Baseball in April: List 1

by Gary Soto
This collection of short stories, which draws on the author's own childhood, focuses on Latino and Latina children growing up in California.

This list covers "Broken Chain," "Baseball in April," and "Two Dreamers."

Here are links to our lists for the short story collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
25 words 2396 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    And his father, who was puro Mexicano, would sit in his chair after work, sullen as a toad, and call him “sissy.”
  2. swagger
    walk with a lofty proud gait
    He’d swaggered into the living room, but had stopped cold when he saw Alfonso and asked, not joking but with real concern, “Did you hurt your head at school? Que paso?”
  3. gaudy
    tastelessly showy
    They were dressed as gypsies, the costume for all poor Chicanas—they just had to borrow scarves and gaudy red lipstick from their abuelitas.
  4. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
    Alfonso looked over her shoulder for a long time, trying to muster enough nerve to ask her if she’d like to go bike riding tomorrow.
  5. pamper
    treat with excessive indulgence
    That night he took a bath, pampered his hair into place, and did more than his usual set of exercises.
  6. pester
    annoy persistently
    In bed, in between the push-and-rest on his teeth, he pestered his brother to let him borrow his bike.
  7. gritty
    composed of or covered with small particles
    On an impulse, he removed the chain to wipe off the gritty oil.
  8. desperation
    a state in which all hope is lost or absent
    Although Ernie could see Alfonso’s desperation, he had plans with his friend Raymundo.
  9. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    At four he decided to get it over with and started walking to Sandra’s house, trudging slowly, as if he were waist-deep in water.
  10. stingy
    unwilling to spend
    Now he had to face Sandra and say, “I broke my bike, and my stingy brother took off on his.”
  11. nonchalantly
    in a composed and unconcerned manner
    On the next grounder, he lowered himself to one knee and threw nonchalantly to first.
  12. backstop
    a structure to prevent a ball from traveling out of a field
    Manuel pulled a duffel bag from the back of his pickup and walked over to the palm tree that served as a backstop.
  13. haunch
    the upper thigh and back of the hip in human beings
    He bent down on his haunches to talk to the kids, spoke softly and listened to what they had to say.
  14. hoist
    raise
    When they arrived, they leaped from the pickup and stood by the coach, who waved to the other coach as he hoisted his duffel bag onto his shoulder.
  15. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    They turned around and furrowed their brows at the infield, which was muddy from a recent rain.
  16. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    After lunch the grandfather would beckon his grandson to come sit with him.
  17. ambitious
    having a strong desire for success or achievement
    Not one day would pass without the butcher or barber or pharmacist or ambitious children with dollar signs in their eyes waving to “El Millonario.”
  18. prod
    push against gently
    Gently prodding Hector in front of him, he left his house to see another house two blocks away.
  19. substantial
    fairly large
    “That address is six forty-three South Orange, a charming little house. Two bedrooms, large yard, with appliances, and the owners are willing to carry, with a substantial down payment. The house also comes with—”
  20. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    Hector placed the receiver to his ear and bluntly said, “It costs too much money.”
  21. bicker
    a quarrel about petty points
    The bickering would never end between the two.
  22. insistent
    demanding attention
    Just then the grandmother’s insistent voice rang out: “Viejo, donde andas? I want you to open this bottle.”
  23. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    “Nada,” they said in unison.
  24. gusto
    vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
    Hector and his grandfather mowed with gusto, sweating up a dark storm in the folds of their armpits.
  25. reluctant
    not eager
    Hector was reluctant to ask his grandfather for the four dollars, but as he swept the driveway and sidewalk, he began to think that maybe his grandfather did owe him the money.
Created on Fri Nov 06 20:17:38 EST 2020 (updated Wed Nov 11 09:46:57 EST 2020)

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