Invisible Inkling: List 2

by Emily Jenkins
This first book in the series introduces Hank Wolowitz, a fourth grader in New York, who has an invisible furry bandapat giving him advice on how to deal with a bully.

This list covers "Get Some Squash in That Thing"–"Invisible Blood."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
35 words 12 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. cosmetic
    a toiletry designed to beautify the body
    In the early morning, before anyone else is up, I give Inkling a tour of the Wolowitz apartment. Dad’s seven hundred books, spilling off the shelves and piled on the floor. Nadia’s stash of cosmetics and hair products.
  2. persist
    refuse to stop
    “I don’t choose to discuss it.”
    “Don’t choose to discuss what?” I persist.
  3. admit
    declare to be true or accept the reality of
    “Is your life in danger?” Inkling demands.
    “No,” I have to admit.
  4. official
    conforming to set usage, procedure, or discipline
    They’re, like, her official friends.
    I’m just the kid from her building she hangs out with.
  5. motto
    a favorite saying of a sect or political group
    “Strangers are friends you haven’t gotten to know yet,” she announces, in one of those fake teacher voices, high and jolly. “That’s our motto for the start of this year. Friends are flowers in the garden of life. Let’s plant an imaginary friendship flower bed together, here in our classroom!”
  6. socket
    a bony hollow into which a structure fits
    I wonder if you can really truly do that kind of eyeball scooping, or whether eyeballs are actually difficult to remove from their sockets.
  7. scrimmage
    practice playing (a sport)
    I’m on a team called the Pink Floyds. Our opposite team is the Foo Fighters.
    “Scrimmage!” Kaminski yells, and blows her whistle.
  8. loom
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    A big kid called Gillicut looms over me.
  9. sneer
    express through a scornful smile
    “I mean, I know which is my team’s goal. I may not be a soccer dude, but I’m far from stupid.”
    “Yeah, Spanky,” Gillicut sneers. “That is the Pink Floyd goal.”
  10. sportsmanship
    fairness and courtesy in following the rules of a game
    Kaminski blows her whistle. “Break it up, boys. Sportsmanship, remember?”
  11. hack
    chop or cut away
    “Then you hack off the stem, save that to eat later, and paint it black and white.”
  12. innocent
    lacking intent or capacity to injure
    “You took down that fierce rootbeer unarmed. You rescued an innocent bandapat from harm and asked for nothing in return. No way are you scared of some guy who’s working himself up just because you kicked a black-and-white ball in the wrong direction.”
  13. stalk
    walk stiffly
    The next day, in the cafeteria, I’m just sitting down to eat when Gillicut stalks over.
  14. organic
    grown or raised without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides
    “They’re not Oreos. They’re organic sandwich cookies,” I mumble, hoping he’ll drop them.
  15. opponent
    someone who offers resistance
    “Then the least you can do is fluff up your fur to make yourself look bigger.”
    I laugh. “What?”
    “A big fur fluff-up is very scary to an opponent.”
  16. suit
    be agreeable or acceptable to
    “Fluffy is different for humans.”
    “Suit yourself,” says Inkling.
  17. settle
    become established and stable in one's life style
    Inkling and I settle into a happy routine.
  18. sluggish
    lacking energy, quickness, or alertness
    “I’m sluggish,” he moans. “I’m losing fur in patches. You’ve gotta help me, Wolowitz. Otherwise how can I help you?”
  19. desperation
    a state in which all hope is lost or absent
    I can hear the desperation in his voice.
    I want to help. I really do.
  20. rampage
    violently angry and destructive behavior
    Gillicut is on a rampage. And he’s not dumb: He kicks under the table, pinches while he’s smiling, and never makes a move until the aides are busy with someone else.
  21. pacifist
    someone opposed to violence as a means of settling disputes
    He’s a pacifist, which means he doesn’t believe in war, karate lessons, or toy guns.
  22. ambassador
    an informal representative
    “Maybe if you offer to share your sprinkles, he’ll offer to share something back. You could reach out!”
    No, no.
    “You can switch the situation around. You can be an ambassador of goodwill.”
  23. goodwill
    a disposition to kindness and compassion
    “Maybe if you offer to share your sprinkles, he’ll offer to share something back. You could reach out!”
    No, no.
    “You can switch the situation around. You can be an ambassador of goodwill.”
  24. incomprehensible
    difficult to understand
    “I don’t understand people, either,” says Inkling, collecting the money on Free Parking. “Not liking squash, wanting to be alone in the bathroom, all that stuff is incomprehensible.”
  25. mushy
    very sentimental or emotional
    You understand us when it matters, I think.
    But that’s too mushy to say out loud.
  26. raw
    not treated with heat to prepare it for eating
    “You don’t have to cook it,” I tell Mom.
    “You can’t eat raw squash,” she says.
  27. produce
    fresh fruits and vegetable grown for the market
    She turns decisively and walks to the other end of the produce section, where she begins filling bags with green vegetables.
  28. vermin
    any of various small animals or insects that are pests
    “Well, if it’s not a rat, it’s some other vermin. We can’t have that here in Health Goddess.”
  29. quiver
    shake with fast, tremulous movements
    My hand finally hits quivering fur and I can feel Inkling, shaking and limp, squeezed between two bins of granola.
  30. gape
    be wide open
    “It’s a gaping wound, practically. I’m sure you’re getting germs in it right now.”
  31. shifty
    characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive
    Does his face look shifty? Bossy? Clever?
  32. foster
    help develop or grow
    When he’s off work, Dad picks up Chin, too. He arranged it with her mom at the start of the school year. I heard him on the phone saying stuff about “fostering their friendship” and how Hank “seems lonely since Alexander moved away.”
  33. snarl
    utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
    “Just ’cause your mom doesn’t want you anymore doesn’t mean you get to call me a baby,” I snarl.
  34. reel
    walk as if unable to control one's movements
    He reels back like I’ve hit him.
  35. stride
    walk with long steps
    I want to tell him and have him take my side: stride over to Gillicut and make sure that dirtbug never bothers me again.
Created on Thu May 02 10:49:18 EDT 2024 (updated Thu May 02 15:10:48 EDT 2024)

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.