Crash: Chapters 23–49

by Jerry Spinelli
John Coogan, better known as Crash, is a bully — but new experiences and unexpected friendships challenge to Crash to reevaluate the ways he interacts with others.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–11, Chapters 12–22, Chapters 23–49
12 words 1098 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. pathetic
    inspiring scornful pity
    "—but you’re just pathetic. You have a big mouth. You bully people around..."
  2. obnoxious
    causing disapproval or protest
    "...You don’t care about anybody’s feelings. You’re just a big, dumb, obnoxious jockstrap."
  3. crusader
    someone who pushes to improve something by changing it
    The cheerleading coach told them, Okay, enough is enough. You want to be cheerleaders or you want to be crusaders, it’s up to you.
  4. pike
    a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic
    They show the bulldozers coming down the pike in flatbed trucks.
  5. respectable
    conforming to socially acceptable morals or standards
    So when I shop for you sometimes, to get you to wear something respectable, I just tell you I bought it there.
  6. vermin
    any of various small animals or insects that are pests
    My father snapped back, “That’s exactly right. And that’s why I work seventy hours a week, to make a good home for you — you, not vermin. Which is what that” — he pointed at the woodpile — “will attract.”
  7. decal
    a design that can be transferred from paper to some surface
    And I entertained myself by trying to picture what he might get for Christmas. Maybe a nice shirt from Second Time Around with only two holes in it. And a nice string bean from Aunt Mabel and an oatburger from Uncle Harvey. And a nice BAN ALL MALLS AND WARS decal to paste across his forehead.
  8. woozy
    feeling dizzy or unsteady
    They were so gorgeous, I felt woozy. Three colors.
  9. caper
    a ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement
    Mike said he has a new Webb caper. Something to do with tricking him into eating meat.
  10. heave
    throw with great effort
    I heave the baton into the air high as the pennants wave over the stadium, and the hurricane finally catches me and I close my eyes and let it wash over me: “COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGAN!”
  11. pennant
    a flag that usually tapers and is longer than it is wide
    I heave the baton into the air high as the pennants wave over the stadium, and the hurricane finally catches me and I close my eyes and let it wash over me: “COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGAN!”
  12. fleck
    a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
    Cinder flecks from his feet pecked at my shins. I was still behind.
Created on Fri Aug 23 20:01:16 EDT 2019 (updated Wed Jul 30 13:37:35 EDT 2025)

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