Eight Nights of Flirting: Chapters 14–17

by Hannah Reynolds
During a Hanukkah vacation on the island of Nantucket, sixteen-year-old Shira Barbanel makes a deal with Tyler Nelson to give her flirting lessons in exchange for an introduction to her media executive great-uncle.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–8, Chapters 9–13, Chapters 14–17, Chapters 18–23
40 words 6 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. addendum
    a thing that is attached or included
    This devolved into a classic Name every town in California and share your opinion on it conversation, with an addendum of theoretically-friendly-but-slightly-edged discussion of the differences between NorCal and SoCal and the classic Let’s bond over In-N-Out and the East Coast’s attempt at Mexican food exchange.
  2. afield
    far away from home or one's usual surroundings
    The Atlantic whales had all been killed, so ships had to travel farther afield, and larger ships were necessary for the voyages that now lasted years instead of months.
  3. amiably
    in a friendly manner
    “Sure,” he said amiably, and we pivoted.
  4. moor
    open land with peaty soil covered with heather and moss
    Though by hiking I really meant wandering the windswept mid-island moors, gazing across at Altar Rock and up to Sankaty Head.
  5. ensemble
    a coordinated outfit (set of clothing)
    I picked my ensemble carefully: a wintry lilac dress with a very low back, silver heels, and pearl-drop earrings.
  6. swath
    a path or strip (also figurative)
    Ethan was arguably the most adventurous of the cousins, prone to mountain biking and water skiing and spending large swaths of time trying to break limbs.
  7. gait
    a person's manner of walking
    I marched over to Isaac, though I tried to alter my gait into a less militaristic movement as we reached his circle.
  8. surreptitiously
    in a secretive manner
    He led a dozen of the older teens at the party up to his room, which I took in surreptitiously.
  9. banal
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
    “What’s your deal?”
    I stiffened but didn’t see how to stop Tyler without Isaac seeing me run interference.
    “I’m interning for their great-uncle,” Isaac said, as though the question was completely banal.
  10. nepotism
    favoritism shown to relatives or friends by those in power
    “Isn’t it weird for someone to bring their intern on a family vacation?”
    Isaac shrugged. “Arnold and my grandparents are family friends.”
    “So you got the internship because of nepotism.”
  11. devolve
    grow worse
    At some point, we devolved into an intense conversation about the right order in which to watch Marvel movies.
  12. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    “I’m so hungry,” he said, sending plaintive eyes in my direction.
  13. wheedle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    “How’s college?”
    “It’s good.”
    “Good?” I wheedled.
  14. debauchery
    a wild gathering
    “What about, like, exciting? Wild, debaucherous parties?”
  15. thespian
    a theatrical performer
    “Guys. Real talk. I think I might be a brilliant thespian.”
  16. despot
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
    “So she basically called you a maniacal despot.”
  17. banter
    converse in a playful or teasing way
    This was my ideal kind of day, all the Barbanels laughing over inside jokes and bantering and simply being together.
  18. limpid
    clear and bright
    Lily turned to me, her limpid eyes wide.
  19. farce
    a comedy characterized by broad satire
    “The audience will take your pairing more seriously, while they would have seen Lily and me as a farce. You’ll have chemistry.”
  20. braised
    cooked by browning in fat and then simmering
    We traipsed downstairs around five for Chinese food: scallion pancakes and braised eggplant with garlic, spinach-and-mushroom dumplings, three treasures, sautéed spinach, lo mein.
  21. languorous
    lacking spirit or liveliness
    We lit the candles languorously and ate in the glowing light.
  22. denouement
    the resolution of the main complication of a literary work
    Iris likes to plan the big announcements and denouements and fights, and Lily likes the romantic stuff, but mostly I write everything.
  23. stave off
    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
    Judith had just taken matters into her own hands: after her local menfolk failed to stave off the invading Assyrian army, she put on her best dress (relatable), ate sacred foods (less relatable), prayed real hard (occasionally relatable), and set off to infiltrate the invaders.
  24. prostrate
    lie face downward, as in submission
    JUDITH prostrates herself; the servants raise her up, bow, and exit.
  25. steadfast
    marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
    Be steadfast, woman, and have no fear.
  26. expound
    add details to clarify an idea
    Judith expounded on the reasons she’d come, fooling Holofernes into a false sense of security.
  27. gainsay
    take exception to
    Who am I to gainsay my lord? Whatever is pleasing to him I will do.
  28. tenet
    a basic principle or belief that is accepted as true
    And, having read enough romance novels and talked to Olivia in great detail, one of my main tenets on kissing was that it would come naturally.
  29. flippant
    showing an inappropriate lack of seriousness
    He pinched his nose, and his flippant air fell away.
  30. facade
    a showy misrepresentation to conceal something unpleasant
    I felt like I did understand him, how he had created this whole facade, built his own walls with polished exteriors, controlled exactly how close he let people get to him.
  31. standoffish
    lacking cordiality; unfriendly
    He was like me in so many ways, except strangers read my walls as standoffishness, while they didn’t even know his existed.
  32. buffer
    someone who shields you from something harmful or annoying
    Even though I should probably want to steal him away, I was relieved to have a buffer of cousins around us.
  33. lapse
    pass into a specified state or condition
    We lapsed into silence.
  34. extricate
    release from entanglement or difficulty
    How did I extricate myself from Isaac while making it clear I wanted to keep talking to him?
  35. coalesce
    fuse or cause to come together
    During the short conversation with Ethan, the triplets had started circling, like cats eyeing a goldfish, reflected in triplicate. They finally coalesced before us, looking at Tyler with undisguised curiosity.
  36. equanimity
    steadiness of mind under stress
    “You’re here again,” Iris said.
    “People keep saying so,” Tyler said with equanimity.
  37. wend
    direct one's course or way
    The triplets bobbed their heads and began wending their way toward Ms. Walsh.
  38. incidental
    not of prime or central importance
    Don’t think about Tyler, I told myself. Tyler was incidental. Isaac was the point.
  39. sallow
    unhealthy looking
    He’d turned sallow. I’d never appreciated the descriptor until now, the way his skin gained a greenish tint in the moonlight.
  40. roil
    be agitated
    “We should head back to the party,” I said, trying to keep my voice level, trying to keep my roiling emotions under control.
Created on Mon May 15 10:53:03 EDT 2023 (updated Mon May 15 16:58:58 EDT 2023)

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