Genuine Fraud: List 4

by E. Lockhart
This suspenseful novel, told in reverse chronological order, follows Jule West Williams, a scrappy and resourceful orphan who develops an intense friendship with Imogen, a privileged heiress.

This list covers Chapters 9–6.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5

Here is a link to our lists for We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.
40 words 8 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. glamorous
    having an air of allure, romance and excitement
    The hotel was glamorous in a touristy way, very turquoise.
  2. bail
    money forfeited if the accused fails to appear in court
    “I used to grow it in my walk-in closet with lights and then sell it. It was Portland. You wouldn’t think anyone there would care. But the cops busted me, and when I was out on bail I took a flight to Miami. From there I got a boat over to PR, then from there took the ferry here.”
  3. trivial
    of little substance or significance
    My stupid pregnancy scare and friendship drama and boyfriend problems and bad grades—it was all too trivial to even mention.
  4. dread
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    Then the morning I left, while my mom was driving me up to Vassar, I got hit with dread.
  5. radical
    far beyond the norm
    I know that must sound selfish, but I had to do something radical.
  6. fawning
    attempting to win favor by flattery
    She didn’t want to talk to a bunch of fawning high schoolers.
  7. concierge
    a caretaker in an apartment complex or hotel
    The concierge gave Jule the phone number of a guy with a boat for rent.
  8. informal
    not in accord with established conventions and requirements
    The boat guy said he’d meet them on the dock that extended from the far end of the beach. It was very informal.
  9. sulky
    sullen or moody
    Immie was sulky. She said the life jackets were cracked and the boat needed a paint job. But she got in it anyway.
  10. tacky
    tastelessly showy
    The muscles she worked so hard on seemed oafish, and the pale blue suit she’d worn all summer tacky.
  11. surge
    a sudden forceful flow
    Jule looked at her and felt a surge of affection.
  12. fatigue
    temporary loss of strength and energy from hard work
    Nothing of their quarrel mattered. It was fatigue, that was all.
  13. obligated
    caused by law or conscience to follow a certain course
    “You shouldn’t go back to the Vineyard because you feel obligated to Forrest, of all people,” said Jule.
  14. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    It was the truth, and it came out of Jule’s chest, loud and plaintive.
  15. wane
    grow smaller
    The feeling of triumph waned and Jule jumped into the sea, grabbing Immie by the shoulder.
  16. inflection
    the patterns of stress and intonation in a language
    They had the same East Coast inflection to their speech.
  17. unruly
    unable to be governed or controlled
    He was white, with pink cheeks, a square face, and unruly dark hair.
  18. consistently
    in a systematic or steady manner
    “He wanted a raise and he was consistently late. You wouldn’t give him more money. That has nothing to do with him killing himself.”
  19. rational
    consistent with or based on or using reason
    “Scott was a nice guy, and it’s sad that he died, but nobody killed him. Act rational.”
  20. patronize
    treat condescendingly
    “You live in my home. You eat my food and drive my car and have your messes cleaned up by that poor boy I used to pay. Some part of you hates me for that, Forrest. You hate me because I can afford this life and I make my own decisions—so you patronize me and dismiss my ideas.”
  21. nonchalant
    marked by casual unconcern or indifference
    Jule made herself sound nonchalant.
  22. conspiratorial
    relating to or characteristic of a secret plot or agreement
    “I have an idea,” said Imogen conspiratorially.
  23. petulant
    easily irritated or annoyed
    “You didn’t meet this dog,” said Scott, petulant.
  24. immoral
    deliberately violating principles of right and wrong
    “You are my yard boy, my pool boy, my cleaner. You work here. You have done a decent job, and you’ve been a good guy to hang around with now and again. That does not put me under any obligation to help you when you have done an illegal and immoral thing to a poor, defenseless dog.”
  25. righteous
    morally justified
    She wanted to feel righteous and strong instead of embarrassed and betrayed.
  26. trek
    any long and difficult trip
    After the long trek down from the parking lot, she walked along the edge of the water.
  27. lank
    long and thin and often limp
    Forrest was adjusting his lank hair back into its bun.
  28. ornery
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    “He likes ornery women,” said Imogen.
  29. endearing
    lovable especially in a childlike or naive way
    “It’s one of his few endearing qualities.”
  30. gargantuan
    of great mass; huge and bulky
    “Listen, come with us to the house. We can swim in the pool and you can stay for dinner. Some temporary people are coming over, new friends who are just on the island for a couple weeks. We’re going to grill steaks. It’s just in Menemsha. You won’t believe the house. It’s gargantuan.”
  31. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    “Come on. It’ll be fun,” she coaxed. “I haven’t had any girl talk in ages.”
  32. effete
    excessively self-indulgent, affected, or decadent
    They were uniformly young: good-looking, effete boys and equally good-looking, loud girls.
  33. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
    The salesman bustled around and lined up six rings on a velvet tray. Imogen fingered them reverently.
  34. excruciating
    extremely painful
    The fact of having witnessed that scene was excruciating.
  35. whim
    an odd or fanciful or capricious idea
    “You have an apartment in London?” Jule looked at the onion while she was peeling it.
    “It was an investment,” Immie said. “And kind of a whim...."
  36. apathetic
    marked by a lack of interest
    She didn’t mind disagreement, but she hated people who were apathetic and indecisive.
  37. indecisive
    characterized by lack of firmness in purpose or belief
    She didn’t mind disagreement, but she hated people who were apathetic and indecisive.
  38. articulate
    characterized by clear expressive language
    She was scrappy yet willing to please, feminist yet feminine, full of rage yet friendly, articulate yet not dogmatic.
  39. dogmatic
    characterized by assertion of unproved principles
    She was scrappy yet willing to please, feminist yet feminine, full of rage yet friendly, articulate yet not dogmatic.
  40. threadbare
    thin and tattered with age
    Her blue flannel shirt was threadbare and old, and her silky blond hair was up in a topknot.
Created on Wed Nov 28 21:36:41 EST 2018 (updated Wed Dec 12 11:50:24 EST 2018)

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