Catching Fire: Chapters 19–22

by Suzanne Collins
In this sequel to The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are forced to participate in the Quarter Quell, while unrest in the districts of Panem threatens the Capitol. Learn these words from Suzanne Collins' popular trilogy.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–14, Chapters 15–18, Chapters 19–22, Chapters 23–27

Here are links to our lists for the trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay

Here is a link to our lists for Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. embolden
    give encouragement to
    And I owe it to the rebels who, emboldened by Cinna’s example, might be fighting to bring down the Capitol at this moment.
  2. seductive
    tending to entice into a desired action or state
    "Duck!" Finnick commands in such a powerful voice, so different from his usual seductive purr, that I do.
  3. prior
    earlier in time
    These four classic Careers will no doubt have a prior alliance.
  4. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    Could this all just be a ruse?
  5. hoist
    move from one place to another by lifting
    He tosses his net over his shoulder, hoists Mags on top of it, grips his tridents in his free hand, and we run away from the Cornucopia.
  6. obsolete
    no longer in use
    Jungle. The foreign, almost obsolete word comes to mind. Something I heard from another Hunger Games or learned from my father. Most of the trees are unfamiliar, with smooth trunks and few branches.
  7. truce
    a state of peace agreed to between opponents
    That the victors’ chain of locked hands last night would result in some sort of universal truce in the arena?
  8. massacre
    the savage and excessive killing of many people
    But I guess I had hoped people might show some...what? Restraint? Reluctance, at least. Before they jumped right into massacre mode.
  9. negotiation
    a discussion intended to produce an agreement
    I shot to kill when I targeted Enobaria and Gloss and Brutus. Peeta would at least have attempted negotiations first.
  10. deliberately
    with intention; in an intentional manner
    I can see him, waiting for me to make the first move. Calculating if he should block first or go directly for an attack. I can feel we’ve both about worked it out when Peeta steps deliberately between us.
  11. approval
    a message expressing a favorable opinion
    All right, maybe killing Finnick would be a little premature. He’s been helpful so far. He does have Haymitch’s stamp of approval.
  12. singe
    burn superficially or lightly
    There’s a faint smell of singed hair.
  13. diminish
    decrease in size, extent, or range
    Agonizing minutes drag past as my hopes diminish.
  14. grateful
    feeling or showing thankfulness
    All I wanted was to keep Peeta alive, and I couldn’t and Finnick could, and I should be nothing but grateful.
  15. furious
    marked by extreme anger
    But I am also furious because it means that I will never stop owing Finnick Odair.
  16. quizzical
    perplexed
    I expect to see a smug or sarcastic expression on his face, but his look is strangely quizzical. He glances between Peeta and me, as if trying to figure something out, then gives his head a slight shake as if to clear it.
  17. boost
    the act of giving hope or support to someone
    Peeta showing up in the arena wearing a mockingjay is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it should give a boost to the rebels in the district. On the other, it’s hard to imagine President Snow will overlook it, and that makes the job of keeping Peeta alive harder.
  18. aberration
    a state or condition markedly different from the norm
    One way or the other, I have a very valuable piece of information. And if they know I have it, they might do something to alter the force field so I can't see the aberration anymore.
  19. revive
    cause to regain consciousness
    Why didn’t he just let him die? He would have been blameless. I never would have guessed it was in his power to revive him. Why could he possibly have wanted to save Peeta?
  20. determined
    characterized by great firmness of purpose
    And why was he so determined to team up with me?
  21. precarious
    fraught with danger
    From this precarious vantage point, I can see the shape of the whole arena for the first time.
  22. symmetrical
    having similarity in corresponding parts
    “The force field has us trapped in a circle. A dome, really. I don’t know how high it goes. There’s the Cornucopia, the sea, and then the jungle all around. Very exact. Very symmetrical. And not very large,” I say.
  23. leery
    openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
    I’m still leery about the nuts, but Finnick says Mags recognized them from another Games.
  24. divulge
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
    I move it this way and that, viewing it from different angles, covering portions and then revealing them. Trying to make it divulge its purpose to me.
  25. aggravation
    an exasperated feeling of annoyance
    I stretch out, pressing my hot cheek on the grass mat, staring at the thing in aggravation.
  26. luxuriously
    in an indulgently rich manner
    We fill the basket and pass it around, taking deep gulps and, later, luxuriously, splashing our faces clean.
  27. progression
    a movement forward
    Something's wrong with this fog. The progression of the front line is too uniform to be natural.
  28. encouragement
    the act of giving hope or support to someone
    He shouts encouragement, trying to move us along, and the sound of his voice acts as a guide, though little more.
  29. survival
    the state of remaining alive
    Some deep-rooted animal desire for survival keeps me stumbling after Finnick and Peeta, continuing to move, although I'm probably dead already.
  30. prone
    lying face downward
    I seem to have no ability to stop my own forward motion and simply propel myself onward until I trip over their prone bodies, just one more on the heap.
  31. feat
    a notable achievement
    We all crawl, since walking now seems as remarkable a feat as flying; we crawl until the vines turn to a narrow strip of sandy beach and the warm water that surrounds the Cornucopia laps our faces.
  32. functional
    fit or ready for use or service
    Finally, when I have survived the worst, opening my eyes underwater, sniffing water into my sinuses and snorting it out, and even gargling repeatedly to wash out my throat, I’m functional enough to help Finnick.
  33. recover
    get over an illness or shock
    Peeta recovers enough to help me.
  34. abandon
    leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
    And then, of course, there’s Mags. I still don’t understand what happened there. Why he essentially abandoned her to carry Peeta.
  35. hesitation
    the act of pausing uncertainly
    Why she not only didn’t question it, but ran straight to her death without a moment’s hesitation.
  36. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
    The haggard look on Finnick’s face tells me that now is not the moment to ask.
  37. marred
    blemished by injury or rough wear
    Yes, even Finnick’s beauty has been marred by this night.
  38. disdainful
    expressing extreme contempt
    Finnick and I fall back in the sand, laughing our heads off. Every time we try to stop, we look at Peeta’s attempt to maintain a disdainful expression and it sets us off again.
  39. sinister
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    For me, the jungle has quickly evolved from a place of protection to a sinister trap.
  40. urgency
    pressing importance requiring speedy action
    But her eyes are dilated with fear, and when I speak, she doesn’t respond except to say with ever-increasing urgency, “Tick, tock.”
Created on Fri Jul 28 12:02:43 EDT 2017 (updated Mon Oct 01 16:36:43 EDT 2018)

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