The Maltese Falcon: Chapters 10–13

by Dashiell Hammett
In this classic of noir fiction, detective Sam Spade is hired to protect a client in her search for a priceless artifact, but as she refuses to tell him the whole truth, the job becomes more and more dangerous.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1-4, Chapters 5-9, Chapters 10-13, Chapters 14-17, Chapters 18-20
15 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. furtive
    secret and sly
    To the eye there was nothing furtive about his going in: he entered boldly and directly.
  2. telltale
    disclosing unintentionally
    Every piece of clothing was tested by hands that felt for telltale bulges and ears that listened for the crinkle of paper between pressing fingers.
  3. divan
    a long backless sofa, usually with pillows
    When he reached the Belvedere he saw the youth who had shadowed him sitting in the lobby on a divan from which the elevators could be seen.
  4. adhere
    follow through or carry out a plan without deviation
    “I adhered to the course you indicated earlier in your rooms.”
  5. complacent
    contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions
    His mouth was a hard complacent v.
  6. noncommittal
    refusing to bind oneself to a particular course of action
    Spade's prompt "Maybe" was noncommittal.
  7. conception
    an abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances
    “Mr. Spade, have you any conception of how much money can be made out of that black bird?”
  8. myopia
    eyesight abnormality in which distant objects appear blurred
    He stared at Spade with an intentness that suggested myopia.
  9. injudicious
    lacking or showing lack of judgment or discretion; unwise
    “That was not an injudicious thing to do,” the fat man said, but his mind was obviously not on his words.
  10. ineffable
    defying expression or description
    His bulbous pink face slowly lost its worried frown and then, more quickly, took on an expression of ineffable happiness.
  11. pallor
    an unnatural lack of color in the skin
    His face had lost its pallor, his lips their dryness, and his hand its trembling by the time he had sat down.
  12. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous
    Wise’s words came out slower now and there was a sardonic glint in his eye.
  13. genuflect
    bend the knees and bow in a servile manner
    “Getting touchy, huh? I haven’t got enough to think about: now I’ve got to remember to be polite to you. What did I do? Forget to genuflect when I came in?”
  14. coffer
    the funds of a government, institution, or individual
    Well, sir, that’s exactly what they did, and they hit on the happy thought of sending Charles for the first year’s tribute, not an insignificant live bird, but a glorious golden falcon encrusted from head to foot with the finest jewels in their coffers.
  15. essay
    make an effort or attempt
    Spade essayed his sixth step.
Created on Thu Jan 08 08:53:36 EST 2026 (updated Fri Jan 09 11:56:32 EST 2026)

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