The Magic Fish: List 1

by Trung Le Nguyen
This graphic novel weaves fairy tales into the story of a Vietnamese-American boy struggling to communicate with his parents.

This list covers pages 1–100.

Here are links to our lists for the graphic novel: List 1, List 2
20 words 388 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bolster
    support and strengthen
    I did it to help bolster my language skills, and we just kept it up over the years.
  2. in vain
    without a successful result or effect
    ...while her father spent his days at sea...searching in vain for his wife.
  3. resentment
    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
    As Alera grew, so too did her father's lingering resentment of her.
  4. invaluable
    having incalculable monetary or intellectual worth
    She proved herself an invaluable member of the household—for she knew, by some magic, the language of the birds and the beasts.
  5. fickle
    marked by erratic changeableness in affections
    He is known to be as fickle as fortune herself.
  6. consent
    give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to
    Your firstborn for my bride, or your soul. As you consented in word and blood.
  7. nuptials
    the social event at which the marriage ceremony is performed
    What is this about a bride? Nuptials are so exciting.
  8. sable
    a very dark black
    The second must be made from the evening, as beautiful as moonlight and dark as sable.
  9. siphon
    convey, draw off, or empty by or as if by a tube
    And at the end of the third day, the stars shone dull and cold, and she knew the Old Man had siphoned the glimmer of starlight from the heavens.
  10. lyrical
    expressing deep emotion
    It belonged to your mother, and it's possessed by a lyrical spirit of longing.
  11. vagrant
    a wanderer with no established residence or means of support
    What if she's a criminal? A vagrant? A demon?
  12. gruff
    blunt and unfriendly or stern
    The boys are Peter, Percy, and Patrick. They're as harmless as they are gruff -looking.
  13. entitle
    give the right to
    I am Prince Maxwell the fourth, and I believe my position entitles me to one peach, if nothing else.
  14. hobnob
    associate familiarly, especially with someone of high status
    It just...it requires so much to go hobnobbing, and I don't want to go through it all.
  15. scrimmage
    practice play between two teams
    Hey! We still on for ice cream after this scrimmage?
  16. irk
    irritate or vex
    I think I irked them when we first met...
  17. scour
    examine minutely
    My mother and her ladies are scouring the guest list to make sure they invite everyone who was present at the last party.
  18. refugee
    an exile who flees for safety
    The refugee camp wouldn't have let us stay together otherwise.
  19. frank
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    That's very frank of you.
  20. deftly
    in an agile manner
    She's deftly avoided the topic altogether.
Created on Tue Jan 05 10:22:08 EST 2021 (updated Tue Jan 05 10:40:00 EST 2021)

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