Only This Beautiful Moment: List 3

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 211–312 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. brocade
    thick expensive material with a raised pattern
    “The new suit looks very handsome, and what do you boys think of my new dress?” She twirls, shimmering in silver brocade.
  2. improvise
    perform without preparation
    We end the song with my improvised piano solo. I deconstruct the melody, letting it turn into something mysterious and surprising.
  3. clause
    a separate section of a legal document
    The very last clause is a morals clause.
  4. convention
    orthodoxy from conforming with accepted standards
    It says the contract player will conduct himself with “due regard to public convention and morals.”
  5. degrade
    reduce in worth or character, usually verbally
    It says I won’t ever act in any fashion that might “degrade me in society or cause me and the studio public humiliation or offend the community.”
  6. ingratiate
    gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts
    I can tell Mother is trying to ingratiate herself to Mildred, but it’s not working.
  7. profusely
    in very large amounts or quantities; extremely
    We thank Billy and Jimmie profusely for having us.
  8. wryly
    in a humorously sarcastic or mocking manner
    And then she adds wryly, “When Mr. Mayer pulls you in for a meeting, make sure to tell him everything you just told me. Maybe then he’ll give me better pictures.”
  9. riveting
    capable of arousing and holding the attention
    Porter plays magnificently. And the starlet is riveting, singing those suggestive words.
  10. vanquish
    defeat in a competition, race, or conflict
    And yet, all my doubt is vanquished by the surging confidence I suddenly feel.
  11. flourish
    a showy gesture
    My fingers travel across the keys with more passion than they ever have before. I add flourishes that I hadn’t planned, improvising on the spot.
  12. oblige
    provide a service or favor for someone
    “A Shirley Temple, please,” I say to the bartender, a movie star of a man who happily obliges in mixing me a kid’s drink.
  13. pique
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    I turn and see someone standing next to me. A man, but he wears makeup and a fur stole over his tuxedo, which both scares me and piques my curiosity.
  14. err
    make a mistake
    I don’t even know how old you need to be to enter a nightclub. “Twenty-five,” I say, erring on the old side.
  15. lapel
    a fold of fabric below the collar of a coat or jacket
    The man opens the ropes for a handsome pair of men wearing green carnations on their lapels.
  16. rouge
    redden by applying makeup to
    But now he’s dressed head to toe as a woman. A big blond wig. Rouged cheeks and ruby lips.
  17. conjugate
    add inflections showing person, number, gender, or tense
    I conjugate some French verbs Miss Mary taught us.
  18. caveat
    a warning against certain acts
    There’s my contract. And a memo detailing my skills—piano, voice, face, body. And a memo putting me in the “juvenile” category of actors, with a caveat that I could soon grow into a leading man, unless he loses his looks as so many juveniles do.
  19. liberal
    given or giving freely
    It’s one long compliment, adjectives liberally thrown in.
  20. manipulation
    exerting shrewd or devious influence for one's own advantage
    Not even Mother with her harshness and her manipulations has ever stooped this low.
  21. adulation
    exaggerated flattery or praise
    What is stardom if not a violation of one’s privacy? Or the giving up of one’s privacy in exchange for something else...adulation, glory, immortality?
  22. discreet
    not easily noticeable
    I sit back down discreetly, praying Mildred won’t know I snooped.
  23. endeavor
    earnest and conscientious activity intended to do something
    What people do in the privacy of their own homes isn’t my business. But being a star isn’t a private endeavor.
  24. untoward
    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper
    You can have a friend as long as the studio doesn’t suspect anything untoward is happening.
  25. repatriation
    the act of returning to one's country of origin
    “They don’t call it deportation. Like true Americans, they’ve found a way to repackage it. They’re calling it repatriation.”
  26. divulge
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
    “Oh, well, where is his home?” I ask.
    “You want me to divulge his home address to you?” he asks.
  27. feign
    give a false appearance of
    As Zip feigns different pains around his body, he sings.
  28. upstanding
    meriting respect or esteem
    “And you, my dear friend, are not a teacher anymore. So there’s no need to pretend you’re an upstanding member of the moral brigade.”
  29. municipal
    of or relating to the government of a district
    “Municipal Code 52.51,” he says sadly. “You know what that is?”
    I shake my head.
    “It states that masquerading in the streets is illegal.”
  30. masquerade
    pretend to be someone or something that you are not
    “What is masquerading?” I ask.
    With a smile, he says, “It’s when a person dresses as a member of the opposite sex.”
  31. vice
    moral weakness
    And don’t think the vice squad doesn’t raid our nightclubs and restaurants.
  32. reap
    get or derive
    Coach Lane selfishly wants him to stay so he can train a tennis star and reap all the rewards of his success.
  33. boisterous
    marked by exuberance and high spirits
    This is the extroverted, boisterous man he could’ve been.
  34. infatuation
    temporary love of an adolescent
    And I need you to understand that what I felt for Shirin was youthful infatuation. That’s a kind of love, of course. But the love I shared with your mother, it was different. Deeper. Grounded in respect.
  35. bigoted
    blindly and obstinately attached to some creed or opinion
    He would think it’s the ultimate tragedy, a man and a woman pretending to be straight in a bigoted country.
  36. earnestly
    in a sincere and serious manner
    Baba looks at me earnestly as he thinks of how to answer the question.
  37. al dente
    cooked so as to still be firm when eaten
    “Moud, there’s spaghetti up there. Get it out, and don’t overcook it. Very al dente. We soften it just a bit before we burn it.”
  38. splice
    join by interweaving strands
    And he made this TikTok where he spliced together bits of me using the word.
  39. precipice
    the brink of a dangerous or potentially disastrous situation
    If only he knew that he was finally accepting my relationship just when it’s at its rockiest precipice. I’m so filled with doubt about who I am that I’m not sure I can even be in a relationship anymore.
  40. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
    Die is a word I’d rather not think of right now, because I’ve never felt closer to death. My grandfather’s imminent death.
Created on Wed Mar 27 08:44:37 EDT 2024 (updated Mon Apr 01 15:47:54 EDT 2024)

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