Everything We Never Had: List 2

by Randy Ribay
This novel follows four generations of fathers and sons from the Filipino American Maghabol family as they struggle to survive and understand each other.

This list covers vocabulary from "A Brokenness Beyond Repair"–"The Man of the House."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6, List 7, List 8, List 9.

25 words 23 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. reel
    a winder around which flexible materials can be wound
    As the reel whirs, his fly arcs through the air and hits the water with a small splash, trailed by the softly coiling line, thin as a strand of silk.
  2. snag
    catch or cause to catch on something sharp that is sticking out
    With freezing fingers, he picks up the slack before his line snags on a rock or stick.
  3. assess
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    He assesses the river and selects a fly.
  4. periodic
    happening or recurring at regular intervals
    The rustling of the turning leaves in the wind and the periodic splashing of a trout fighting for its life.
  5. elaborate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    And as their day ends and they pack up, Emil explains why in elaborate detail.
  6. tolerate
    put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    Chris enjoys being out in the mountains enough to tolerate his dad’s unending criticism disguised as paternal wisdom, but Friday nights during football season have been kicking his butt and making it difficult to wake up at the crack of dawn to freeze his ass off and kill other living beings.
  7. withdraw
    pull back or move away or backward
    Chris withdraws and exhales.
  8. clench
    hold in a tight grasp
    Eyes forward, Emil clenches the steering wheel.
  9. contrail
    an artificial cloud created by an aircraft
    Chris focuses on a contrail slowly cutting through the perfect blue sky.
  10. downcast
    directed toward a lower place
    A year of downcast eyes, mouth shut.
  11. propose
    present for consideration, examination, or criticism
    But before it started, he proposed a deal to his parents: If he earned all As in his summer classes, they had to let him join the football team in the fall.
  12. motivate
    give an incentive for action
    Emil, thinking this outcome was highly unlikely but hoping it would at least motivate Chris enough to scrape by, agreed.
  13. stipulation
    a restriction insisted upon as a condition for an agreement
    His stipulation: If Chris succeeded, he had to maintain a B average throughout the semester to remain on the team.
  14. addled
    confused and vague; used especially of thinking
    His brain was not addled by drugs; his judgment, not impaired by bad friends.
  15. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    Emil makes that condescending hmm sound he always makes, then falls quiet.
  16. blare
    make a loud noise
    The crowd’s roaring, the marching band’s blaring, the cheerleaders are chanting.
  17. pennant
    a flag that usually tapers and is longer than it is wide
    His best friend, Hazel Young, one of the few Black students in the mostly white crowd, is shouting as she waves their school’s pennant.
  18. grim
    harshly uninviting or formidable in manner or appearance
    His mom and sisters are clapping and cheering with the rest of the bundled-up fans, but his dad’s arms are crossed over his chest, his mouth set in a grim line.
  19. embrace
    squeeze tightly in your arms, usually with fondness
    He finds his sisters and his mom next and embraces them as well.
  20. tousle
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    Then someone plucks Chris’s hat off his head and tousles his hair.
  21. retrieve
    get or find back; recover the use of
    Chris retrieves his hat.
  22. cramped
    small, constricted, and uncomfortable
    He’s in Coach’s cramped office in the corner of the locker room as everybody else gears up for practice, halfway changed himself.
  23. stunned
    in a state of mental numbness as resulting from shock
    Chris shakes his head in stunned disbelief.
  24. eligible
    qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen
    “You’re eligible by the athletic department’s standards—but not by his, it seems. Said something about a missing essay for your history class?”
  25. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    Chris lets out an exasperated sigh.
Created on Tue Mar 18 08:41:19 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Mar 31 17:20:34 EDT 2025)

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