The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky: Chapters 31–35

by Josh Galarza
This novel delves into one boy's experience of struggling with an eating disorder and self-esteem issues after going through an enormous loss.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–15, Chapters 16–20, Chapters 21–25, Chapters 26–30, Chapters 31–35, Chapters 36–40, Chapters 41–46
20 words 6 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. convention
    a large formal assembly
    Mallory’s dad is at work, and Tina and Mallory’s sisters are in Las Vegas at some convention for fat women that Mallory used to attend but doesn’t want to attend anymore.
  2. linoleum
    a floor covering made from linseed oil, cork, and resin
    “A matrix can be anything you’re going to print—usually carved woodblock or linoleum, or a copper plate with an image etched into it.”
  3. unprecedented
    novel; having no earlier occurrence
    This is unprecedented.
  4. elitist
    favoring those who have wealth or high status
    She says, “It’s a great place to belong and get along. Not competitive or elitist.”
  5. subtext
    a meaning that is not expressly stated but can be inferred
    The subtext isn’t lost on me.
  6. archetype
    something that serves as a model
    Never reduce a character to an archetype, Brett.
  7. tousle
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    I tousle my hair, a nuclear-orange dandruff falling on my shoulders.
  8. abstract
    not representing or imitating external reality
    The orange blob is distinctive enough to suggest a body but abstract enough to invite closer examination.
  9. pergola
    a framework that supports climbing plants
    She sets to hanging her prints from clips on the pergola.
  10. buoyant
    characterized by liveliness and lightheartedness
    We crow and squeal, shoving each other under, splashing in an epic water fight, my spirit, for once, as buoyant as my body.
  11. limbo
    a period of prolonged uncertainty
    I never even met the guy—and that limbo, that in-between, meant nothing truly satisfying could come from the arrangement.
  12. untenable
    incapable of being defended or justified
    This lie is untenable, so how am I supposed to write a decent essay about it?
  13. disdainful
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    She gives my cargo shorts a disdainful look.
  14. impromptu
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    I glance past the olives and the framed picture of Toast to be certain my impromptu visit isn’t actually written on her desk calendar: Receive groveling and heartfelt apology from Brett Harrison on October 14.
  15. crafty
    marked by skill in deception
    Crafty woman.
  16. quaver
    a tremulous sound
    There’s a quaver in Marcus’s voice, not the emotional kind but the uncomfortable kind.
  17. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    Marcus stares wistfully into the blank void of the television screen.
  18. harried
    troubled persistently, especially with petty annoyances
    Marcus will act like a man again and I’ll act like a man again, and we’ll pretend that Marcus is just a dad who’s too harried to really be involved and I’m just a boy who would never cling so tightly to anyone, especially a man who isn’t even my real dad, but for right now, I just give in and allow Marcus to prop me up as I cry.
  19. sweeping
    taking in or moving over a wide area
    The arena-sized drums and sweeping synths of “The Glory of Love,” the far superior theme song to the far inferior film, The Karate Kid Part II, buffer the walls of my mind.
  20. ballad
    a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
    Themes of courage and honor, of being a hero to the one you love, pretty much the most epic ballad of all time.
Created on Thu Mar 06 04:54:50 EST 2025 (updated Fri Mar 07 04:49:59 EST 2025)

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