They Call Me Güero: List 2

by David Bowles
This verse novel chronicles the daily life of a Mexican-American twelve-year-old.

This list covers "La Mano Pachona"–"Cascarón War."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3
35 words 210 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. supernatural
    not able to be explained by physical laws
    I was still afraid of a supernatural threat.
  2. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    I was the smallest back then,
    sat behind my cousins as Mimi told
    the scariest stories she could muster,
    legends already old
    when she was a little girl.
  3. mischievous
    naughtily or annoyingly playful
    But I was mischievous for my size,
    reaching out to snatch cookies
    off my primos' plates as they leaned forward,
    eyes wide, eagerly hanging
    on every frightening word.
  4. renounce
    turn away from; give up
    Mimi once told us the claw had belonged
    to a Maya wizard who long ago
    refused to renounce his people's gods.
  5. prophecy
    a prediction uttered under divine inspiration
    So this had to be prophecy!
  6. stern
    strict and demanding
    "Córranle pa' sus casas," he says sternly. "Get on home,
    boys. Ain't no reason for y'all to be prowling about."
  7. prowl
    move about in or as if in a predatory manner
    "Córranle pa' sus casas," he says sternly. "Get on home,
    boys. Ain't no reason for y'all to be prowling about."
  8. tramp
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    We tramp home, silent.
  9. penance
    voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for something
    White lies,
    copied homework,
    that stolen comic book,
    a certain bottle rocket blast—
    chuckling,
    he assigns penance in English.
  10. ward
    a district into which a city or town is divided
    Handy is Mormon—his big,
    loving family goes to a meetinghouse
    in their ward the next city over.
  11. agnostic
    a person who claims the existence of God is unknowable
    He told me he's agnostic.
  12. scripture
    any writing that is regarded as sacred by a religious group
    Just now, Father García read from scripture:
    "Do not judge, and you will not be judged;
    the judgements you give are the ones you will get."
  13. halting
    proceeding in a fragmentary, hesitant, or ineffective way
    Until,
    reading a problem
    in halting English,
    he whispers these words—
    "A family takes a train."
  14. alcove
    a small recess opening off a large room or garden
    At last I find him,
    tucked into a little alcove
    near the library, crying.
  15. deportation
    the expulsion of a non-citizen from a country
    I see the worry
    in their eyes:
    Hunger, deportation,
    school bullies.
  16. sustain
    supply with necessities and support
    It's a family thing
    so he makes me help
    when school is out—
    "You need an oficio,
    a profession to sustain you."
  17. chronicle
    record in order or make a historical record of
    My uncle Joe
    is the family chronicler,
    a cowboy philosopher,
    our local expert in
    Mexican American history—
    he lived through a lot of it!
  18. philosopher
    a specialist in the investigation of existence and knowledge
    My uncle Joe
    is the family chronicler,
    a cowboy philosopher,
    our local expert in
    Mexican American history—
    he lived through a lot of it!
  19. refuge
    a safe place
    One day we head to the river,
    set up chairs in our favorite spot,
    a shady refuge at the edge of his ranch.
  20. plagiarize
    take without referencing from someone's writing or speech
    Know what I got? An F. I'm not kidding.
    Teacher said it was too good.
    Obviously plagiarized.
  21. heirloom
    something that has been in a family for generations
    Aunt Vero and my cousins Silvia and Magy spread
    a thin layer of dough on cornhusks with silver spoons.
    "Careful!" Mimi calls. "Those are family heirlooms,
    last bit of wealth from before la Revolución!"
  22. reel
    wind onto or off a revolving spool
    Mom shakes her head. "That's because they bought
    a swordfish from a beachside store. Then they lied,
    said they'd reeled it in by themselves!"
  23. clan
    group of people related by blood or marriage
    After the game, the whole clan sits down to eat,
    smiling and hungry, offering prayers and replays.
  24. teeming
    abundantly filled with especially living things
    South Padre Island
    teeming with college students,
    the warm Gulf with shrimp.
  25. pitiless
    without mercy or sympathy
    White-hot, pitiless,
    the sun bakes the earth bone-dry...
    where's the raspa man?
  26. ignorant
    uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
    He's too big,
    too mean,
    too ignorant.
  27. loom
    hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
    Rising slow across the street
    come cinderblock shells of houses,
    partly finished and partially roofed,
    promised futures looming.
  28. humble
    low or inferior in station or quality
    I feel safe on these caliche streets,
    among these humble houses—
    I hear little kids laughing
    in the distance
    and I smile.
  29. superstitious
    showing faith in magic and ignorance of the laws of nature
    SUPERSTITIOUS SENRYU

    Me and los Bobbys
    compare all the strange beliefs
    our families share.
  30. vibrant
    (of colors) bright and striking
    Half-acre dotted
    with specks of vibrant color:
    Huercos rush with joy,
    baskets swinging in their hands.
  31. jostle
    come into rough contact with while moving
    Cousins jostle me,
    competing for this ammo,
    these small gaudy bombs
    we collect in plastic bags.
  32. gaudy
    tastelessly showy
    Cousins jostle me,
    competing for this ammo,
    these small gaudy bombs
    we collect in plastic bags.
  33. lob
    propel in a high arc
    Instead, I lob eggs
    at Joseph and Álvaro,
    duck down so pingos
    like Arturo can reach me.
  34. heft
    lift or elevate
    I heft the flour-packed cascarón,
    sneaking up behind her, then
    CRASH! against her cranium:
    Dust her ghost-white in revenge.
  35. cranium
    the part of the skull that encloses the brain
    I heft the flour-packed cascarón,
    sneaking up behind her, then
    CRASH! against her cranium:
    Dust her ghost-white in revenge.
Created on Wed May 08 15:59:56 EDT 2019 (updated Thu May 09 08:26:41 EDT 2019)

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