"Casey at the Bat"

Don't strike out with this list based on Ernest Lawrence Thayer's poem "Casey at the Bat." Be the umpire and call out all the words that connect to sadness and pride.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 7 Unit 4's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, maggie and milly and molly and may, Mother to Son, Haikus, It Happened in Montgomery, Monologues, The Raven, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Casey at the Bat, Outlaws and Highwaymen, The Highwayman, We Wear the Mask, Twelfth Night
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. brilliant
    characterized by grandeur
    The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day
  2. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
    A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
  3. despair
    a state in which all hope is lost or absent
    A straggling few got up to go in deep despair.
  4. precede
    come before
    But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake
  5. latter
    the second of two or the second mentioned of two
    And the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a fake
  6. melancholy
    a feeling of thoughtful sadness
    So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat
  7. despise
    look down on with disdain or disgust
    And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball
  8. recoil
    spring back, as from a forceful thrust
    It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat
  9. bearing
    characteristic way of holding one's body
    There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile lit Casey's face.
  10. doff
    remove
    And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat
  11. applaud
    clap one's hands or shout to indicate approval
    Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
  12. writhing
    moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion
    Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip
  13. defiance
    intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
    Defiance flashed in Casey's eye
  14. sneer
    a facial expression of contempt or scorn
    a sneer curled Casey's lip
  15. sphere
    any round-shaped artifact
    And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air
  16. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
  17. unheeded
    disregarded
    Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped
  18. muffle
    deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping
    From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar
  19. visage
    the human face
    With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone
  20. tumult
    a state of commotion and noise and confusion
    He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on
  21. fraud
    a person who makes deceitful pretenses
    " Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered " Fraud!"
  22. scornful
    expressing extreme contempt
    But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
  23. stern
    serious and harsh in manner or behavior
    They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain
  24. clench
    squeeze together tightly
    The sneer has fled from Casey's lip, the teeth are clenched in hate
  25. favor
    bestow a privilege upon
    Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright
Created on September 15, 2014 (updated September 15, 2014)

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