Paper Towns: Part 3

by John Green
When his old friend (and crush) Margo disappears, Quentin tries to find out what happened to her by following the clues she left behind.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Here are links to our lists for other books by John Green: Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down
35 words 323 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. intercept
    seize, interrupt, or stop something on its way
    Intercept the Omnictionary poster
  2. relevant
    having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    “Not relevant,” Lacey answers.
  3. indeterminate
    of uncertain or ambiguous nature
    On my way back to the cash register, I stop for a couple Starbursts, a package of Twinkies, and an indeterminate number of GoFast nutrition bars.
  4. fatal
    having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences
    In the rush of the moment, it turns out that Ben and I made some moderate (although not fatal) mistakes.
  5. schema
    a simplified or preliminary plan
    Lacey, in turn, is sorting items into piles based on an organizational schema only she understands.
  6. fortified
    having something added to increase the strength
    They’re fortified with vitamins!
  7. migrant
    traveler who moves from one region or country to another
    She’s got two little kids—her husband is a migrant.
  8. flighty
    guided by whim and fancy
    He’s a little flighty.
  9. incandescent
    characterized by ardent emotion, intensity, or brilliance
    The result is this amazing incandescent turquoise color.
  10. traumatic
    psychologically painful
    “I hope that’s like one of those traumatic events that is so damaging to my psyche that I just forget it ever happened.”
  11. exceeding
    far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree
    Also, even though I stopped drinking Bluefin a few hours ago, I still feel exceedingly twitchy.
  12. kerfuffle
    a disorderly outburst or tumult
    He pauses, and there’s a kerfuffle in the darkness back there
  13. strategy
    an elaborate and systematic plan of action
    I wonder if he has some physical strategy for checking the fullness of his bladder.
  14. nonplussed
    filled with bewilderment
    The guy looks nonplussed.
  15. amiably
    in a friendly manner
    Lacey is the right driver for the situation; I’d be pounding the steering wheel, but she’s just amiably chatting with Ben until she turns half around and says, “Q, I really need to go to the bathroom
  16. approximate
    not quite exact or correct
    Uh, I have an approximate idea of the intersection,” I say.
  17. intersection
    a junction where one street or road crosses another
    “And it’s nothing but an intersection.”
  18. unattainable
    impossible to achieve
    But when she stopped being this amazing unattainable thing or whatever, and started being, like, just a regular girl with a weird relationship with food and frequent crankiness who’s kinda bossy—then I had to basically start liking a whole different person.
  19. impassive
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
    The white beast and her spotted friend have successfully ambled to the safety of the opposite shoulder, still impassive.
  20. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    I’m assessing damage when Ben finally schleps back to the car.
  21. gouge
    an impression in a surface, as made by a blow
    As we spun, we must have grazed the fence, because there is a deep gouge on the sliding door, deep enough that if you look closely, you can just see inside the van.
  22. immaculate
    free from stain or blemish
    But other than that, it looks immaculate.
  23. rivulet
    a small stream
    We are both staring at the rivulet of foaming beer flowing into the drainage ditch beneath us.
  24. cede
    relinquish possession or control over
    If I had not ceded control of the wheel...
  25. deftly
    in an agile manner
    and if he had not assumed control of the vessel so deftly, I’m sure I’d be dead.
  26. halcyon
    idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquility
    I know I should probably hate that about interstates and yearn for the halcyon days of yore, back when you could be drenched in local color at every turn—but whatever.
  27. rendition
    a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role
    The correct answer is that we are all feeling like we will be happier after an a cappella rendition of ‘Blister in the Sun.'
  28. idyllic
    charmingly simple and serene
    We are looking for something unusual. Some crack in the perfectly idyllic landscape.
  29. acute
    (of an angle) less than 90 degrees
    Two long panes of chest-high, dirty, gray-tinted Plexiglas lean against each other at an acute angle, held up on the other side by the wooden wall.
  30. treacherous
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    What a treacherous thing it is to believe that a person is more than a person.
  31. liberate
    grant freedom to; free from confinement
    This one night would, like, liberate you.
  32. defenseless
    having no protecting or concealing cover
    But when it came right down to it, the skin of my wrist looked so white and defenseless that I couldn’t do it.
  33. sustainable
    capable of being prolonged
    My heart has been fluttering around my chest for so long now that this variety of intoxication almost seems sustainable—but only almost.
  34. fictitious
    adopted in order to deceive
    I decided to move to a fictitious place.
  35. abject
    showing utter resignation or hopelessness
    Her scream is short but deafening, and in its wake I am aware for the first time of Agloe’s abject silence.
Created on Thu Jul 30 09:27:26 EDT 2015 (updated Tue Apr 17 09:51:37 EDT 2018)

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