Savvy: Chapters 9–16

by Ingrid Law
All Beaumonts receive a unique superpower when they turn thirteen. After her father falls into a coma, Mibs Beaumont goes on a journey to save him, hoping that the superpower she'll get on her birthday will be able to wake him.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–16, Chapters 17–25, Chapters 26–37, Five Years Later
35 words 13 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. croon
    sing softly
    I tried to ignore the angel’s humming, crooning voice the same way I’d ignored the hissing whispers of Ashley and Emma and all the other kids at Hebron Middle School only yesterday, and every day before that, every day since we'd come to live in Kansaska-Nebransas.
  2. vexed
    troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
    Temper flaring, his face contorted, unable to control his savvy as vexed and tense as he was, my brother let loose.
  3. frenzied
    excessively agitated
    Cardboard lids from boxes and crates flapped and fluttered, and the windows of the bus steamed up and shuddered with the force of Fish’s frenzied squalls.
  4. akimbo
    with hands on hips and elbows extending outward
    The deliveryman was standing in the aisle, fists on hips, arms akimbo, staring at us all, his lost-dog look replaced now by something a bit more nettled—something a lot more cross.
  5. nettled
    aroused to impatience or anger
    The deliveryman was standing in the aisle, fists on hips, arms akimbo, staring at us all, his lost-dog look replaced now by something a bit more nettled—something a lot more cross.
  6. inscribe
    write, engrave, or print as a lasting record
    Rhonda was tattooed on the man’s left arm beneath a red heart with the word Mom inscribed inside it.
  7. eddy
    flow in a circular current, of liquids
    As I watched, the letters of each name eddied and jived; my stomach turned over as the lines began redrawing themselves into the likeness of women’s faces.
  8. likeness
    picture consisting of a graphic image of a person or thing
    As I watched, the letters of each name eddied and jived; my stomach turned over as the lines began redrawing themselves into the likeness of women’s faces.
  9. gall
    irritate or vex
    "What are you k-kids doing b-back there?” the deliveryman said, his voice galled and glum yet surprisingly tuneful, like a country western singer yodeling from atop a cactus.
  10. gumption
    fortitude and determination
    "Show them your backbone."
    "Oh, like he's got some kind of gumption," scoffed Carlene.
  11. fortitude
    strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity
    But the finger shook as Carlene laughed and Rhonda scolded, ridiculing Lester’s attempts at grit and fortitude, and the man's eyes held no real spite or spleen.
  12. spleen
    a feeling of resentful anger
    But the finger shook as Carlene laughed and Rhonda scolded, ridiculing Lester’s attempts at grit and fortitude, and the man's eyes held no real spite or spleen.
  13. bugaboo
    a source of concern
    “Well,” said Lester, flustered by the bugaboo of having to change mental road maps mid-sentence.
  14. wretched
    very unhappy; full of misery
    I cringed and sank down in my seat, feeling wretched and troubled over our new situation.
  15. blunder
    an embarrassing mistake
    He sat down on the cement step of the church and scratched his head. I wandered away to avoid listening to Carlene and Rhonda blister and bellyache over Lester’s latest blunder.
  16. knack
    a special way of doing something
    Nobody's perfect. I just have a knack for getting things right.
  17. falter
    be or become weak, unsteady, or uncertain
    "...Besides," she continued, her smile faltering a bit as she squeezed my hands, “you’d be surprised at how many people dislike spending time with someone who constantly gets things right. It’s not always an easy way to be.”
  18. ensemble
    a group of musicians playing or singing together
    I thought about Momma as I walked around the side of the church and up the rutted dirt road a short way, listening with relief as the voices faded and an ensemble of crickets began warming up their evening act—maybe I’d woken them up, I mused to myself.
  19. fickle
    marked by erratic changeableness in affections
    “I don’t know what you want me to tell you,” I said, feeling false and fickle, knowing exactly what he wanted to hear and knowing that I could never tell him.
  20. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    Not knowing what else to do, I shouted, "You have to wash your hand, Will Junior!” though it sounded stupid, even to me, as my voice echoed through the quiet bus over the din of voices in my head.
  21. gale
    a strong wind moving 34–40 knots
    As my brother’s pressure system grew, the windows closest to Fish began to fracture, spreading splintering cracks outward like spiderwebs zipping and pinging through the glass as Fish’s gusts and gales swelled in speed and strength.
  22. subside
    wear off or die down
    Storm subsiding, he grabbed Will by the wrist to behold the drawing of the sun inked in blue on his palm.
  23. sully
    make dirty or spotty
    Looking grossed-out and suspicious, Will Junior wiped his wet and sullied hand on his trousers.
  24. mangy
    affected with a skin disease causing itching and hair loss
    "What he should do is leave these rotten kids on the side of the road, the same way I ditched that mangy dog of his when the beast chewed up my best red shoes," said Carlene from his right.
  25. halting
    proceeding in a fragmentary, hesitant, or ineffective way
    “We Beaumonts are just like other people, Will.” I said the words, halting and toneless from memory, like I was speaking the Pledge of Allegiance.
  26. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    With a word from Dinah, babies stopped crying. Surly teenage boys minded their manners and hugged their mothers.
  27. stodgy
    excessively conventional and unimaginative and hence dull
    Even the stodgiest old codger would dance a jig if Dinah asked.
  28. codger
    an eccentric elderly man
    Even the stodgiest old codger would dance a jig if Dinah asked.
  29. smitten
    marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
    But the moment Poppa saw Momma, he was smitten; Poppa knew a perfect girl when he saw one.
  30. sidle
    move unobtrusively or furtively
    After watching Momma nail fifteen tosses in a row, Poppa had squeezed through the crowd, sidling right up to stand next to Momma.
  31. jaunty
    having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air
    “I’ll tell you what,” Poppa said jauntily into her ear, rubbing his knuckles against his jaw. “If you make the next toss, I'll buy a ring and marry you.”
  32. scorn
    look down on with disdain
    "What do you know? Another stray…” Rhonda scorned from Lester’s arm.
  33. astray
    away from the right path or direction
    The added noise and pester fuddled Lester's brain even more and I felt ashamed at how easy it was to steer the deliveryman astray.
  34. drawl
    a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels
    “It’s nice to meet y’all,” said Lill with a slow, suspicious drawl.
  35. jounce
    move up and down repeatedly
    Now, as the bus jounced on down the highway toward the interstate, Lill moved to help me clean up Fish's face, never even asking what had happened.
Created on Wed Apr 06 10:02:18 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Apr 11 09:00:54 EDT 2022)

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