The Lightning Thief Chapter 1

Elizabeth S.
35 words 290 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. kleptomaniac
    someone with an irrational urge to steal
    All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.
  2. dyslexia
    impaired ability to learn to read
    But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C- in my life.
  3. stele
    an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings
    He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age.
  4. pulverize
    make into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust
    Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it .
  5. vaporized
    converted into a gas or vapor
    She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.
  6. ADHD
    condition characterized by behavioral and learning disorders
    The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.
  7. scruffy
    shabby and untidy
    He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee.
  8. contaminate
    make impure
    My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.
  9. wispy
    thin and weak
    He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin.
  10. Tartarus
    a place where the wicked are punished after death
    The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld.
  11. disgorge
    eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth
    Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the titan's stomach.
  12. snicker
    laugh quietly
    Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"
  13. titan
    a person of exceptional importance and reputation
    Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the titan's stomach.
  14. sphinx
    a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head
    He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age.
  15. misinterpret
    construe wrongly
    The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.
  16. frayed
    worn away or tattered along the edges
    He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee.
  17. frieze
    an ornament consisting of a horizontal sculptured band
    Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it .
  18. scythe
    an edge tool for cutting grass
    The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld.
  19. spawn
    the mass of eggs deposited by fish or amphibians or mollusks
    From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn.
  20. screech
    sharp piercing cry
    She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.
  21. utensil
    an implement for practical use
    Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."
  22. Zeus
    the supreme god of ancient Greek mythology
    Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the titan's stomach.
  23. slash
    cut with sweeping strokes; as with an ax or machete
    With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear.
  24. metropolitan
    relating to or characteristic of a large urban area
    And once you know that, it's only a matter of time d two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.
  25. triumphant
    experiencing victory
    There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester.
  26. immortal
    not subject to death
    Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the titan's stomach.
  27. promising
    likely to have a successful outcome or positive results
    As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc.,
  28. massive
    containing a great quantity of matter
    We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes.
  29. snatch
    grasp hastily or eagerly
    I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore.
  30. gesture
    motion of hands or body to emphasize a thought or feeling
    She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.
  31. despite
    contemptuous disregard
    But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C- in my life.
  32. Latin
    any dialect of the language of ancient Rome
    But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.
  33. absolutely
    totally and definitely; without question
    He looked at me real serious and said, "You're absolutely right."
  34. grave
    a place for the burial of a corpse
    He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age.
  35. ancient
    belonging to times long past
    And once you know that, it's only a matter of time d two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.
Created on Sun Feb 28 16:46:49 EST 2010

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