Fake ID: Chapters 1–9

by Lamar Giles
Because his family is in witness protection, fifteen-year-old Nick Pearson (not his real name) is supposed to remain low-key, but he has trouble doing that when another member of the Stepton High newspaper uncovers some secrets.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–23, Chapters 24–32, Chapters 33–41, Chapters 42–51
40 words 89 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. indulge
    yield to; give satisfaction to
    First-period gym. The worst class scheduling scenario ever. You either sweat and stink all day or indulge in a group shower where the water’s never hot.
  2. consign
    commit forever
    A loose group of student invalids sat consigned to the bleachers with crutches, casts protecting mending bones, and suspiciously large asthma pumps.
  3. conservative
    unimaginatively conventional
    Despite some conservative glasses, he seemed physically able and wasn’t sucking down chest medicine.
  4. vicinity
    a surrounding or nearby region
    Let me guess, you breathed in the same vicinity as Reya.
  5. maxim
    a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits
    That’s just another of Bertram’s maxims. Stay low-key.
  6. adorn
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
    Sci-fi decals—Star Wars and Legend of Korra and Fringe—adorned it, along with a large, blue crown decal that I assumed was his Lord of the Rings battle crest or something equally geeky.
  7. skirmish
    a minor short-term fight
    “Like, from the Civil War?” I didn’t remember a lot of history, but I did remember that little skirmish.
  8. ward off
    prevent the occurrence of
    Eli leaned forward, curling his arm around the computer the way smart kids hunch over test papers to ward off cheaters.
  9. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
    I reached for it hesitantly, gauging his reaction.
  10. backlash
    an adverse reaction to some political or social occurrence
    The first couple of times I had to do it, I was still in middle school, so the backlash was minimal.
  11. clique
    an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
    The cliques had been established, the social hierarchy set.
  12. altercation
    a noisy, angry argument or fight between people
    I learned to avoid buses a few years back, after an altercation in San Diego.
  13. modest
    free from pomp or affectation
    I dropped my bike in the front yard and entered the modest, two-story home of the Pearsons. It was a cottage-style house, sky blue, and looked like every other house in the neighborhood, as if it was trying harder to blend than we were.
  14. threshold
    the entrance for passing through a room or building
    My mom waited at the threshold, the lines in her forehead and around her mouth cutting deep.
  15. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    “Deputy Marshal,” Mom said, relenting as Dad went shoulder deep into the fridge again, “what’s this call about? I thought we were supposed to avoid contact unless it’s an emergency.”
  16. garner
    acquire or deserve by one's efforts or actions
    Let’s see, you were Stuart Petrie of Boise, Idaho, until you started a gambling parlor in your garage, garnering the attention of the local news.
  17. extort
    obtain by coercion or intimidation
    You were Randall Bell of San Diego, California, until you attempted to extort 'protection’ money from the neighborhood trash collectors.
  18. transgression
    the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle
    Criminals don’t like hearing lists of their past transgressions.
  19. invoke
    cite as an authority
    Now Bertram treated Kreso like the boogeyman, invoking his name whenever he wanted to scare Dad into submission.
  20. stringent
    demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
    Bertram continued, “Supervision will be more stringent this time. We’ll be doing a call like this once a week so I can gauge your acclimation.”
  21. acclimation
    adaptation to a new environment or situation
    Bertram continued, “Supervision will be more stringent this time. We’ll be doing a call like this once a week so I can gauge your acclimation.”
  22. trounce
    defeat in a competition, race, or conflict
    Eli was a fan, which made the trouncing he was giving me forgivable.
  23. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    I turned to see which attractive/athletic person was being beckoned.
  24. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
    All in all a lightweight. One punch would knock him into his next class. I sized up other, more formidable guys in the group as most of the conversations tapered off.
  25. natty
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    “D” stood, his long cargo shorts exposing half of his muscular calves, and a loose, natty sweater hung over his torso.
  26. heed
    pay close attention to
    I grabbed my stuff, for once heeding all the warnings I’d heard from the U.S. Marshals over the years.
  27. covert
    secret or hidden
    He seemed like a decent dude, and I appreciated him helping me with my Zach Lynch problem last week, but I didn’t need his covert schemes.
  28. hone
    refine or make more perfect or effective
    If there was one thing I was good at—one skill I’d honed through all my identities—it was getting people to back off.
  29. sole
    single and isolated from others
    Being the sole kid in an unstable house over the last few years had led to some finely developed hearing.
  30. stipend
    a sum of money allotted on a regular basis
    Dad, unsatisfied with the jobs WitSec arranged for him or the tiny monthly stipend they provided in addition, always returned to his old ways to earn extra cash.
  31. lavish
    characterized by extravagance and profusion
    We lived lavishly back in the day.
  32. obligation
    the social force that binds you to a course of action
    From now on, I'll keep you out of my more...troublesome obligations.
  33. concession
    the act of yielding
    I booted my computer, wondering if he’d make me regret my concession.
  34. trump
    get the better of
    I probably wouldn’t remember half of it, but his enthusiasm for the material was enough to trump the disinterested Stepton High faculty.
  35. jargon
    technical terminology characteristic of a particular subject
    What did stick with me—for the wrong reasons at first—was the jargon.
  36. allude
    make an indirect reference to
    After school in the J-Room that day, I expected Eli to “casually” bring up the party, then allude to whatever recon mission he’d wanted me to perform originally.
  37. pallet
    a mattress filled with straw or a pad made of quilts
    Dad came home, went for the spare linen, and made a pallet on the couch, whipping the sheets around like a magician’s cape, like he’d pull a comfy mattress from thin air.
  38. thoroughly
    in an exhaustive manner
    He’d developed a habit of checking those thoroughly ever since I was eleven years old.
  39. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
    And the landscaping was immaculate. Much nicer than Dad’s usual dives.
  40. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    I emerged from my shrub cover, righteous, indignant. “Can you blame me, Dad?”
Created on Fri Sep 16 11:02:05 EDT 2022 (updated Wed Mar 15 15:19:35 EDT 2023)

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