Gregor the Overlander: Chapters 14–18

by Suzanne Collins
In the basement of their New York City apartment building, Gregor and his little sister discover a portal to an underground world populated by giant bats, insects, and rodents.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–18, Chapters 19–27

Here are links to our lists for other books by Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. patronizing
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    He was sure they would be more smug and patronizing than ever.
  2. rouse
    cause to become awake or conscious
    He roused Boots, who seemed to enjoy her new surroundings.
  3. vigorously
    in an energetic manner
    “Beeg Bug take Boots ride!” she said, patting him more vigorously on the head.
  4. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
    “More ride?” pleaded Boots. Temp fell on his face reverently, and she clambered onto his back.
  5. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    “More ride?” pleaded Boots. Temp fell on his face reverently, and she clambered onto his back.
  6. inadvertently
    without knowledge or intention
    As he worked, he inadvertently flipped the switch on when the flashlight was pointing at Luxa and Henry.
  7. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Mareth nodded and gingerly set the dead batteries back by Gregor.
  8. indignantly
    in a manner showing anger at something unjust or wrong
    “The crawlers have refused to come.”
    Luxa’s head snapped up indignantly. “Refused? On what grounds?”
  9. dismissive
    showing indifference or disregard
    “That is rumor,” said Henry dismissively.
  10. evasive
    deliberately vague or ambiguous
    “It does not matter what I think, if that is the truth,” said Luxa evasively.
  11. ponder
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “But is it the truth? That is an excellent question for the future ruler of Regalia to ponder,” said Vikus.
  12. concentric
    having a common center
    He could see the figures stretching out in every direction in perfect concentric rings.
  13. absorption
    the mental state of being preoccupied by something
    There was something else, the solemnity of the scene, the complete silence, the absorption.
  14. agile
    moving quickly and lightly
    Vikus gave the job to Henry’s big black bat, Ares, as he was both strong and agile, and Henry rode with Luxa.
  15. repertoire
    a collection of works that an artist or company can perform
    She sang her whole repertoire of songs, which included “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”; “Hey, Diddle, Diddle”; “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider”; “The Alphabet Song”; and, of course “Patty-Cake, Patty-Cake.”
  16. sprawl
    go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
    Gregor could tell the roaches’ domain sprawled over a much larger area than Regalia or the bats’ caves.
  17. expendable
    suitable to be used up
    “Run!” he ordered. Gregor tried to object, but Vikus cut him off. “Run, Gregor! The rest of us are expendable; you are not!”
  18. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    The leader, a gnarled gray rat with a diagonal scar across his face, pointed at Gregor and hissed, “Kill him!”
  19. hilt
    the handle of a sword or dagger
    He glanced back for a second and saw Vikus knock the scarred rat into the river with the hilt of his sword.
  20. beady
    small, round, and shiny
    Six beady black eyes, bristly legs, and massive jaws that ended in curved, pointed fangs.
  21. bristly
    having or covered with protective barbs or spines
    Six beady black eyes, bristly legs, and massive jaws that ended in curved, pointed fangs.
  22. divert
    send on a course different from the planned or intended one
    He quickly diverted the flashlight beam.
  23. plaintively
    in a manner expressing sorrow
    “We go home?” she asked plaintively. “See Mama?”
  24. lair
    the place where a wild animal lives
    “Well, we have to get Daddy first,” he said, trying to sound optimistic even though they were dangling helplessly in a spider’s lair.
  25. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    When Henry materialized on the stone floor below him, Gregor wanted to cry with relief.
  26. horde
    a vast multitude
    A horde of spiders surrounded them.
  27. gauzy
    so thin as to transmit light
    Gregor watched a gorgeous, gauzy funnel of silk grow up around them as if by magic.
  28. sentry
    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
    Two took positions as sentries at the top.
  29. antagonize
    provoke the hostility of
    “I doubt it not. It is not the spiders’ goal to antagonize us,” said Solovet. “Only to hold us until they can determine what to do.”
  30. welt
    a raised mark on the skin
    Gregor touched his cheek and found that welts had formed where the webs had ripped off.
  31. fester
    generate pus
    “But you must wash the glue from your skin or it will fester.”
  32. resolutely
    showing firm determination or purpose
    Luxa nodded resolutely. “We can do it. Let us not wait.”
  33. pacify
    ease the anger, agitation, or strong emotion of
    “No, cookie, no, cookie, no, no, no!” said Boots, way past the point of being pacified.
  34. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    She was writhing in terror, trying to bite through the silk rope at her wrist with her teeth, but it was too strong.
  35. unearthly
    suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
    Boots’s unearthly shrieks were causing many of the spiders to curl up in cowering balls.
  36. cower
    show submission or fear
    Boots’s unearthly shrieks were causing many of the spiders to curl up in cowering balls.
  37. comatose
    in a state of deep and usually prolonged unconsciousness
    Temp and Tick seemed almost comatose from fear.
  38. rally
    return to a former condition
    When they realized the princess did not in fact hate them, Temp and Tick rallied and ran around playing tag with her.
  39. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    She tentatively took a sip, and her eyes widened.
  40. aspire
    have an ambitious plan or a lofty goal
    “She treats all with an equality I myself aspire to. Come, let us eat.”
Created on Thu Jul 19 21:15:06 EDT 2018 (updated Fri Jul 27 11:12:54 EDT 2018)

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