Man Made Monsters: List 3

by Andrea L. Rogers
In eighteen stories spanning two centuries and territories throughout North America, members of a Cherokee family battle human and supernatural monsters.

This list covers "Snow Day"–"American Predators."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cloying
    overly sweet
    “I’ll have to ask my mom to take me to Kmart to get one,” Amy replied cloyingly.
  2. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    There were no sidewalks on our street, so we meandered between the grass and the curb.
  3. sodden
    wet through and through; thoroughly wet
    I stretched up and retrieved the sodden glove that had snagged on the fence. There was a small tear on one finger and bits of ice all over.
  4. tousle
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    Gigage leaned down and tousled my hair.
  5. inept
    revealing lack of perceptiveness or judgment or finesse
    I generally target the socially inept, book-smart boys, the cute and girlfriendless.
  6. exodus
    a journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment
    I have gone to the place where Chief Bowles was executed and mourned him and the other friends and family massacred on their exodus from Texas.
  7. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
    I like the immaculate, neat streets where the boys I hunt live.
  8. brine
    soak in water containing salt
    I love their salt-water pools where we swim at night in the hottest part of the year, tasting of tears and blood, leaving their skin brined and damp.
  9. tutelage
    teaching pupils individually
    As Fred began to look better due to my tutelage, he began to drop hints that he was receiving attention from other girls.
  10. hubris
    overbearing pride or presumption
    His growing hubris annoyed me.
  11. abominable
    unequivocally detestable
    In reality, it was shot in 1852, shortly after I became the monster I am now, before I knew all the abominable things the last one hundred and fifty years has taught me.
  12. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    As he realized I might not even go with him to his bedroom, his entire demeanor changed.
  13. valise
    a small overnight bag for short trips
    “I got it,” I said, grabbing my valise.
  14. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    The whole room stinks of smoke, but the bed has undertones of an odor you would rather not discern.
  15. hovel
    small crude shelter used as a dwelling
    It occurs to you that it may not have been one bad choice, but a combination of wrong turns that led to the hovel of self-hatred in which you now reside.
  16. demise
    the time when something ends
    You follow the route in your nineteen-year demise backward, as if figuring out where you went wrong could redraw your current landscape, where you’re working on a sizzler reel for national television in hopes of catapulting a local celebrity and his sidekick into fame and fortune.
  17. appraise
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    The show is supposed to be like Antiques Roadshow, but instead of appraising old stuff that belonged to someone’s great-great and making them happy, the hosts are treasure hunters.
  18. osmosis
    the gradual and unconscious absorption of knowledge or ideas
    If you hadn’t spent years living in the television station your father ran, learning everything, not quite through osmosis, but almost.
  19. coddle
    treat with excessive indulgence
    You knew what it took to run a television studio, edit video, shoot footage, write a script, run a soundboard, coddle the talent.
  20. gangly
    tall, thin, and awkward
    Often, they liken you to a stork or an emu—some gangly bird that’s skinny and graceless, never a swan or even a chick, maybe an ugly duckling when you’re not around.
  21. striation
    a band or bands of contrasting color
    You film bits of the Llano Estacado, a herd of antelope, some oil rigs, what you can see of an adobe ghost town, truck beds full of brown kids, grazing sheep, a sky full of rain with lightning that seems to slice through the nearly indigo striations to touch the mesas.
  22. mesa
    flat tableland with steep edges
    You film bits of the Llano Estacado, a herd of antelope, some oil rigs, what you can see of an adobe ghost town, truck beds full of brown kids, grazing sheep, a sky full of rain with lightning that seems to slice through the nearly indigo striations to touch the mesas.
  23. splice
    join by interweaving strands
    You had planned to tell him about the mockery of a Medicine Man, but you hadn’t wanted a whole shoot. Just maybe some footage to splice in.
  24. banter
    light teasing repartee
    They like it to appear unrehearsed and off-the-cuff, as if their banter is naturally quick, knowledgeable, and witty.
  25. contend
    come to terms with
    Whit’s right, the sunset is beautiful. It’s hard to light right, though. You have lens flare to contend with and you have to light the talent properly, but still try to get the colors behind them.
  26. fringe
    an ornamental border of short lengths of hanging threads
    Whit finds an expensive pair of boots with fringe in his size.
  27. downplay
    understate the importance or quality of
    “We’re going to have to add some stuff in about the company’s history making moccasins. How they started in travel centers and tourist shops in the forties. Downplay the part about all the Indian shoes being made in the Dominican Republic and China now.”
  28. gaudy
    marked by conspicuous display
    With the camera, you follow the two men to the large glass case with the gaudy Indian in it. It reminds you of a case at a zoo, a diorama at a museum.
  29. conspiratorial
    relating to or characteristic of a secret plot or agreement
    Whit switches to a slightly conspiratorial pitch, “That was more like fifty dollars, and Madame Lola did a little more than tell fortunes. Let’s see what Chief Red in the Face can do.”
  30. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
    Whit switches back into his antique-expert voice, “This seems fortuitous.”
    “A good sign?” Billy queries.
    “You don’t see a lot of these coin-operated fortune tellers anymore. This Medicine Man is in fabulous condition.”
  31. reminiscent
    serving to bring to mind
    In editing, you’ll flip the image around to a disorienting angle, reminiscent of crazy scenes in a fun house.
  32. intone
    speak carefully, as with rising and falling pitch
    In a mock-serious voice, Whit intones, “Chief Four Corners Truck Stop Medicine Man, are we on the trail of something special?”
  33. derrick
    a framework erected over an oil well for drilling
    You film cotton fields, windmills, and more oil derricks.
  34. forge
    make something, usually for a specific function
    These were forged by hand. They’re used to hunt crawdads.
  35. sinew
    a band of tissue connecting a muscle to its bony attachment
    “This is a stickball ball and stick. It’s made out of bent hickory wood and tied with sinew. The ball probably has a rock in it and is wrapped in leather.”
  36. prompt
    urge, encourage, or motivate someone to act
    Billy pipes up to try to prompt for more information.
  37. intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
    He hasn’t collected Native American items previously because he is not unaware of his vast amount of ignorance. Still, he’s obviously intrigued.
  38. blather
    talk foolishly
    Nervous, and with no reason to be there other than to talk with her, you blather on, “My boss is kind of a jerk.”
  39. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    Darla materializes from the dark.
  40. transfixed
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    The creature’s eyes turn towards you, transfixed.
Created on Fri Jan 05 09:45:24 EST 2024 (updated Sat Jan 06 13:34:25 EST 2024)

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