Genuine Fraud: List 5

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 5–1 and Chapter 19.

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.
35 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. venture
    a commercial undertaking that risks a loss
    Jule wandered away from the lookout to the Aquinnah shops, a cluster of small ventures selling souvenirs, Wampanoag crafts, and snacks.
  2. idle
    lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
    She wandered in and out of the low buildings, idly touching necklaces and postcards.
  3. parcel
    a wrapped package
    She pulled out a small paper parcel and gave it to him.
  4. trinket
    a small cheap ornament, knickknack, or piece of jewelry
    “It’s a trinket,” she said. “You hate trinkets.”
    “But I like presents,” he said.
  5. espadrille
    a cloth sandal with a sole made of rope
    She returned to the shops, where she bought a pair of boyfriend jeans, three cotton tank tops, a long flowing cardigan, espadrilles, and a white sundress.
  6. wiry
    lean but strong
    He was wiry, with developed deltoids and lats: possibly a rock climber, definitely not a weight-room guy.
  7. reputation
    the general estimation that the public has for a person
    Paolo talked about traveling to escape his father’s shattered reputation and the family fallout.
  8. fallout
    any adverse and unwanted secondary effect
    Paolo talked about traveling to escape his father’s shattered reputation and the family fallout.
  9. dominant
    exercising influence or control
    He was a beautiful guy, she thought. Not all dominant and sweaty. Not all grabby and violent. Not condescending. Not all flattery and gold chains, either.
  10. flattery
    excessive or insincere praise
    He was a beautiful guy, she thought. Not all dominant and sweaty. Not all grabby and violent. Not condescending. Not all flattery and gold chains, either.
  11. unrepentant
    not feeling or expressing remorse
    “They whine to go out there before you’re up,” said Gil, unrepentant. He moved the oxygen mask to the side so he could talk. “What am I supposed to do?”
  12. plague
    any epidemic disease with a high death rate
    “She would find them on the street and they had kitty bronchitis or some other plague. They would die a tiny sad death, and Immie would burst her heart every time. Then she went to Vassar and we were left with these guys.”
  13. menorah
    a seven- or nine-branched candelabrum used in Jewish worship
    “They lit the ballroom up for the holidays, with the tree in that one corner. They had a menorah, too, of course, but they didn’t really mean it,” said Patti.
  14. gilded
    having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
    Patti brought out a thick photo album made of gilded paper.
  15. impish
    naughtily or annoyingly playful
    Jule found Imogen exceptionally pretty—short and a little impish.
  16. gruesome
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
    Her mother passed away from a long and gruesome illness.
  17. facade
    the front of a building
    The stone facade of the upper school, where Jule was to work, stood five stories high.
  18. immensity
    unusual largeness in size or extent or number
    It was strange to see them written down like a poem, each name on its own line, and each word speaking an immensity.
  19. philanthropist
    someone who makes charitable donations
    “Greenbriar was a pioneer in education for women beginning in 1926,” McIntosh said. “We occupy three beaux arts mansions that were originally private homes. The buildings are landmarked, and our donors today are philanthropists and supporters of education for girls.”
  20. loom
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    The teacher, a woman in black, would loom over them, not threatening but inspiring.
  21. inspiring
    stimulating or exalting to the spirit
    The teacher, a woman in black, would loom over them, not threatening but inspiring.
  22. excel
    distinguish oneself
    She’d push them to excel.
  23. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    It was papered in green and gold and had a small, ornate couch inside.
  24. rouge
    makeup consisting of powder applied to the cheeks
    The woman was pretty in an upper-Manhattan way: tan skin with careful rouge and dyed brown hair.
  25. dodgy
    of uncertain outcome; especially fraught with risk
    Jule got out of the subway in a dodgy Brooklyn neighborhood.
  26. bodega
    small shop selling groceries, especially in a Hispanic area
    Her apartment was a flight up from a bodega with a dingy yellow awning: the Joyful Food Mart.
  27. ruddy
    inclined to a healthy reddish color
    He couldn’t have been older than twenty-five, and he had a white baby face with ruddy cheeks, sideburns, and a gold cross around his neck.
  28. dinky
    small and insignificant
    They sat at a dinky table by a pool of water.
  29. queasy
    feeling nausea
    Lita swung her legs off the edge of the bed and clutched the side table, looking queasy.
  30. lure
    provoke someone to do something through persuasion
    Noa had tried to win Jule over with Dickens. And a sick dad. And godforsaken cats. Because she knew all those things would lure Imogen Sokoloff into conversation.
  31. execution
    the completion of a legal instrument by signing it
    She’s left zero footprint from shortly after the execution of your will until you started using credit cards under her name at the Playa Grande.
  32. vault
    a burial chamber (usually underground)
    She yanked the screen out of the window and threw it into the room. She pushed her suitcase into the open top—it barely fit—and banged it through the cheap Venetian blind. She threw her shoulder bag in and vaulted herself over the windowsill.
  33. spree
    a brief indulgence of your impulses
    A silly rich girl on a spree. Evidence so far makes it seem like she and her friend staged a suicide that was gonna let them both live large.
  34. vigilant
    carefully observant or attentive
    He had never accepted Immie’s suicide, had suspected Jule from the get-go, and what had all his vigilant questioning turned up?
  35. gullible
    naive and easily deceived or tricked
    He’d been told that Imogen had committed fraud to get away from him, and that poor, dead Jule had been nothing but a gullible victim.
Created on Wed Nov 28 21:57:41 EST 2018 (updated Wed Dec 12 11:50:32 EST 2018)

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