Savvy: Chapters 26–37

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
40 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. heady
    extremely exciting as if by alcohol or a narcotic
    The grass beneath our feet grew thick and tall and the flowers in bud opened up to bloom, filling the air with a heady fragrance.
  2. plume
    anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness
    The underground sprinklers came on like fountains, surrounding us all in a grand display of seemingly choreographed plumes and jets of waltzing water, yet not a single drop fell down upon the mourners.
  3. flummox
    be a mystery or bewildering to
    But something about that idea nagged at me—something flummoxed me deep, deep, deep in the pit of my stomach with a kink and a snarl.
  4. mosey
    walk leisurely
    The boys moseyed into our room just after nine o’clock the next morning, balancing Styrofoam plates of thick, crisp waffles and plastic cups of orange juice from the breakfast bar downstairs.
  5. tousle
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    Will Junior wore a long black Mega Mega Mart T-shirt and his hair was tousled and tangled.
  6. muss
    make messy or untidy
    Bobbi was in the bathroom, taking forever to get herself ready, and Lill fussed and mussed over Samson, trying to run a comb through his mane of dark hair before he could escape into the recesses of the empty motel closet.
  7. gaggle
    a flock of geese
    Then I joined the others and we all flop-flapped down the hall in our new Mega Mega Mart flip-flops, following Lill and Lester downstairs toward the Heartland Bible Supply bus like a gaggle of flat-footed goslings, keeping a lookout for any unwanted attention.
  8. gripe
    complain
    I thought about those two gals and their constant griping and bellyaching, and my head swam with questions.
  9. higgledy-piggledy
    in a disordered manner
    Maybe we all have other people’s voices running higgledy-piggledy through our heads all the time.
  10. sheen
    the visual property of something that shines
    Then, with one large pink Bible tucked under his arm, Lester strode from the bus wearing a sheen of confidence that fit him like a new pair of shoes.
  11. zeal
    a feeling of strong eagerness
    Lill threw her arms around Lester’s neck and kissed him right back with a zest and a zing and a zeal that set the rest of us looking away—looking at just about anything, anything else.
  12. secrete
    conceal or place out of sight
    I reached down past the paper-covered soap I’d so happily secreted there that morning and now, sadly, found broken in two.
  13. idle
    run disconnected
    Instead he just sat there, staring out the front window, letting the bus engine idle.
  14. afflicted
    grievously affected especially by disease
    Lester looked even more afflicted.
  15. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    The pungent odor of mothballs and scented candles flooded my nose and throat, making me cough.
  16. garish
    tastelessly showy
    Carlene’s furniture was garish and awful and every shelf or corner held tchotchkes and gewgaws and other tacky trinkets.
  17. tchotchke
    an inexpensive showy trinket
    Carlene’s furniture was garish and awful and every shelf or corner held tchotchkes and gewgaws and other tacky trinkets.
  18. gewgaw
    cheap showy jewelry, ornament, or decoration
    Carlene’s furniture was garish and awful and every shelf or corner held tchotchkes and gewgaws and other tacky trinkets.
  19. perceptible
    capable of being grasped by the mind or senses
    “Samson’s not on the bus!” Fish shouted, and a gust of wind blew Lill’s hair away from her face as the temperature and humidity began to rise perceptibly inside the bus.
  20. impending
    close in time; about to occur
    Lester followed on our heels, looking around him at the rising weather, at the trees bending and swaying, and at Carlene’s lawn chair clattering down the street along with other rubbish picked up by the impending storm.
  21. priggish
    exaggeratedly or self-righteously proper
    But Carlene just looked at us, smug and priggish, laughing at us with her eyes.
  22. feral
    wild and menacing
    Carlene started up such a noisy, hissing, spitting yowl, it was like trying to catch hold of a feral cat.
  23. caterwaul
    a loud and unpleasant yowling sound
    Carlene screamed, “Help! Help me!” So Fish blasted her with another whip of wind, making her flinch and turn her head aside, but it didn’t stop her caterwaul.
  24. garble
    distort or make false by mutilation or addition
    “Lemme go!” the woman garbled around her enormous mouthful of sticky, juicy Bubble Tape, trying to spit it out but finding it difficult to dislodge the gum from her teeth.
  25. shrewd
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    Carlene didn’t say a word. Instead she looked at me shrewdly, curiously.
  26. medley
    a musical composition consisting of a series of songs
    Samson’s mishmash medley inside my head was like beautiful music.
  27. misgiving
    painful expectation
    His dark hair was clipped shipshape short and his young face was pulled tight with misgiving.
  28. composure
    steadiness of mind under stress
    When Bill finally let go of his son, the man was wiping tears from his eyes, struggling to regain his state trooper composure, and I saw my chance to finally tell my story to someone who might listen.
  29. assert
    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
    “You must be Mississippi Beaumont,” said Bill gently.
    “She likes to be called ‘Mibs,’ Dad,” Will asserted, coming to my rescue.
  30. hodgepodge
    a motley assortment of things
    With Samson's hodgepodge of thoughts already streaming incoherently through my brain, it took me a moment to realize that he had spoken aloud.
  31. incoherent
    without logical or meaningful connection
    With Samson's hodgepodge of thoughts already streaming incoherently through my brain, it took me a moment to realize that he had spoken aloud.
  32. conspiratorial
    relating to or characteristic of a secret plot or agreement
    Then he took a deep breath through his nose and smiled sympathetically, giving Will a quick conspiratorial wink before continuing on in a lower voice, glancing at the caseworker sitting along the wall.
  33. grudge
    a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation
    While Lester welcomed us kids back onto his bus without a grudge, the idea of having the extra official passengers on board made him fidget.
  34. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    But despite the sunshine and the brilliant green landscape, my thoughts were bleak and barren and black-and-white.
  35. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
    Rocket and Momma were there too, looking haggard and sleepless.
  36. implore
    beg or request earnestly and urgently
    “Let’s just go now,” implored Fish, picking up Gypsy and grabbing Momma's arm.
  37. rail
    criticize severely
    Miss Rosemary’s tears shut off like a faucet and she railed, “You’re in enough trouble already, Roberta. Don't go asking for more.”
  38. delinquent
    a young offender
    “These three are my delinquents—my wandering adventurers.”
  39. plaintively
    in a manner expressing sorrow
    “We were just trying to get down here, Momma,” I said plaintively. “I just had to see Poppa. I had to.”
  40. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    Grandpa Bomba dropped into a chair at the foot of Poppa's bed, looking forlorn and older than old.
Created on Wed Apr 06 10:02:53 EDT 2022 (updated Mon Apr 11 09:01:09 EDT 2022)

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