Other Words for Home: Parts Five–Six

by Jasmine Warga
After she is sent to Cincinnati to escape unrest in Syria, twelve-year-old Jude struggles to adjust to life in the United States.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Parts One–Two, Parts Three–Four, Parts Five–Six
20 words 466 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. downcast
    directed toward a lower place
    Baba shakes his head,
    his eyes downcast.
    But when his eyes meet mine again,
    there is a spark of hope.
  2. reverence
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
    People are talking all around me,
    Abigail Beth Malone is whispered with reverence
    and I know she is the eighth grader
    who last year as a seventh grader
    snagged a talking part in the musical.
  3. sneer
    express through a scornful smile
    Mina doesn’t want to make sets, she sneers,
    and I know she is talking about Layla,
    turning her nose up at my friend.
  4. icebreaker
    an initial activity to relax a tense or formal atmosphere
    And as he answers
    the first “icebreaker” question—
    an American term
    I have just learned,
    but am already really fond of—
    I temporarily forget about
    all the miles between me
    and home.
  5. antidote
    a remedy that stops or controls the effects of a poison
    I laugh a little,
    which makes him smile,
    which makes me think again
    about how Miles is a pretty good
    antidote for miles.
  6. expanse
    a wide and open space or area, as of land, sea, or sky
    How do I put into words what I think it would be like
    to stand on a rock
    in the middle of a black expanse?
  7. extraterrestrial
    originating, located, or occurring outside Earth
    But I think Miles is interesting
    with his facts about space
    and his theories about extraterrestrial life
    and his voice that is soft but solid
    like rain on a roof.
  8. fixate
    pay attention to exclusively and obsessively
    I am upset and sad about what she tells me,
    but confused why she is so fixated on this news
    when it happened in a city
    so far away from us.
  9. hostile
    characterized by enmity or ill will
    I do not want to believe her,
    but soon I come to understand,
    as the glances shot in my direction
    turn from slightly unsure
    to plainly hostile.
  10. flush
    turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
    He is panting and his face is flushed from the cold air.
  11. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    His words are jumbled
    and somehow that comforts me.
    To know that he gets nervous and flustered too.
  12. reluctantly
    with a certain degree of unwillingness
    I sit down in the front booth
    and she reluctantly sits down in front of me.
  13. jut
    extend out or project in space
    As I pretend to have Plumette’s confidence,
    as I put my hand on my hip and jut it out,
    I glance around to see if Layla sees me,
    but whenever I look in her direction,
    she isn’t looking back.
  14. smattering
    a small number or amount
    It is a clear night
    and I can see a smattering
    of stars.
  15. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    He gives me a big hug,
    and it is unexpected because my baba is not
    one for big hugs and so I assumed my uncle would be
    the same way.
  16. offset
    make up for
    All because Mama
    and a few of her friends from the mosque
    have organized a fund raiser for Layla’s parents
    to help them offset the costs
    of the damage
    to their restaurant,
    to help them heal.
  17. mural
    a painting that is applied to a wall surface
    We are sitting beside Layla
    who is putting the finishing touches
    on one of the set murals
    that depicts the French countryside.
  18. depict
    show in, or as in, a picture
    We are sitting beside Layla
    who is putting the finishing touches
    on one of the set murals
    that depicts the French countryside.
  19. speculate
    talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way
    I listen to Mama and Baba speculate
    about what Amal will be like when she gets older.
  20. contraction
    a word made by leaving out letters of a word or words
    We’re going to be fantastic tonight, Sarah says,
    and her use of we’re,
    a contraction that I have practiced over and over
    in Mrs. Ravenswood’s class
    feels like a tiny present to me
    that I am so happy to unwrap.
Created on Tue Jul 02 15:00:25 EDT 2019 (updated Tue Jul 02 15:21:13 EDT 2019)

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