Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind: List 4

by Misa Sugiura
This first book of the series introduces a twelve-year-old Californian who dreads the seventh-grade social scene, until the discovery that she is the daughter of a Shintō goddess who needs her help to fight demons on the Japanese Island of Mysteries.

This list covers "Roasted, Toasted, Fried, or Raw"–"Not Bad for a Sneaky, Thieving Guppy Girl."

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5
40 words 11 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. prompt
    urge, encourage, or motivate someone to act
    He’d saved my life without any prompting or help, either with the shikome or with Uncle Kappy.
  2. demise
    the event of departure from life
    And I believe that you, Momo, managed to feel remorse over a certain green yōkai’s untimely demise, even though he would have killed you if he could have.
  3. sully
    make dirty or spotty
    “But I thought the Moon Prince didn’t like to sully himself with earthly things and petty emotions,” said Niko.
  4. resigned
    accepting that something unpleasant cannot be changed
    “That is why he sends me,” said the rabbit, with a slightly resigned sigh.
  5. unsavory
    morally offensive
    “I would have summoned something a little less unsavory, but unfortunately, nighttime is more conducive to the darker kind of magic, and one cannot be picky when one is in a hurry.”
  6. conducive
    tending to bring about; being partly responsible for
    “I would have summoned something a little less unsavory, but unfortunately, nighttime is more conducive to the darker kind of magic, and one cannot be picky when one is in a hurry.”
  7. exploit
    use or manipulate to one's advantage
    But he has had centuries to learn strategies that extend beyond brute force. He knows how to manipulate his enemies, how to find and exploit their weaknesses to turn them against each other.
  8. revel
    take delight in
    He revels in discord and betrayal.
  9. discord
    strife resulting from a lack of agreement
    He revels in discord and betrayal.
  10. jounce
    move up and down repeatedly
    Danny was a little less enthusiastic about the car’s lack of safety protocols when we drove off the subway platform and jounced onto the track.
  11. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    Why didn’t my powers manifest? What was the point of being the granddaughter of the most powerful earth god if you couldn’t do anything?
  12. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    Far in the distance was something big, bulky, and black. The fortress, I guessed. Even from all the way over here, it looked scary and ominous.
  13. whim
    a sudden desire
    The sky and the light that you see is all Susano’o’s magic. He replicates the sky and the ground to mimic the surface according to his whim.
  14. regal
    belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
    “Be regal. Claim your divinity. But also be humble!”
  15. trivial
    of little substance or significance
    THE MIGHTY SUSANO’O IS BEYOND SUCH TRIVIAL MATTERS. HUMAN LIVES ARE BUT DROPS OF WATER IN THE VAST OCEAN OF TIME. MERE GRAINS OF SAND IN THE ENDLESS DESERT OF SPACE MATTER.
  16. primeval
    having existed from the beginning
    TINY TWIGS IN THE PRIMEVAL FOREST OF LIFE.
  17. lackey
    a servile or submissive follower
    “Tell His Mightiness that his humble servant Mukade approaches the fortress with a mortal claiming to be his granddaughter, and her lackeys.”
    “Hey!” Danny and Niko said together.
  18. subside
    wear off or die down
    And just when I thought I would drown, the feeling of being tossed around in a stormy ocean subsided, and I was back in the fortress looking at an old guy with long, scraggly hair who was wearing a leather jacket and pants that were just a little too tight.
  19. balderdash
    trivial nonsense
    I saw Kusanagi, but I’m not interested in poking around in that little brain of yours for your reasons and your feelings and all that balderdash.
  20. fledgling
    young and inexperienced
    “Er, technically, Your Magnificent Mightiness, she didn’t abandon her duties so much as... Ahem, that is to say, perhaps you may recall that she was forced to flee,” Niko babbled, “during a typhoon that, ahem, that you sent after her fledgling family...er, after which you cursed her and banned her from returning to the island forevermore.”
  21. upstart
    an arrogant or presumptuous person
    Bring that sneaky little upstart to my fortress and WE’LL. SEE. WHO’S! BOSS!
  22. snobby
    tending to associate only with people of a similar background
    That’s why I’d always felt a little sorry for him for getting booted out of the Sky Kingdom by his beautiful, shining, snobby brothers and sisters, basically for being weird and socially awkward.
  23. plucky
    showing courage
    I tried to stand up straight and look powerful and plucky. I am the granddaughter of Susano’o, I reminded myself. And the daughter of Takiri-bime. I have their power.
  24. skittish
    unpredictably excitable, especially of horses
    Inside, of course, the electric monkeys had disappeared again and I now felt like I was made of squirrels—jumpy and skittish and ready to run for cover at any moment.
  25. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    He brandished his guitar, and for a moment its true nature—a gleaming silver sword—flashed in front of us.
  26. coup
    a brilliant and notable success
    “That does sound like quite the culinary coup, Your Mightiness,” he said dreamily as a bit of drool dribbled out of his mouth.
  27. slog
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    It was one of those situations where you keep wondering how long you’ve been slogging around in the hot sun, but you also don’t really want to know because no matter what the answer is, it would probably make you cry.
  28. cad
    someone who is morally reprehensible
    “I suppose I will be able to find it in my heart to forgive you, you coldhearted cad.”
  29. futile
    unproductive of success
    This is futile. This is a wild waste of time. A silly strategy.
  30. gallantly
    in a heroic or brave manner
    We walked up to the hole. “You go ahead.” Danny swept his arm out gallantly. “Since you’re the demi-kami and everything.”
  31. magnanimous
    noble and generous in spirit
    “I beg your forgiveness a million times over, Miss Emi,” Niko cut in quickly. “He’s just a human boy. He hasn’t been brought up properly. Please, O magnanimous, majestic, magnificent mouse.”
  32. grouse
    complain
    “Okay, okay. Lesson learned. You don’t have to rub it in,” he groused.
  33. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    “That's just what I would have done."
    Danny rolled his eyes. “Oh, yay. I'm as smart as you."
    “Oh. I mean..." I blushed. I hadn’t meant to sound so condescending.
  34. overbearing
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    “Let’s get going before this overbearing oaf wakes up and decides to throw us into a room full of vipers.”
  35. puerile
    displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity
    I knelt at Susano’o’s feet and untied his boots.
    “What are you doing? We haven't got time for puerile pranks!” whined Niko from the door.
  36. dawdle
    take one's time; proceed slowly
    “It’s too dark in here to hurry!” I whispered.
    “We don’t have time to dawdle!” he whispered back.
  37. void
    an empty area or space
    Then time and space strrreetchhed and twisted, and suddenly it was only me and Susano’o face to face in the middle of nothing—just cold wind whipping through a deep black void above, below, and all around us.
  38. indignantly
    in a manner showing anger at something unjust or wrong
    He snapped his fingers, and Kusanagi leaped from my hands to his.
    “Hey!” I shouted indignantly. “I earned that! Kusanagi chose me—you saw it happen!”
  39. bestow
    give as a gift
    I had just bestowed Kusanagi upon you for having proven against all odds to be a fighter worthy of the honor. You’re welcome.
  40. grovel
    show submission or fear
    Well, fox, despite your groveling and whining, you seem to be the one in charge of this outfit.
Created on Sat May 18 10:16:22 EDT 2024 (updated Sun May 19 14:37:55 EDT 2024)

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