High Spirits: List 1

by Camille Gomera-Tavarez
In eleven interconnected stories inspired by her family in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spain, and the United States, the author describes the lives of several generations of the Beléns.

This list covers "Stickball"–"Swimming in Circles."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3
40 words 761 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. underlying
    in the nature of something though not readily apparent
    It was well beyond Gabriel’s capabilities to figure out their motivations or underlying meanings.
  2. sprightly
    full of spirit and vitality
    Walking up the marble steps of the Social Sciences building, a sprightly young student intersected his path.
  3. compelling
    tending to persuade by forcefulness of argument
    As an academic, he felt a grain of shame that his family’s antiquated beliefs on mental health still made compelling arguments within him.
  4. succumb
    give in, as to overwhelming force, influence, or pressure
    Gabriel’s parents would probably disown him if it ever got back to the island that he had succumbed to the scam of paying someone to listen to his problems.
  5. nostalgia
    a longing for something past
    Sometimes Gabriel believed things were better then, despite his numerous counter-arguments that “nostalgia was a sign of human ineptitude” which he vocalized among his peers...
  6. ineptitude
    unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
    Sometimes Gabriel believed things were better then, despite his numerous counter-arguments that “nostalgia was a sign of human ineptitude” which he vocalized among his peers...
  7. conundrum
    a difficult problem
    The foolishness of dwelling in his own past was evident to him. Still, the pulls made it all seem so real. The sense of present-day reality, shredded away into an innocent world free of any dense philosophical conundrums.
  8. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    As he approached the tub of buffet-style black beans, he found himself being pulled closer by the wistful aroma.
  9. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    Doña Mabel assessed her son’s condition quickly and then turned back to stirring her pot.
  10. curt
    brief and to the point
    “Hola, amor. Everything alright?” posed La Doña from beneath a steaming pot of rice. José Sr. let out a curt grunt and sank into his brown leather sofa chair which outlined his memory in a dark brown tint.
  11. complement
    make perfect or supply what is wanting
    Only a faint pulse within him remained to complement the soothing rhythm of one, two, one, two, one...
  12. robust
    sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction
    A robust womanly shriek broke the silence and pushed a handful of swallows to escape into the purple sky.
  13. negligent
    characterized by undue lack of attention or concern
    Perhaps his brothers would be blamed since it was they who had been the negligent caretakers.
  14. adorn
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
    The table was still set, now adorned with a fresh pot of rice and bowl of shredded pork.
  15. unrelenting
    not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
    Her expression continued her question, unrelenting.
  16. vehemently
    in a forceful manner
    He awoke when the paramedics arrived, so capable in all manners now that they merely performed a quick physical before allowing him to carry on with his day (as he so vehemently wished).
  17. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    The pale blue paint on the house exterior had deeper cracks than her abuelo’s toasted hands, its hue fading faster than his fleeting mind.
  18. staple
    a necessary commodity for which demand is constant
    As surrounding colmados came and went in the town of Hidalpa, her abuelo’s store had persevered long enough to become a local staple.
  19. explicitly
    in a clearly expressed manner
    They were constantly sleeping stacked on top of each other, eating over one another, and waiting for hours to use one of the two explicitly gendered outhouses.
  20. indulge
    yield to; give satisfaction to
    He wore a childlike grin, begging her to indulge him in this transparent attempt at connecting with his American granddaughter.
  21. vanity
    low table with a mirror where one sits while dressing
    Abuelo’s colmado was attached to the side of the house, with the back entrance of the store running right through the old couple’s tiny bedroom, behind vanity mirrors stained with browning photographs and draped mosquito nets and drying bedsheets.
  22. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    Her gnarled hands brought Crista’s ten-year-old cheek to her lips and motioned towards the wooden chair beside her own.
  23. profusely
    in very large amounts or quantities; extremely
    Crista’s abuelo smiled profusely, exchanging his gaze between the two.
  24. cordial
    politely warm and friendly
    Crista telepathically thanked her abuela for not pressing her with cordial questions.
  25. plantain
    starchy banana-like fruit
    There were plantains, bananas, ropes of garlic, and onions hanging from the ceiling above, ripe for plucking at the request of a customer.
  26. array
    an impressive display or assortment
    The glass counter before her contained a rainbow array of fruit-flavored candies.
  27. suppress
    put out of one's consciousness
    Crista did her best to suppress the urge to slip a tamarind chew in her pocket.
  28. disposal
    the power to use something or someone
    And even knowing the back fridge was at her disposal, she found it hard to resist the pull of the bright soda fridge in front.
  29. mannerism
    a behavioral attribute that is distinctive to an individual
    His face had not given any indication she had revealed herself as an American. Was it natural instinct? The accent and mannerisms of her ancestors finally kicking in?
  30. torrential
    relating to or resulting from the action of a downpour
    But then her abuelo suddenly appeared from behind the bedsheet again, like a flash of lightning before the torrential rains that sometimes overtook the town of Hidalpa.
  31. prompt
    urge, encourage, or motivate someone to act
    His accusing finger forcefully prompted her to action.
  32. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    The way he smiled gingerly at the swells in her abuela’s feet and helped her set his father’s place at the head of the table.
  33. promenade
    a leisurely walk, usually in some public place
    There was a certain magic pulling the town in circles as half the town engaged in a promenade around the park.
  34. procession
    the action of a group moving ahead in regular formation
    José kept the money rolled in his sock now, as they approached their second procession around the park.
  35. waft
    blow gently
    For a second time now, they passed Señora Milagros and her daughter Estervina at the fritura stand, wafting the smell of fried goods through the chaos.
  36. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    “Have you seen my brother? Where is he?” José continued walking counter-clockwise berating every face he saw.
  37. attribute
    explain or regard as resulting from a particular cause
    José attributed the awkward wording to the man’s foreignness and hoped no one had actually taken his idiot brother.
  38. grotesque
    distorted and unnatural in shape or size
    He prayed now, as he did then, that their grotesque, tarred faces adorned with dried corn leaves would leave him alone.
  39. searing
    intense or sharp
    José’s headache flatlined into a searing ringing in his ears.
  40. ail
    be unwell
    She opened it beside her ailing son, flipping through a couple of pages frantically, before setting her hand on her desired page.
Created on Tue May 30 14:59:23 EDT 2023 (updated Thu Jun 01 13:23:16 EDT 2023)

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