Love, Hate & Other Filters: Chapters 3-7

by Samira Ahmed
Maya Aziz thinks her biggest problem is convincing her traditional parents to allow her to study filmmaking in New York City — but when a terrorist attack is committed near her hometown, she must also confront prejudice in her community.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-2, Chapters 3-7, Chapters 8-11, Chapters 12-17, Chapter 18-Epilogue
40 words 30 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
    Twenty minutes later I’m parking my mom’s conspicuous Mercedes in front of the Idle Hour.
  2. celluloid
    flammable substance used in motion-picture and X-ray film
    Granted, nobody wanted them in the first place, but I pleaded with Richard and Anna to spare their celluloid (well, digitized) lives.
  3. languid
    lacking spirit or liveliness
    He has this walk that is somehow languid and confident at the same time.
  4. gangly
    tall, thin, and awkward
    Phil probably has a good ten inches on me, but unlike the other tall kids I know, he isn’t gangly or clumsy.
  5. veneer
    cover with an ornamental coating
    Satisfied, he takes a sealed envelope from the black gym bag on the floor and lays it across the veneered pressboard desk, making sure it’s straight.
  6. flout
    treat with contemptuous disregard
    “Well, who am I to flout tradition?”
  7. alcove
    a small recess opening off a large room or garden
    Also, fact: two days ago, Violet and I spied Phil and Lisa kissing, and apparently making up, in an alcove by art class.
  8. gamely
    in a plucky or sporting manner
    Of course he’s confused. What non-desi wouldn’t be? Still, he continues gamely. “You mean dating, getting engaged—”
  9. pretense
    feign or make believe with intention to deceive
    And I can’t even blame him, because it’s not pretense; it’s just being a nice guy.
  10. copious
    large in number or quantity
    My parents can’t shut down their office for vacation, so I’ll be stuck in Batavia, editing film clips, inhaling copious amounts of ice cream.
  11. sentimentality
    the quality of being falsely emotional in a maudlin way
    He remembers the teacher’s name. But he won’t allow himself to say it out loud or allow it to linger in his memory. He forces the teacher from his mind. No time for sentimentality.
  12. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    “Well, my wry little niece, he’s definitely trying to make an impression. And he asked your parents for permission to see you, right? A very suitable boy, indeed.”
  13. duvet
    a soft quilt usually filled with down
    The raw silk duvet cover is a deep bronze color.
  14. tacit
    implied by or inferred from actions or statements
    She rarely talks about the guys she dates; it must be some tacit agreement she has with my mother.
  15. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    “It was. Of course, we could never really go anywhere, so the entire fleeting romance took place on school grounds.”
  16. debrief
    elicit a report from someone about a mission, job, or event
    “The thing is,” I say, after my breathless debrief, “the timing is all so bizarre, I mean why now? Why me?”
  17. marrow
    the most essential or vital part of some idea or experience
    “I’m willing to take that risk because I’m the kind of guy that lives on the edge. You know, carpe diem. Suck the marrow out of life.”
  18. repertoire
    the range of skills in a particular field or occupation
    “So besides tempting fate with melted cheese and literary airs of pretension, what else is in your risk-taking repertoire?”
  19. escapade
    any carefree episode
    I don’t have those Kodachrome images of my own childhood escapades.
  20. shroud
    cover as if with a burial garment
    A host shows us to our table—a booth toward the back, partially hidden by velvet curtains that can be undone to shroud the space entirely.
  21. checkered
    marked by changeable fortune
    “It’s very film noir. All we need is a fog machine and a dame with a gun and checkered past.”
  22. worldly
    very sophisticated and experienced
    I want to be worldly and sophisticated.
  23. lapsed
    no longer active or practicing
    We both crack up, because we know it’s the one line even most lapsed Muslims won’t cross.
  24. revel
    take delight in
    I revel in the moment, the echo of his skin against mine.
  25. unfettered
    not bound or restrained, as by shackles and chains
    For once, I feel unfettered happiness for her without a touch of envy.
  26. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    It’s impossible to be cute or aloof while thrashing around in abject fear of drowning.
  27. ablution
    the act of washing oneself, as for ritual purposes
    She’s never even uttered the word, but she’s covered all the bases regarding ablution, hair removal, and the power of kajal—the sooty black eyeliner favored by generations of South Asian women.
  28. filial
    relating to or characteristic of or befitting an offspring
    “Mom” is for regular days, and the Urdu “ummi” for increasingly rare moments of filial affection.
  29. surreptitious
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
    She means boys like Phil. Boys you secretly tutor and meet for surreptitious swimming lessons. Shiny-eyed, beautiful boys that can pull you in the wrong direction.
  30. heathen
    a person who does not acknowledge your god
    “Can you continue your marriage pep talk another day? I swear I won’t run off and marry a heathen tonight.”
  31. wan
    lacking vitality as from weariness or illness or unhappiness
    My mom tosses me a final wan smile—I love you, but I remain disappointed—and shuts the door.
  32. psychedelic
    having vivid colors and bizarre patterns
    The association with the method is unfortunate, because unlike the large psychedelic Deadhead patterns and colors, bandini tie-dyes are delicate and intricate.
  33. primp
    dress or groom with elaborate care
    I bite my lips so I don’t laugh and give myself away before he’s done primping.
  34. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    Gnarled old vines cover half the façade of the house, and the yellowish stones are smoothed from rain.
  35. facade
    the front of a building
    Gnarled old vines cover half the façade of the house, and the yellowish stones are smoothed from rain.
  36. loft
    propel through the air
    Phil walks over to the beach and lofts the plaid blanket in the air; it billows out as he brings it to rest on the sand.
  37. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    Phil walks over to the beach and lofts the plaid blanket in the air; it billows out as he brings it to rest on the sand.
  38. rivulet
    a small stream
    Thin rivulets of water stream down his back and arms.
  39. impish
    naughtily or annoyingly playful
    He shrugs with an impish grin.
  40. whorl
    a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles
    I can feel the wrinkles of his pruney fingertips embedding their whorls into my body.
Created on Thu May 10 09:33:25 EDT 2018 (updated Thu May 10 15:15:11 EDT 2018)

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