The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate: Chapters 3–6

by Jacqueline Kelly
The year is 1899, and 11-year-old Callie enjoys studying Darwin and exploring the natural world with her grandfather — but her traditional mother wants Callie to spend her time engaged in "ladylike" pursuits like cooking and sewing. As a new century dawns, Callie must struggle to balance her desires and interests with the expectations of society.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–6, Chapters 7–8, Chapters 9–15, Chapters 16–22, Chapters 23–28
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. portly
    fairly large
    A portly, dusty possum emerged from under the house to forage for his nocturnal breakfast of kitchen scraps and whatnot.
  2. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    She approached the corpse with caution and tentatively sniffed the ground around him.
  3. cadge
    ask or beg for something and get it for free
    After a while, she got bored and wandered off to the kitchen door, hoping to cadge a handout from Viola.
  4. supple
    moving and bending with ease
    “The creature and I regarded each other for a few minutes. It had an intelligent eye and soft, tender fur. It looked like a miniature fox. The wing was leathery, yes, but not cool or repulsive; instead, it was as supple and fine as a kid glove warmed by a lady’s hand.”
  5. placidly
    in a quiet and tranquil manner
    One bat looks much like another to the untutored human eye. He hung there regarding me placidly enough, then went to sleep.
  6. exhort
    spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts
    All day long, I sortied up and down the line, exhorting our boys and offering what cheer I could.
  7. unlettered
    having little acquaintance with writing
    One unlettered boy followed me back to my tent and begged me to write his letter for him.
  8. apprehension
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    I opened the flap with great apprehension, sure that my bat had panicked and flown away.
  9. chaplain
    a member of the clergy ministering to some institution
    If a soldier was too badly wounded, he was put aside and given a canteen and a grain or two of morphia and any comfort he could take from the chaplain.
  10. gangrene
    the localized death of living cells
    The ones with the shattered arms and legs required urgent amputation before they bled to death, or before the dry gangrene or the wet pus set in.
  11. doddering
    mentally or physically infirm with age
    I thought of the doddering old war veterans who sat along the gallery in front of the cotton gin and spat their tobacco and bored everybody with the same stories they’d been telling for decades.
  12. dote
    shower with love; show excessive affection for
    Viola doted on her, which was odd since she barely tolerated the other cats—the Outside Cats—and sometimes swept them off the back porch with her broom.
  13. speculative
    showing curiosity
    He held a small vial up to the light and looked at it speculatively.
  14. carafe
    a bottle with a stopper
    He poured me a glass of water from the carafe he kept handy to rinse away the taste of his experiments.
  15. larder
    a small storeroom for storing foods or wines
    Could I make it to the larder without being seen by Mother?
  16. repute
    the state of being held in high esteem and honor
    It was Travis, the ten-year-old, clutching one of his new litter of kittens, all of which he’d named after gunslingers, outlaws, and others of low repute.
  17. skedaddle
    run away, as if in a panic
    Then he skedaddled down the hall, not wanting to be caught talking to the condemned prisoner.
  18. imbibe
    take in liquids
    My throat still burned, but I was filled with gratification that with all those brothers, I was the first to imbibe.
  19. tonic
    a medicine that strengthens and invigorates
    Later I found out that Mother’s health tonic, her Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound for Women, was nearly 20 percent alcohol.
  20. respite
    a relief from harm or discomfort
    The summer wore on, and I found respite in the coolness of the river and the dimness of Granddaddy’s laboratory.
  21. dissonant
    lacking in harmony
    Sometimes she would smack my knuckles so hard that my hands crashed into the keys, causing an ugly dissonant chord to detonate in the middle of the piece.
  22. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    I was the worst kind of coward; I seethed in silence and never said anything to anybody.
  23. imposition
    an uncalled-for burden
    And why did only Harry and I have to suffer through this wretched weekly imposition of culture?
  24. beleaguer
    annoy persistently
    He’d manhandle one of the beleaguered cats up onto the keyboard
    and coax it with a scrap of ham to walk back and forth.
  25. smidgen
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
    Mother had finally noticed that I seemed to have less hair than expected, but I explained that it had snarled so badly over the summer, what with the terrible sticker burrs, that I had been forced to chop out the rats’ nests and then cut a smidgen more to even everything up.
  26. primp
    dress or groom with elaborate care
    Mrs. Ogletree even primped her boy Georgie, whom she’d gadded up in a green velvet Little Lord Fauntleroy suit.
  27. becoming
    displaying or setting off to best advantage
    Miss Brown swept in wearing a new and unbecoming chartreuse gown and clapped her hands for attention.
  28. deportment
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    Miss Brown said, “Children, this is the time for your very best deportment. Chins up. Chests out.”
  29. precipice
    a very steep cliff
    I followed in terror and somehow made it to the top without falling on my face, and then stopped myself just in time from staring into the dazzling limelights that marked the edge of the precipice.
  30. inroad
    an encroachment or intrusion
    She gave a small speech about this splendid occasion, about Culture making inroads in Caldwell County, oh yes, and how young minds and fingers benefited from exposure to the Great Composers, and how she hoped the parents there would appreciate her hard work in molding their children to value the Finer Things in Life, since we were still living, after all, almost on the edge of the Wild Frontier.
Created on Wed Aug 22 10:53:29 EDT 2018 (updated Wed Aug 22 11:32:46 EDT 2018)

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