Parked: List 3

by Danielle Svetcov
Jeanne Ann and her mother are living out of a van and struggling to make ends meet — but when Jeanne Ann befriends a wealthy boy, she resists his offers of help.

This list covers the sections "Place" and "Back to School."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
30 words 11 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. hunker down
    take shelter
    Find the nearest library and hunker down.
  2. enticing
    highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire
    “Icy lemonade and Julia Child?” It’s hard to make anything sound enticing with my tongue hot-glued to the roof of my mouth.
  3. yoke
    join with stable gear, as two draft animals
    The restaurant may as well fit her with a bit and yoke her if she’s going to work that much.
  4. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    The bike messenger is poised over his bike seat, unsure whether to stay and guard his home or flee before things get nastier.
  5. eyesore
    something very ugly and offensive
    “We are an eyesore,” Jeanne Ann says, matter-of-fact, without looking up from her book.
  6. baffled
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    Cal has his eyes shut, shaking his head. He's clearly as baffled as I am.
  7. likeness
    picture consisting of a graphic image of a person or thing
    “That is a fine likeness,” Sandy says, leaning in quickly to admire the photograph, then nodding at Cal with what looks like surprise.
  8. translucent
    allowing light to pass through diffusely
    He blinks his long, translucent eyelashes at high speed.
  9. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    “He looks...forlorn,” Mom says.
  10. mealy
    having a rough, grainy texture or consistency
    “There’s a tomato guy coming in. If I’m not there, Mac will buy too many of the red ones with the stripes. They’re the mealiest ones.”
  11. wretched
    very unhappy; full of misery
    “Half the Beautification Committee feels wretched, and the other half is undeterred,” Mrs. Paglio says.
  12. deter
    turn away from as by fear or persuasion
    “Half the Beautification Committee feels wretched, and the other half is undeterred,” Mrs. Paglio says. “It’s far more complicated when we know who we’re shooing away.”
  13. testy
    easily irritated or annoyed
    “I’m just reporting,” Mrs. Paglio says testily.
  14. ultimatum
    a final peremptory demand
    “If you go back out there, you’re not setting foot in this house again,” Mrs. Paglio says, stretching her body straighter.
    “Is that an ultimatum?”
  15. amenable
    disposed or willing to comply
    Mrs. Paglio will do whatever you say. She’s a very amenable person when I’m not involved.
  16. residue
    matter that remains after something has been removed
    “What is grease but the residue of past meals? What are meals but fuel for man’s greatest achievements?”
  17. intrusive
    tending to enter uninvited
    “You know, you’re really infuriating.”
    “I know.”
    “And intrusive.”
    “Yeah.”
  18. inconvenience
    cause discomfort to
    She stomps the perimeter of my room, pretending to be massively inconvenienced.
  19. rasp
    speak in a harsh, grating voice
    “I’m not going anywhere," she rasps now, looking for me in the group. There are tissues erupting from her sleeves like pillow stuffing.
  20. bungle
    make a mess of, destroy, or ruin
    I don’t cook at Greenery. That's true. I gave that up after Cal was born, so I could be around to, you know, raise him...whatever that means. Ends up you can be around and still bungle all that.
  21. innards
    the organs in a body, collectively
    Mom takes another bite of biscuit, holds it up to her nose, splits it down the middle, and examines its innards.
  22. askew
    turned or twisted toward one side
    My sketchbook is lying next to her, pages askew.
  23. ward off
    repel or turn away
    Her face is its own sharp tool, warding off critics.
  24. promptly
    at once (usually modifies an undesirable occurrence)
    Money is exchanged, the baby gets half the biscuit and promptly mashes it against his face.
  25. teeming
    abundantly filled with especially living things
    My sketchbook has taken flight, and I’ve abandoned forty-eight delicate eggs on a sidewalk teeming with large, crushing feet.
  26. defiant
    boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    ‘Park in Peace’ protests have sprung up across the city today as the selfless, dangerous, and defiant acts of two San Francisco kids and a retiree sparked the collective rage and frustration of an entire city.
  27. huffy
    quick to take offense
    She’s spying on the new crop of vans across the street, confirming that all is calm and mostly right, which she will report back to the still huffy co-chair of the Marina Beautification Committee, Mrs. Caspernoff, currently in my driveway, trying to haul Nathan home.
  28. verve
    an energetic style
    Massive improvement to the exterior—painted with real verve.
  29. evocative
    serving to bring to mind
    We can’t believe Cal’s previous school would object to such an evocative work.
  30. provisionally
    temporarily and conditionally
    Roughed-out Profit and Loss Statement for food cart, provisionally named “Two Chicks on a Roll”
Created on Wed Jun 30 11:31:21 EDT 2021 (updated Thu Jul 01 13:05:53 EDT 2021)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.