Sideways Stories from Wayside School: Chapters 11–20

by Louis Sachar
This collection of wacky tales explores the lives of the zany students and teachers at Wayside School.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–20, Chapters 21–30
15 words 63 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. yardstick
    a ruler or tape that is three feet long
    Mrs. Jewls picked up her yardstick and said, "Now it's time for arithmetic."
  2. concentrate
    direct one's attention on something
    "I can't do arithmetic. I itch all over. I can't concentrate."
  3. specialty
    an asset of special worth or utility
    She had the remarkable ability to undercook a dish and overcook it at the same time. Her specialty was a nice, hot bowl of mud. She called it porridge.
  4. porridge
    soft food made by boiling meal or legumes in water or milk
    She had the remarkable ability to undercook a dish and overcook it at the same time. Her specialty was a nice, hot bowl of mud. She called it porridge.
  5. leer
    look suggestively or obliquely
    Rondi and Allison leered at Jason.
  6. plead
    appeal or request earnestly
    "Oh, no, please don't, no!" Jason pleaded.
  7. drench
    cover with liquid; pour liquid onto
    Jason was drenched. "I'm wet and I'm cold and I'm still stuck!"
  8. insist
    assert to be true
    "I'm not wearing boots!" Rondi insisted.
  9. strict
    stringently enforced
    Nobody had even listened to Rondi. Mrs. Jewls was busy teaching arithmetic, and everybody else was paying strict attention.
  10. windbag
    a person who talks a great deal about uninteresting topics
    "I don't want to, you old windbag," said Sammy.
  11. overpower
    affect strongly or intensely, as with emotions
    The smell was overpowering.
  12. mousy
    having a drab pale brown color
    Deedee was a mousey looking kid.
  13. snicker
    laugh quietly
    The whole room seemed to be laughing, not just the people in it. The blackboard chuckled. The ceiling snickered.
  14. scrawny
    inferior in size or quality
    "I'll give you five cents for the big ones. But just look at that scrawny little runt of a toe on the end, there. You're lucky to be getting even three cents for it. I think you're getting a darn good deal."
  15. fiery
    characterized by intense emotion
    Leslie turned around and looked at him with fiery eyes. "Cut my hair!" she exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"
Created on Wed Sep 01 10:21:44 EDT 2021 (updated Thu Sep 09 15:57:11 EDT 2021)

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