Gone Crazy in Alabama: List 2

by Rita Williams-Garcia
When sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern visit relatives in Alabama, they find themselves in the middle of an unexpected family feud. Learn these words from the last book in the Gaither Sisters trilogy.

This list covers Straight from Sophie–Sophie’s On.

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

Here are links to our lists for other books by Rita Williams-Garcia: One Crazy Summer, P.S. Be Eleven, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground
35 words 34 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bent
    fixed in your purpose
    Even though my cousin was bent on flaunting his age and height over me, I relished the time I spent with him apart from my sisters.
  2. flaunt
    display proudly
    Even though my cousin was bent on flaunting his age and height over me, I relished the time I spent with him apart from my sisters.
  3. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    Even though my cousin was bent on flaunting his age and height over me, I relished the time I spent with him apart from my sisters.
  4. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    “Twins nothing,” Ma Charles said, truly riled by the thought.
  5. sly
    marked by skill in deception
    JimmyTrotter gave her a “Yes’m, Auntie,” and threw me another sly wink.
  6. ruffle
    disturb the composure of
    “What’s that to me?” Ma Charles said, but she was now ruffled at being contradicted.
  7. contradict
    prove negative; show to be false
    “What’s that to me?” Ma Charles said, but she was now ruffled at being contradicted.
  8. rheumatism
    a chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints
    “Miss Trotter’s just fine, Auntie,” he said, although she was his great-aunt. “And she wants to know if your rheumatism’s any better. If you need another bottle of ginger and goldenseal.”
  9. textile
    of or relating to fabrics or fabric making
    Uncle Darnell stopped looking her way while he told stories about his job at the textile mill over in Prattville.
  10. amends
    something done or paid to make up for a wrong
    He finally said as he passed the biscuit platter, “Vonetta, I’ve already apologized. I was a different man then. But as far as I’m concerned I’ve made amends. That’s all you get.”
  11. slug
    strike heavily, especially with the fist or a bat
    Vonetta’s neck went rolling along with her cow eyes. “If you want to accept his sorry, then go ahead, you sorry, sorry sisters.” And then she stood up to me like she was going to slug me.
  12. spout
    talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner
    “Wild,” Big Ma scolded. “Just wild. Send them to Oakland to see their mother and they come back wild. Your father brings Miss Women’s Lib into the house spouting her nonsense and my grands they think they’re wild and free. No one knows how to be a young lady. No sir. No one knows how to be a young lady.”
  13. stupendous
    so great in size, force, or extent as to elicit awe
    “Big Ma! Come here! Come here! I have something stupendous to show you. Unbelievably stupendous.”
  14. confound
    be confusing or perplexing to
    She had no time to fool with Fern, but Fern stamped her foot, confounded by the effort it took to get Big Ma near the chicken run.
  15. commotion
    a disorderly outburst or tumult
    There was a commotion in the chicken run, but not the spectacle that Fern had in mind.
  16. spectacle
    something or someone seen, especially a notable sight
    There was a commotion in the chicken run, but not the spectacle that Fern had in mind.
  17. etch
    carve or cut a design or letters into
    Fern’s chicken-feet etching had all but eroded in the pecking frenzy.
  18. erode
    become ground down or deteriorate
    Fern’s chicken-feet etching had all but eroded in the pecking frenzy.
  19. frenzy
    state of violent mental agitation
    Fern’s chicken-feet etching had all but eroded in the pecking frenzy.
  20. bounty
    the property of being richly abundant or plentiful
    “If you’re pleased to make a spectacle of yourself over chicken you been eating since you had teeth, go on to your room. You know better than to be crying at the table while hungry people are trying to take in the good Lord’s bounty. All them starving children in Africa going to bed hungry. You get in your bed and have a taste of hungry along with them.”
  21. bout
    a period of illness
    I expected to find Fern tummy-down, spread out on the bed and fast asleep after a bout of crying.
  22. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    I remembered how Big Ma’s face turned to wet marble, her lips grim and pursed as she starched and pressed, one iron working hard up and down a sheet while the second iron sat in flames atop the stove, waiting.
  23. queasy
    causing or fraught with or showing anxiety
    It was how Big Ma would look at me afterward that made me queasy and feel the regret.
  24. civil
    not rude
    “The ruination of all things. The collapse and ruin of all things civil. I blame your mother. And your father. And that women’s-libber. And what they’re teaching and not teaching in school. I tell you, it’s all falling apart. Mark my words. Children will stop minding grown people and worse. Much worse. You’d be different if you grew up here like your cousin, and not up there.”
  25. condolence
    an expression of sympathy with another's grief
    When I had come over with Pa to deliver our condolences personally I had seen what I thought was the same picture as the one that sat on the china cabinet in Ma Charles’s house.
  26. repast
    the food served and eaten at one time
    He’d said that when it was time to take care of the funeral arrangements and the repast three years ago, Ma Charles had to step in and handle everything because Miss Trotter wasn’t able.
  27. awestruck
    having a feeling of mixed reverence and wonder and dread
    Vonetta seemed too awestruck by Miss Trotter to cheer my being put in my place by our elder.
  28. curtsy
    a gesture involving bending the knees to show respect
    Fern took off running toward the black-and-white cows and so did Vonetta, but not before she curtsied and said, “See you later, Great Miss Trotter!”
  29. taper
    diminish gradually
    “Sophie’s a champion milking cow, although I think she’s getting ready to taper off. Don’t worry.”
  30. squabble
    argue over petty things
    JimmyTrotter shook his head like he was beyond our squabbling.
  31. oppression
    the state of being kept down by unjust use of authority
    “Ironing and sweating when you don’t have to be ironing and sweating is oppression. And I won’t be oppressed.”
  32. perspire
    excrete sweat through the pores in the skin
    I was going for a “Right on, cuz!” but JimmyTrotter laughed. “That’s oppression to you? Ironing a bedsheet and perspiring?”
  33. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    “And I might as well have broken it off. You know how it is,” I said as cool as I could muster.
  34. kin
    group of people related by blood or marriage
    She said, ‘James Trotter, if you don't hold my hand I’ll scream so loud I’ll wake your dead kin and mine.’”
  35. scorn
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    His eyes became bright in place of a smile. “Know what scorn is, cuz?”
Created on Tue Feb 12 20:20:38 EST 2019 (updated Thu Feb 28 15:26:29 EST 2019)

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