Fake ID: Chapters 24–32

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 7 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. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
    That sounded plausible enough, but also rehearsed. A lot of detail without an answer mixed in.
  2. municipal
    of or relating to the government of a district
    “This is Stepton’s new municipal campus.” He brought the car to a stop and pointed to specific half structures. “Courthouse, police station, DMV, physical plant. Son, this is the new core of our town.”
  3. lye
    a strong solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide
    He went to the back of the car and the sounds of him rummaging around in there reminded me of plastic sheeting, shovels, and lye for disguising the signs of human decomposition.
  4. constituent
    a citizen who is represented in a government by officials
    Unfortunately, this project has created cash flow problems for our city. My constituents look for me to be a steady hand on the till, something I can handle most of the time, but, on occasion, I need the assistance of a strong crew.
  5. mortar
    a substance used as a bond in masonry or for covering a wall
    We took the rutted road to the main stretch leading back to town and I noticed a stone-and- mortar marquee that I had missed earlier because it had been on his side of the car.
  6. straggler
    someone who strays or falls behind
    A few stragglers remained for after-school activities like football, cheerleading, and band practice, along with the lost souls of detention and extra credit.
  7. marquee
    a structure, often with a signboard, over an entrance
    I cruised past the brick marquee entrance, pausing by three flagpoles side by side.
  8. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    To me, he spoke in a whisper more seething than a shout.
  9. backfire
    emit a loud noise as a result of an explosion of fuel
    A car on the far side of the nearly empty lot backfired, its moaning transmission wailing its departure.
  10. oversight
    a mistake resulting from inattention
    That little oversight would come back to haunt me later.
  11. concubine
    a woman who cohabits with an important man
    My goal was to gain some clarity at lunch—even if I had to drag Dustin away from his concubines.
  12. abide
    put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    Everyone in my house was giving each other cold—like Arctic—shoulders, but a call from Hardwick might thaw my parents enough to accomplish one unified act...keeping me at home this weekend. That I could not abide.
  13. don
    put on clothes
    I donned my dress shirt and slacks Saturday morning, dreading the idea of biking to Our Lady of Mercy Cathedral in such attire.
  14. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    Sobs ripped the solemn atmosphere.
  15. accessory
    someone who helps another person commit a crime
    Now I was attending what seemed like some epic teen-movie bash, with the bonus objective of fishing for clues about my buddy’s possible murder, to which I hadn’t completely ruled out my father as an accessory.
  16. appraise
    consider in a comprehensive way
    She appraised me. “You’re fine. All the guys dress like you.”
  17. requisite
    necessary for relief or supply
    She drove us into the only part of town I hadn’t explored, North End, not just a direction but the neighborhood’s actual name, where Stepton’s rich residents lived. Home to requisite McMansions and driveways displaying their luxury vehicles, even though every house had a three-car garage.
  18. cul de sac
    a street with only one way in or out
    We turned in to a cul-de-sac and joined a line of cars inching through an open wrought-iron gate.
  19. ensemble
    a coordinated outfit (set of clothing)
    Reya pried off the Nikes she’d worn while driving, replaced them with a pair of four-inch wedge heels that matched her shorts. Her lethal ensemble complete, she joined me, almost my height now, and grabbed my hand.
  20. sentiment
    tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion
    “Sorry about Eli, Rey.”
    Similar sentiments came from others but felt less genuine, like Reya showing up was an unwelcome reminder that the night was supposed to be a celebration for her dead brother, and not just a party.
  21. lacquer
    coat with varnish
    I moved on to the last room, sealed by lacquered double doors that didn’t swing but slid into the wall.
  22. appeal
    be attractive to
    I sat in the mayor’s chair and ran my fingers across his keyboard. Something about violating his space appealed to me.
  23. jut
    extend out or project in space
    Callie pushed aside low-hanging branches and warned me about jutting roots.
  24. lackey
    a servile or submissive follower
    It could’ve been for show, him being a big man in front of his lackeys.
  25. furtive
    secret and sly
    Not the way Dee and Dum kept trading furtive looks, or the way Russ kept glancing at the path like he wanted to chase Callie.
  26. sternum
    the breastbone
    Instead, I took two running steps, made as if I was breaking right, and when Zach Lynch moved to intercept me, I stopped short and punched him in the spot below where the ribs met the sternum.
  27. mousy
    quiet, timid, and ineffectual
    “Back off, Lynch,” said Lorenz, his mousy voice always odd coming from his huge frame.
  28. prone
    having a tendency
    Was Dustin prone to making up wild stories about his abusive father?
  29. backpedal
    reverse or retreat from one's position on an issue
    I mistook the tone of her voice for shock, discomfort at how easily I’d brought up breaking rules—laws—and I backpedaled. “It’s just something dumb I saw on TV, we can—”
  30. treasonous
    constituting or having the characteristic of betrayal
    I didn’t know how much further this would go—nowhere, everywhere—but some treasonous voice of reason suggested that to do more than kiss Reya, after all she’d been through, was taking advantage.
  31. conscience
    conformity to one's own sense of right conduct
    The initial heat cooled after a few minutes, saving me from any crisis of conscience I might’ve felt tomorrow.
  32. redundant
    more than is needed, desired, or required
    She thanked me, verbally, for being there for her (“You know, after those kisses, saying the actual words seems kind of redundant”)...
  33. humility
    a lack of arrogance or false pride
    Flattery and embarrassment rubbed together, started a fire in my cheeks. “No way.”
    “Your humility is really getting on my nerves.”
  34. allege
    report or maintain
    No one witnessed the accident but one of the survivors alleges their vehicle was run off the road by an aggressive driver in a dark, late-model truck or SUV.
  35. finesse
    subtly skillful handling of a situation
    Phase two of my plan to see Cool Mob Stuff involved a little more finesse. I slipped on my jean shorts and sneakers, then tiptoed to the garage. I brought a blanket for camouflage; I planned to blend in with all the other junk Dad kept in his SUV.
  36. warble
    sing or play with trills
    Some lady’s warbling high note blared through Dad’s speakers before being cut off by an equally high telephone ring, almost like it was part of the song.
  37. dapper
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    The other Mean-Face guy was less dapper—denim, sneakers, plain button-down shirt—and huger.
  38. somber
    serious and gloomy in character
    Looking over the ER waiting room at Stepton General, packed with classmates like the halls at school between bells, I wondered if this was how Dad took care of things. The whole thing felt like a somber continuation of last night’s Dust Off.
  39. bassinet
    a basket (usually hooded) used as a baby's bed
    Next to her bed an egg-shaped baby squirmed in a bassinet, imprisoned in a mummy-tight blue blanket.
  40. relevant
    having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    “I told you what I thought about Eli because, I don’t know, it seemed—relevant? Is that the right word?”
Created on Fri Sep 16 11:02:26 EDT 2022 (updated Wed Mar 15 15:28:13 EDT 2023)

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.