Only This Beautiful Moment: List 2

by Abdi Nazemian
Three generations of Jafarzadeh men (Babak, Saeed, and Mahmoud), while sharing stories from their teenage years in Tehran and Los Angeles, discover they have more in common than just their Iranian blood.

This list covers pages 64–210 in the 2023 Blazer + Bray edition.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
40 words 2 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    “Follow me,” Baba says, wheeling himself into an ornate dining room that stuns me with its majesty.
  2. motif
    a design that consists of recurring shapes or colors
    The wooden chairs have decorative motifs carved into them.
  3. cynical
    believing the worst of human nature and motives
    “You’re cynical,” she says, squinting in disapproval. “Don’t be cynical.”
  4. presumptuous
    going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
    So I quietly say, “And you’re loud and presumptuous, and not even my cousin.”
  5. ambient
    completely enveloping
    Music is blaring, something ambient and dreamy.
  6. conundrum
    a difficult problem
    “And the reason it should be shared is that no one knows about it,” she says. “Therein lies the conundrum.”
  7. brash
    offensively bold
    I can tell they’re hiding something from me, but I’m not as nosy and brash as Ava, so I don’t push them to tell me what they don’t want to.
  8. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    “Vaaaaaaay, this is my song,” Ava yells out as she rushes inside, and single-handedly turns the open space near the coffee table into an impromptu dance floor.
  9. uninhibited
    not restrained
    Siamak and I stand side by side, watching the fun. “I could never do that,” I say.
    “What?” he asks. “Be as uninhibited as your second cousin?”
  10. dervish
    a Muslim monk of an order noted for fast ceremonial dancing
    My great-great-grandfather was a dervish, which I really love.
  11. precarious
    fraught with danger
    But also, there’s a smile on her face, like she knows exactly what a precarious position she’s in, and she doesn’t mind at all. In fact, she welcomes the danger.
  12. breadth
    the capacity to understand a broad range of topics
    “Of course you haven’t. She should be revered, but most people don’t even know who she is.”
    “Is she still writing?” I ask, wishing I had his breadth of knowledge.
  13. ratchet
    device consisting of a toothed wheel moving in one direction
    In the loving arms of the motherland. The pacifier of the glorious historical past. The lullaby of civilization and culture. And the rattling noise of the ratchet of law.
  14. effervescence
    irrepressible liveliness and good spirit
    I wish Ava was here to fill the silence with her effervescence.
  15. jaded
    bored or apathetic after experiencing too much of something
    There’s nothing jaded in them, and it’s shocking in a world that feels steeped in irony. These incredible people live in hope, soaking up every second of freedom and connection they can get in the dark of night before trying to make their world a better place in the light of day.
  16. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    “Better than dying,” Hassan Agha says.
    Ava howls. “So bleak. So true.”
  17. irreverence
    a mental attitude showing lack of due respect
    He said he misses irreverence. He said everyone takes everything so seriously, and that he takes irreverence seriously.
    “Irreverence is the thing you’re most reverent about,” I say, quoting him back to him.
  18. condescension
    showing arrogance by patronizing those considered inferior
    I wish he could hear himself. The condescension. I know him so well. I know he thinks he’s being empathetic, but he’s not. This constant judgment is his worst quality, and I never take it on because I’m not as good at debating as he is.
  19. brusquely
    in a blunt direct manner
    “I’m going out for a bit,” he says brusquely, walking past me into the hallway.
  20. dissident
    a person who objects to some established policy
    “They’re killing political dissidents, not students,” I say quietly, like I’m trying to convince myself this will always be true.
  21. stoicism
    an indifference to pleasure or pain
    “I’m fine.”
    “Were you raised to say that no matter how you’re feeling? Men in this country think that stoicism is bravery. But it’s not. Honesty is bravery.”
  22. superficial
    only concerned with what is apparent or obvious
    They told her that her light skin would be her ticket to a new life. Ridiculous, isn’t it? That something as superficial as the color of our skin should have any impact on our lives.
  23. affluence
    abundant wealth
    Bahman Agha drives us from north to south, from the affluence of Shirin’s home to a neighborhood with no sewage, crowded with too many people sharing too little space.
  24. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
    “But if it doesn’t work out, you’ll be okay,” Baba adds. “That’s what we’re saying. Human beings are resilient. And the Jafarzadehs are very good at starting over. Runs in the family.”
  25. exorbitant
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    “Don’t stay on the phone too long. The long-distance fees are exorbitant.”
  26. apprehensive
    in fear or dread of possible evil or harm
    I’m nervous and apprehensive as I get ready for my first day at my new American college.
  27. barrage
    address continuously or persistently
    I nod and smile, which I do a lot of my first day at school, as I’m barraged with exhausting questions from students and teachers alike.
  28. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    She’s Iranian. I can hear it in her subtle accent, and see it in her dark brown eyes.
  29. cliche
    a trite or obvious remark
    She always shrugs the questions away with a cliché. The past is the past. Or, Don’t look back. Or, Never dwell on what you can’t change.
  30. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Margaret eyes the water I drip onto the floor with disdain.
  31. lilt
    a jaunty rhythm in music or speech
    He says the word artistic with a strange lilt, an emphasis that reeks of hatred.
  32. deviant
    a person whose behavior does not conform to social norms
    “My parents aren’t political!” I argue. “They’ve done nothing wrong.”
    “So you don’t know that your parents are deviants,” he says, a diabolical iciness in his voice.
  33. transgression
    the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle
    They’re lucky the Shah and his European sensibilities look the other way at such transgressions against nature.
  34. sham
    something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
    “Their whole marriage is a sham.”
  35. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
    The lying parents who admonished me for breaking one promise when they lied to me for my whole life.
  36. ottoman
    a low seat or a stool to rest the feet of a seated person
    I sit at the piano and take off my jacket, throwing it on a nearby ottoman.
  37. impasse
    a situation in which no progress can be made
    It’s a song that seems to sum up being an Iranian these days. A song about being stuck, at an impasse.
  38. willful
    habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition
    “Your grandfather, he used to call me Bunny because he said I reminded him of a rabbit. Smart and affectionate when I wanted to be.” Clearly that’s not something she wants to be anymore. “And willful and spoiled when I wanted to be.”
  39. farce
    an event or situation that is absurd, empty, or insincere
    Didn’t invite me to his own wedding, perhaps because I could’ve told people it was all a farce.
  40. rail
    complain bitterly
    She hates so many things. And yet she embodies so much of what she rails against.
Created on Wed Mar 27 08:44:27 EDT 2024 (updated Mon Apr 01 15:46:31 EDT 2024)

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