Liar & Spy: Big Picture–A Message From the Chef

by Rebecca Stead
When Georges moves to a new apartment building, he meets Safer, who enlists Georges in a scheme to spy on a mysterious neighbor. Learn these words from the novel by Rebecca Stead.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: The Science Unit of Destiny–Uncle, Bittersweet–Fieldwork, Big Picture–A Message From the Chef, Break & Enter (#3)–The Scout

Here are links to our lists for other works by Rebecca Stead: When You Reach Me, Goodbye Stranger
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. absurdity
    the state or quality of being ridiculous
    “I’m just demonstrating the absurdity of English spelling.”
  2. dissolve
    cause to fade away
    I think about how if you stand back from the painting, you can see the people, the green grass and that cute monkey on a leash, but if you get closer, the monkey kind of dissolves right in front of your eyes.
  3. illusion
    an erroneous mental representation
    “Hair—see how her hair is blowing around a little? They got married on a dock, the wind was crazy. I’m erasing some of the flying hair because it’s a distraction, but I don’t want to go too far and remove the illusion of movement, you know?”
  4. random
    lacking any definite plan or order or purpose
    “I’ve decided that the whole getting-married thing is kind of random anyway. You know how many times my grandparents met before they got married? Once! They met on a train, and that was it. You should see how much they still love each other!”
  5. obsessed
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    “I’ve been obsessed with candy since birth, practically. And same with Pigeon and—pigeons.”
  6. gargle
    rinse one's mouth and throat with a liquid
    The way she says “Seurat” is funny—it’s like she starts gargling in the middle of it.
  7. perceive
    become aware of through the senses
    “His color theory was amazing. Instead of using purple, he would put a dab of red next to a dab of blue, and together the colors would be perceived as purple. In the mind of the viewer. Isn’t that incredible?”
  8. blurt
    utter impulsively
    When I blurt all of this out on Mr. X’s doormat, Safer gives me a look and says that if I keep going down this road, I will be “paralyzed by my own logic.”
  9. paralyze
    cause to be immobile
    When I blurt all of this out on Mr. X’s doormat, Safer gives me a look and says that if I keep going down this road, I will be “paralyzed by my own logic.”
  10. logic
    reasoned and reasonable judgment
    When I blurt all of this out on Mr. X’s doormat, Safer gives me a look and says that if I keep going down this road, I will be “paralyzed by my own logic.”
  11. amateur
    someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime
    “What do you think I am? An amateur? I would never just barge in without a plan, Georges. Planning is essential. That’s why we observe habits, reactions, everything. This is what I’ve been trying to teach you.”
  12. barge
    push one's way
    “What do you think I am? An amateur? I would never just barge in without a plan, Georges. Planning is essential. That’s why we observe habits, reactions, everything. This is what I’ve been trying to teach you.”
  13. fascinating
    capable of arousing and holding the attention
    “Georges, weren’t you about to ask me downstairs? To help you look for that key? Not that it isn’t fascinating about the oranges and the seaweed.”
  14. agenda
    a list of matters to be taken up, as at a meeting
    “You still haven’t figured out how to get in. Shouldn’t that be number one on the agenda?”
  15. expire
    lose validity
    “Don’t be stupid, Georges. It’s expired. Mr. X doesn’t bolt his door, remember? For the slam-lock, this is all I need. I just shove it in that crack between the door and the frame”—he cuts down through the air with the arm holding the card—“and voila.”
  16. scornful
    expressing extreme contempt
    Safer looks at me scornfully.
  17. conscience
    motivation deriving from ethical or moral principles
    Maybe Safer has no conscience at all.
  18. speculate
    talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way
    “What visitors? You don’t even know if there were any visitors.”
    He shakes his head. “Spies don’t speculate.”
  19. vise
    a holding device attached to a workbench
    “If I’m not back in ten minutes, call the police because it means I have hot slipped in the bathroom in my socks and I am most likely in the viselike grip of a raving lunatic. Okay?”
  20. rave
    talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner
    “If I’m not back in ten minutes, call the police because it means I have hot slipped in the bathroom in my socks and I am most likely in the viselike grip of a raving lunatic. Okay?”
  21. lunatic
    an insane person
    “If I’m not back in ten minutes, call the police because it means I have hot slipped in the bathroom in my socks and I am most likely in the viselike grip of a raving lunatic. Okay?”
  22. formally
    in accord with established conventions and requirements
    Then he shakes my hand very formally and walks out the door.
  23. disturbing
    causing distress or worry or anxiety
    “I saw a couple of disturbing things up there, Georges. Very disturbing.”
  24. guzzle
    drink greedily or as if with great thirst
    I get him a glass of water, which he guzzles.
  25. toxic
    of or relating to or caused by a poison
    Mr. Landau dips a Q-tip into some blue water that he assures me is nontoxic and swabs my tongue with it.
  26. protruding
    extending out above or beyond a surface or boundary
    Then he’ gets out his digital camera, takes a close-up, and projects the picture onto the whiteboard, explaining to the class that we are looking at the blue tongue-flesh protruding through the hole in the reinforcement that is still in my mouth, magnified ten thousand times.
  27. gag
    choke or retch
    “It’s a fungus?” Carter shrieks over the gagging.
  28. colossal
    so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
    “You know what? I bet the taste test is going to prove that you’re the only freak in the class. You can’t even taste stuff. Think about what a colossal freak that makes you.”
  29. radar
    measuring instrument using pulses of microwave radiation
    Normally I don’t mind Capture the Flag! because it’s pretty easy to fly under the radar: I run around the edges of the game, I get a little exercise, and I don’t attempt anything stupid.
  30. incarcerate
    lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
    Even though most of my team is incarcerated, it’s officially a tie because they never found our flag.
  31. familiarize
    make knowledgeable about or accustomed to
    I don’t remind him that I still haven’t even seen Mr. X, let alone familiarized myself with his luggage.
  32. novice
    someone new to a field or activity
    And then, as if he can read my mind, Safer says, “You’re not a novice anymore, Georges. Is novice on your famous vocabulary list?”
  33. expertise
    skillfulness by virtue of possessing special knowledge
    “I could use your expertise in there, Georges. But if you aren’t comfortable with it, you can stand guard.”
  34. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    Safer saunters out of the kitchen, sipping a bottle of water.
  35. parched
    extremely thirsty
    “It’s not like you took anything,” Safer says. “Thirsty?” He holds the water bottle out to me.
    “Did you steal that? Did you open his refrigerator?”
    “I was parched.”
Created on Thu Jan 04 20:56:52 EST 2018 (updated Mon Sep 24 13:42:06 EDT 2018)

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