Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda: Chapters 1-7

by Becky Albertalli
In this funny and heartwarming novel, sixteen-year-old Simon Spier finds himself in the middle of a real-life drama when a classmate threatens to expose his secrets. Learn these words from Becky Albertalli's award-winning debut.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-7, Chapters 8-14, Chapters 15-21, Chapters 22-28, Chapters 29-35

Here is a link to our lists for Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    It's a weirdly subtle conversation.
  2. blackmail
    exert pressure on someone through threats
    I almost don’t notice I'm being blackmailed.
  3. fulfillment
    the act of consummating something, as a desire or promise
    “Did you know Freud interpreted his own dreams when he was developing his theory? And he believed that all dreams are a form of unconscious wish fulfillment?”
  4. deadpan
    without betraying any feeling
    You have to understand that no one has mastered the art of deadpan delivery like Leah.
  5. equilibrium
    a stable situation in which forces cancel one another
    Then Leah can chill the heck out, and equilibrium will be restored.
  6. anonymous
    having no known name or identity or known source
    Creeksecrets is supposed to be where you can post anonymous confessions and secret random thoughts, and people can comment, but no one really judges you.
  7. self-conscious
    aware of yourself as an individual or of your own being
    I felt strangely panicked and self-conscious when I read that part, but there was also this quiet thrum of excitement.
  8. surreal
    resembling a dream
    I remember exactly how it felt to see that first message from him in my in-box. It was a little bit surreal. He wanted to know about me. For the next few days at school after that, it felt like I was a character in a movie.
  9. gender
    properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of sex
    Switching Leah’s and Nick’s genders is like the pinnacle of Dad-humor.
  10. ironic
    displaying incongruity between what is expected and what is
    Recently, she’s been using text abbreviations out loud sometimes, even though she never uses them in actual text messages. I think it’s supposed to be ironic.
  11. impression
    a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
    I get the impression that once he realized he was gay, he didn’t date girls, and it was as simple as that.
  12. proxy
    a person authorized to act for another
    Nothing is worse than the secret humiliation of being insulted by proxy.
  13. observant
    quick to notice; showing quick and keen perception
    Nora's weirdly observant sometimes, but talking to her about stuff can be kind of awkward.
  14. existential
    relating to or dealing with the state of being
    I know his voice and expressions and his weird little habits. His random existential monologues.
  15. sidle
    move sideways
    “Okay, Spier. What’s your deal?” Martin asks, sidling up beside me against the wall.
  16. practically
    almost; nearly
    I grab his phone, and my hands are practically vibrating with total fury as I punch my number into his contacts.
  17. intimidate
    compel or deter by or as if by threats
    He's the new guy, and you’re not going to make it easy for him. He’s a nerd. You want to intimidate him and steal his crap.
  18. tableau
    any dramatic scene
    She and Cal put us into position—Ms. Albright calls it “setting the tableau.”
  19. gangly
    tall, thin, and awkward
    ...he’s just so gangly and fidgety and ridiculous.
  20. hazy
    indistinct in outline
    I guess there’s this hazy middle ground between laughing at someone and laughing with someone.
  21. flapper
    an unconventional young woman in the 1920s
    The boy-in-a-dress concept never got old (until it did, I guess—I was in fourth grade and had this amazing flapper costume, but then I looked in the mirror and felt this electric shock of mortification).
  22. mortification
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    The boy-in-a-dress concept never got old (until it did, I guess—I was in fourth grade and had this amazing flapper costume, but then I looked in the mirror and felt this electric shock of mortification).
  23. appeal
    attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates
    I completely see the appeal of being someone else for the evening (or in general).
  24. assertive
    aggressively self-assured
    Our mom gives Nora crap about being more assertive.
  25. dissonant
    lacking in harmony
    There’s a crash of dissonant piano notes from across the room, and Garrett’s eyes skate past us.
  26. apocalypse
    a cosmic cataclysm in which God destroys the powers of evil
    It feels like we’re the last survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Wonder Woman and a gay dementor. It doesn’t bode well for the survival of the species.
  27. devolve
    grow worse
    Except it all kind of devolved into this sinkhole of gossip and bad poetry and misspelled Bible quotes.
  28. suave
    having a sophisticated charm
    He’s like the opposite of suave.
  29. moot
    of no legal significance, as having been previously decided
    It will probably be moot, anyway, because my mom almost never goes out.
  30. subversive
    in opposition to an established system or government
    Dressing extra feminine for Gender Bender is just something Leah does. It’s her way of being subversive.
  31. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
    It would be weirdly conspicuous if I didn’t cross-dress at least a little bit today.
  32. secure
    free from fear or doubt; easy in mind
    I guess they feel secure enough in their masculinity that they don’t care.
  33. reconcile
    come to terms
    I don’t know how to explain it or reconcile it, but I haven’t forgotten the feeling of silk and air against my legs.
  34. underscore
    give extra weight to
    I feel like I'm supposed to make some comment to underscore the ridiculousness of it all, but honestly?
  35. cynical
    believing the worst of human nature and motives
    It's sort of nice not to have to be cynical for a change.
Created on Mon Jul 24 11:47:42 EDT 2017 (updated Fri May 25 09:07:32 EDT 2018)

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