The Impossible Knife of Memory: Chapters 28–48

by Laurie Halse Anderson
After years of instability, Hayley and her father, Andy, return to Andy's hometown to make a fresh start. But Andy's PTSD from the Iraq War and Hayley's own traumatic memories threaten their ability to rebuild their lives.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–27, Chapters 28–48, Chapters 49–69, Chapters 70–94
30 words 29 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. viable
    capable of being done with means at hand
    My earlier plan to get the stats and eavesdrop for quotes first period Monday was still viable and even more attractive than it had been on the bus.
  2. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    Behind us, the marching band took their position on the field, drummers beating a solemn cadence.
  3. cadence
    a recurrent rhythmical series
    Behind us, the marching band took their position on the field, drummers beating a solemn cadence.
  4. marginal
    just barely adequate or within a lower limit
    It was marginally less awkward when the game started again, if only because there was so much to mock.
  5. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    He scuttled about four yards away and lay on the grass.
  6. maim
    injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration
    “You promise not to maim me?”
    “I promise to give fair warning before I maim you.”
  7. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    The north wind gusted again, stoking the fire and sending my hair writhing in all directions.
  8. insurgent
    a member of an irregular force that fights a stronger force
    We killed four insurgents and captured four more.
  9. articulate
    characterized by clear expressive language
    “Um,” I responded, articulate and witty as ever.
  10. obscure
    marked by difficulty of style or expression
    He’d probably answer it with an obscure quote from The Tibetan Book of the Dead or gibberish about runic interpretations, but there was a chance he’d really think about it, and then we might get somewhere.
  11. runic
    relating to characters from an ancient alphabet
    He’d probably answer it with an obscure quote from The Tibetan Book of the Dead or gibberish about runic interpretations, but there was a chance he’d really think about it, and then we might get somewhere.
  12. gloaming
    the time of day immediately following sunset
    “Gloaming,” Dad said.
    “What?”
    “That word I couldn’t remember. Gloaming. That short, murky time between half-light and dark.”
  13. recluse
    one who lives in solitude
    I was not a totally ignorant feral recluse.
  14. paradoxical
    seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true
    ...why was it paradoxically a hush-hush-whisper thing and a scream-it-online-and-in-the-cafeteria thing?
  15. pedantic
    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning
    Mr. Diaz, who really needs to work on his anger management issues, yelled at me for disrupting his class with what he called my ‘pedantic quibbles.’
  16. quibble
    a minor objection evading the point of an argument
    Mr. Diaz, who really needs to work on his anger management issues, yelled at me for disrupting his class with what he called my ‘pedantic quibbles.’
  17. devious
    characterized by insincerity or deceit
    “The zombie overlords numb our brains with math so they can implant their devious consumer-culture agenda in us.”
  18. obtuse
    slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
    “I’m not being obtuse,” he said as he crossed his arms over his chest, “but you’re acute girl.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    "It’s a math joke.”
  19. oxymoron
    conjoined contradictory terms
    “‘Math joke’ is an oxymoron, Fishhead, like ‘cafeteria food’ or ‘required volunteer community service.’”
  20. contract
    become smaller or draw together
    My detention rage contracted into a small, spinning ball.
  21. patronizing
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    “That’s ridiculous and patronizing.”
  22. sheer
    very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front
    Scraggly bushes and grass grew on thin ledges in the sheer walls, with a few birds’ nests tucked into them.
  23. precariously
    in a manner affording no ease or reassurance
    “I’d like to point out that right now I’m confronting my fear of heights, precariously perched on this ledge in an attempt to impress you."
  24. scour
    examine minutely
    After we left the quarry, we hung out at the library (Finn scoured the Internet for proof that the fear of heights was a sign of intelligence; I read some new manga) and went to Friendly’s for ice cream.
  25. lull
    a pause during which things are calm
    He chopped at his sundae with his spoon and we plunged into another excruciating, razor-blades-under-the-fingernails lull in the conversation.
  26. generic
    not protected by trademark
    She poured the pills into her hand. They looked like generic vitamins or allergy medicine, something ordinary.
  27. delirium
    state of violent mental agitation
    I was shuffling, books weighing down my arms. Defeated, like a zombie who’d been dragged from the grave and bitten, but who didn’t feel the hunger yet. Wasn’t quite assimilated into the hivemind of delirium.
  28. paradigm
    the generally accepted perspective of a discipline
    Ms. Benedetti stopped me in the hall, complained about playing phone tag with Dad, and shoved SAT paperwork into my hands, babbling away about the need to shift my paradigm and look over the next horizon.
  29. blather
    talk foolishly
    How many of them believed what they were saying when they blathered on about what college they’d go to and what they’d major in and how much they’d earn and what car they’d buy?
  30. incantation
    a ritual reciting of words believed to have a magical effect
    They repeated that stuff over and over like an incantation that, if pronounced exactly right, would open the door to the life of their dreams.
Created on Mon Jan 04 13:13:25 EST 2021 (updated Fri Jan 08 12:24:01 EST 2021)

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