The Circuit: List 3

by Francisco Jiménez
This collection of autobiographical short stories by Francisco Jiménez explores the immigrant experience in the United States.

This list covers the following stories: "Cotton Sack," "The Circuit," "Learning the Game"

Here are links to our lists for other stories in the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
40 words 1285 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dwelling
    housing that someone is living in
    It was one of several farmworker dwellings lined up in a row.
  2. reinforce
    make stronger
    Papa asked me to stretch out the middle of his sack while he sewed an extra piece of canvas onto the bottom to reinforce it.
  3. mend
    restore by putting together what is torn or broken
    And while Mama mended Papa’s shirt, he drove in our Carcachita to the nearest gas station to fill the gallon bottle with drinking water and to get more kerosene for the stove.
  4. contractor
    someone who is hired to build things
    It was the contratista, the labor contractor, who drove around in his beat-up red Ford truck, honking the horn to let us know that the cotton was dry and ready to pick.
  5. pothole
    a pit or cavity in a road produced by wear or weathering
    Leaning on the horn, and trying to avoid the potholes full of water, he drove up and down the muddy paths, slow as a snail, between rows and rows of perfectly aligned one-room cabins.
  6. align
    arrange so as to be parallel or straight
    Leaning on the horn, and trying to avoid the potholes full of water, he drove up and down the muddy paths, slow as a snail, between rows and rows of perfectly aligned one-room cabins.
  7. tonic
    a medicine that strengthens and invigorates
    On days when I was not in school, the honking of the horn was for me like the final bell on the last day of school. It meant I had to go to work. But for Papa, who usually hated any kind of noise, this loud sound was a tonic. It perked him up.
  8. sluggish
    moving slowly
    Loaded with workers who did not own cars, the pickup sluggishly pulled out, followed by the caravan of old battered cars and trucks.
  9. caravan
    a procession traveling together in single file
    Loaded with workers who did not own cars, the pickup sluggishly pulled out, followed by the caravan of old battered cars and trucks.
  10. batter
    make a dent or impression in
    Loaded with workers who did not own cars, the pickup sluggishly pulled out, followed by the caravan of old battered cars and trucks.
  11. avocado
    a pear-shaped tropical fruit with green or blackish skin
    A few smaller plants had yellow and red flowers and green bulbs that looked like small avocados.
  12. compact
    make more packed together by pressing
    After picking for two long hours, Roberto helped Mama make more room in her sack by lifting it upright and shaking it several times up and down, compacting the cotton to the bottom.
  13. graze
    scrape gently
    The front end grazed the sides of the furrow as we made our way to the station.
  14. adjust
    alter or regulate so as to conform to a standard
    “No fooling,” replied the contratista, adjusting the scale that hung from a tripod about three feet in front of the cotton trailer.
  15. tripod
    a three-legged rack used for support
    “No fooling,” replied the contratista, adjusting the scale that hung from a tripod about three feet in front of the cotton trailer.
  16. jot
    write briefly or hurriedly; write a short note of
    After weighing Mama’s sack the contratista jotted in a notebook ninety pounds after our last name, which he asked Roberto to spell.
  17. dangle
    hang freely
    From their dry branches dangled cotton fibers left during the first picking.
  18. numb
    lacking sensation
    Within seconds my toes were numb and I could hardly move my fingers.
  19. thoroughly
    in an exhaustive manner
    He spent a lot of time looking at other cars before buying this one. When he finally chose the Carcachita, he checked it thoroughly before driving it out of the car lot.
  20. detect
    discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
    He listened to the motor, tilting his head from side to side like a parrot, trying to detect any noises that spelled car trouble.
  21. galvanize
    cover with zinc
    It was an old large galvanized pot she had picked up at an army surplus store in Santa Maria.
  22. surplus
    a quantity much larger than is needed
    It was an old large galvanized pot she had picked up at an army surplus store in Santa Maria.
  23. husky
    muscular and heavily built
    The porch light went on and a tall husky man came out.
  24. clasp
    hold firmly and tightly
    After the man went in, Mama clasped her hands and hurried back to the car.
  25. drone
    an unchanging intonation
    All I could hear was the drone of insects.
  26. savor
    derive or receive pleasure from
    I woke up early that morning and lay in bed, looking at the stars and savoring the thought of not going to work and of starting sixth grade for the first time that year.
  27. startle
    surprise greatly
    When I entered I heard a woman’s voice say: “May I help you?” I was startled. I had not heard English for months.
  28. instinct
    inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to stimuli
    My first instinct was to answer her in Spanish, but I held back.
  29. assign
    select something or someone for a specific purpose
    Mr. Lema, the sixth grade teacher, greeted me and assigned me a desk.
  30. holler
    call out loudly
    “Hurry, or else!” Carlos hollered impatiently.
  31. squat
    sit on one's heels
    “It’s easy, Don Gabriel,” Papa said. “The main thing is to make sure the strawberry is ripe and not bruised or rotten. And when you get tired from squatting, you can pick on your knees.”
  32. lunge
    make a thrusting forward movement
    Gabriel sprung up and, with both hands clenched, lunged at the contratista.
  33. hoe
    dig with a tool with a flat blade
    “Listen, hüerquito, I want you to hoe weeds. But first, give me and Gabriel a hand,” he said.
  34. till
    work land as by ploughing to make it ready for cultivation
    The contratista tied one end of a thick rope to it and, handing the other end to Gabriel, said, “Here, tie this around your waist. I want you to till the furrows.”
  35. leech
    a follower who hangs around a host in hope of advantage
    He thinks he’s a big man because he runs the bracero camp for the growers. He’s nothing but a leech!
  36. dignity
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    Then, picking up his hat and putting it on, he added, “He can cheat me out of my money. He can fire me. But he can’t force me do what isn’t right. He can’t take away my dignity. That he can’t do!”
  37. hack
    chop or cut away
    Gabriel cursed as he hacked at the weeds.
  38. restless
    worried and uneasy
    When I got home from work that evening, I felt restless.
  39. barrack
    a building or group of buildings to house military personnel
    Trampita, Torito, Ruben, and Manuelito followed me to the front of our barrack.
  40. swagger
    walk with a lofty proud gait
    After a few moments, he cocked his head back, spat on the ground, and swaggered toward us saying, “OK, Manuelito can play.”
Created on Wed Nov 15 19:54:37 EST 2017 (updated Wed Aug 29 14:33:21 EDT 2018)

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