Operation Sisterhood: Chapters 23–29

by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
When eleven-year-old Tokunbo Marshall moves with her mother into a Harlem brownstone, she must adjust to an extended family that includes three new sisters who see everything in life as a possible project in their self-designed education.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–11, Chapters 12–17, Chapters 18–22, Chapters 23–29
35 words 2 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. flair
    distinctive and stylish elegance
    Sometimes Lil and Sunday added “flair” at unexpected moments in the song.
  2. delectable
    extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
    “And if they make a purchase, I offer them whatever delectability your mum has baked up that day.”
  3. contraption
    a small mechanical device or tool
    “I mean, I hate cooking, but maybe I can build a contraption that gets the batter into the cupcake tins faster, or something. Ooooh, a project!”
  4. incline
    lower or bend, as in a nod or bow
    “Just like us!” She inclined her head toward her sisters.
  5. gist
    the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
    “Uh, that's not quite what I meant, but, um, you get the gist, right?” said Sunday.
  6. caviar
    salted fish eggs eaten as a delicacy
    Today, she and Mrs. Valentine were having a kind of food Verzuz competition between black-eyed pea dishes, Texas caviar and moi moi.
  7. robust
    sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction
    Sunday looked at Bill and mouthed “Sorry!” as the Bullocks let out their first robust “YES!”
  8. intervention
    the act of getting involved
    “If you want adult intervention, just say the word,” he said in a low voice.
  9. splay
    widen or spread apart
    Bill smiled, gave her a salute, and went back behind the register, only wincing a little when Stevie opened a random paperback and left it, facedown and splayed out, on a chair.
  10. amanuensis
    someone skilled in the transcription of speech
    “Oh!” said Sunday, “Yes, you’ll be our amanuensis!”
    Amy’s eyes narrowed. Now she looks like Ms. Tyler, Bo thought. “What does that mean?”
    “Not what she thinks it means,” said Bo. “I mean that you are going to be our helper. Like a friend helper. We know how smart you are, and we want you to be able to show it!”
  11. sashay
    walk with a lofty proud gait, often to impress others
    Amy put her hands on her hips and sashayed in a little circle, then she held up the claves and looked down her nose at the Bullocks.
  12. bask
    derive or receive pleasure from
    “Can we bask in our musicianship for a minute, before you get all Ann Lowe on us?” said Bo.
  13. busk
    play music in a public place and solicit money for it
    “Wow, now that's musicianship,'' said Sunday. “Let's go check it out. We might be inspired!''
    The tired-but-triumphant babysitting band descended the stairs into the station, where a crowd surrounded the buskers.
  14. acoustics
    the qualities that determine how sound is heard in a space
    With the acoustics of the station, the lead singer's voice rang clear and true, surrounding them.
  15. substantial
    providing abundant nourishment
    Mrs. Dougie returned and immediately began assembling a substantial tray of snacks, including some Samoas.
  16. symposium
    a meeting for the public discussion of some topic
    We've had two Gatherings since you left, and they've been fantastic! We're going to host an eighties hip-hop symposium next month, and Kool Herc has definitely confirmed that he'll consider thinking about attending.
  17. overwhelm
    overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
    It's just...a lot of new for me. I've been feeling a little... overwhelmed.
  18. collected
    in full control of your faculties
    “You always seem so cool, calm, and collected!” said Sunday.
  19. drawl
    speak in a slow and drawn out way
    “Oh, now we're invited?” drawled Reese.
  20. funk
    an earthy type of jazz combining it with blues and soul
    A DJ with a salt-and-pepper beard and a British accent took center stage, slipping smoothly into seventies funk and Afrobeat music that got some older spectators moving in ways that made the kids in the crowd give them a lot of space.
  21. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    “All of a sudden?” asked Lil, looking skeptical.
  22. nostalgia
    a longing for something past
    “I had the nostalgia factor in my favor,” said Lil.
  23. excursion
    a journey taken for pleasure
    “But first, perhaps you can tell me about your little excursion, Bo, because I'd really like to hear about that.”
  24. flourish
    a display of ornamental speech or language
    “But I just got Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka posters for a joint project. See, I was thinking we could make a documentary about our road to tennis glory, combine my penchant for story flourishes with your down-to-earth attention to fact, and—”
  25. penchant
    a strong liking or preference
    “If you're asking now, I love watching tennis,” said Bo. “I just don't want to play. But a doc about other people playing sounds good as long as we get Venus Williams and Coco Gauff in there too. Nice use of penchant, by the way. So...how about it, Mum? Doing my own thing as part of the family? Following my own path to my passion?”
  26. ensue
    take place or happen afterward or as a result
    “Also, I was just kidding. Lil cheats too much to lose.” An immediate almost-silent pillow fight ensued; even Bo joined in.
  27. generic
    having no special or distinctive characteristics; unoriginal
    Sunday insisted that a “retro disco jazz groove” would be a surefire win over whatever “generic pop blandness” Gloss had in
 store.
  28. appeal
    (rhetoric) a method or mode of persuasion
    All four girls agreed to launch a group appeal to keep that from happening.
  29. discreet
    marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
    Bo helped Sunday create a chart of all of the neighbors who'd promised to bring food, and they discreetly double-checked while they made the round to collect RSVPs.
  30. pleat
    a fold in a garment or piece of fabric
    It's actually a skort dress. See, these are trick pleats.
  31. domestic
    of or relating to the home
    The Parents had made lights-out an hour earlier every night—instead of, Bo complained, canceling swimming, “domestic arts and sciences” (chores), and reading journals.
  32. resounding
    unmistakable; clearly revealed to the mind or judgment
    Bo could almost say that the garden party was a resounding success.
  33. medley
    a musical composition consisting of a series of songs
    Ms. Yolanda and her Dorothy Maynor Singers from Harlem School of the Arts were gearing up to sing the Black Lives Matter song that Bo and Sunday had written, and Mama Vy’s Sing Harlem Choir would be taking the stage for a highly anticipated gospel medley that Mum said was sure to spark some auntie praise dancing.
  34. dapper
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    “Are you ready to see our moves?” asked Marcus, striking a pose. “Check out the fit—Dapper Dan hooked us up.”
  35. melange
    a varied mixture or assortment of things
    “What's your act again?” asked Bo. “I don't think you ever actually said.”
    “It's a medley,” said Marcus.
    “A mélange,” said Kareem.
    “Sounds like a mess,” muttered Lil.
Created on Wed Feb 15 10:01:30 EST 2023 (updated Wed Feb 15 17:51:44 EST 2023)

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