving or marked by complete attention to
    Soon I was engrossed in the reading.
  3. disclose
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
    The book was filled with court cases, and it gave me great satisfaction to read a case, then try to figure out what the decision would be before the decision was disclosed.
  4. intriguing
    capable of arousing interest or curiosity
    He looked to be in his mid-twenties and had an intriguing face. What struck me particularly were his eyes.
  5. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    They were dark, flecked with hazel, and perhaps it was that oddity in them, the sense of light emanating from them, that gave his face such appeal and made me keep my eyes on him longer than I should have.
  6. fleck
    make a spot or mark onto
    I looked straight into those hazel-flecked eyes.
  7. resonant
    characterized by a loud deep sound
    He laughed, a deeply resonant kind of laugh.
  8. vigorously
    in an energetic manner
    He vigorously shook Solomon’s hand.
  9. meticulously
    in a manner marked by extreme care of details
    Houses were huge and set back on deep lawns that were lush and meticulously mowed.
  10. fare
    proceed, get along, or succeed
    “Well, I’d say that’ll partly depend on how the Aames boys fare, and at this point it looks as if Troy might not make it. He was hurt pretty bad.”
  11. accountable
    responsible for one's actions
    If you’re asking me strictly about the law concerning Moe’s situation, I have to tell you what the law says. Any man who raises his hand against another man and injures him must be held accountable.
  12. speculation
    a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
    “There’s been some speculation on how he might have gotten out and who might have helped him. Either someone took him without knowing the trouble Moe was in, or someone knew the trouble but took him anyway. The sheriff has even suggested that Moe could have gotten a ride with someone headed for Jackson...such as myself—”
  13. snide
    expressive of contempt
    “Well, I thank y’all,” I said snidely. “I’ll watch out for y’all as well.”
  14. swath
    a path or strip (also figurative)
    Only the headlights of the Ford cut a swath of brilliance across the night.
  15. gauge
    an instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity
    He smiled, then glanced at the gas gauge.
  16. cherub
    an angel portrayed as a winged child
    The attendant was a sandy-haired man, middle-aged with a cherublike face and a mind to talk.
  17. countenance
    the appearance conveyed by a person's face
    The man’s cheerful countenance didn’t change.
  18. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    Stacey cast me a chastising glance.
  19. expound
    state
    "I got me a good mind to show...” expounded Orley to his listeners, and I didn’t wait to hear more.
  20. brood
    hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
    We were in a small clearing that looked to have been purposely hacked out of a brooding forest. All around the clearing, except for the trail that led back to the highway, there was nothing but pine and oak and brush.
  21. adamant
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
    “Don’t want it fixed.” Stacey was adamant.
  22. gouge
    make a groove in
    It was then that I saw the ring that gouged the car.
  23. fester
    generate pus
    The beautiful, wine-colored finish was now marred by a deep, ugly scratch that ringed the car and festered like a sore under the rising sun.
  24. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
    The man grunted, seeming to think that tale plausible, and walked to the front of the Ford.
  25. apprehensive
    in fear or dread of possible evil or harm
    “Well, that was nice of them,” Stacey admitted and looked somewhat apprehensively to the woods again.
  26. writhing
    moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion
    Clarence was crying openly now, his body writhing on the ground.
  27. cordiality
    a politely warm and friendly disposition or attitude
    “We be fine,” said the woman, returning the cordialities folks always exchanged.
  28. squalor
    sordid dirtiness
    The boys got Clarence into the darkened squalor of the house and laid him on a corn-husk mattress.
  29. labored
    requiring or showing effort
    His speaking was labored, soft as a whisper.
  30. revelry
    unrestrained merrymaking
    Then the two of us laughed. Stacey and Moe, though, didn’t join in our revelry.
Created on Mon Jul 12 10:44:37 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Jul 20 15:22:45 EDT 2021)

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