Mid-Air: List 3

by Alicia D. Williams
In this novel in verse, Isaiah learns who he is as he grieves the death of one friend and tries to keep his relationship with another alive.

This list covers vocabulary from "So, This Happened:"–"Why Am I Doing This?"

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6
25 words 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. swivel
    turn on a pivot
    Immediately, hands stop signing yearbooks
    as heads swivel my way. My dome drops
    to the desk with a thud. Nooo.
  2. clammy
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    What y’all gon’ do? My hands go clammy.
  3. gripe
    complain
    I grip my yearbook & gripe, Dude, why’d you tell?
  4. flirt
    talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions
    Swap back books with Drew as he signs & flirts.
  5. exotic
    characteristic of another place or part of the world
    Dad’s at the dining room table, computer open, describing
    the exotic places he’s traveled to, the once-in-a-lifetime
    photos he’s taken.
  6. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    His mouth twists. Eyebrows furrow.
  7. digest
    arrange and integrate in the mind
    At breakfast, I’m still digesting what Dad said.
  8. haggle
    wrangle, as over a price or terms of an agreement
    We haggle like two lawyers.
  9. foliage
    the collective amount of leaves of one or more plants
    Or overgrown twisty foliage, caged in
    by neatly tapered sides.
  10. crane
    stretch, so as to see better
    Darius? I crane my neck, peering around,
    when I spot his parents.
  11. zombie
    a dead body brought back to life by a supernatural force
    This time,
    Drew is zombie still.
  12. memo
    a written proposal or reminder
    Mom didn’t get the memo.
  13. stamina
    enduring strength and energy
    She laughs. Boy, I’m helping you build stamina.
  14. grasp
    hold firmly
    Shoes & socks off. We grasp marbles
    with our paintless toes
    until Drew gets a cramp &
    we laugh so hard we sweat.
  15. sacred
    made, declared, or believed to be holy
    Dad beams. Not only is this primate sacred to the Himalayan
    people but it is one of the most endangered species of India.
  16. sidle
    move unobtrusively or furtively
    I sidle down next to Dad, okay with knowing he can at least
    come home…and does.
  17. detour
    a roundabout road or route
    I debate keeping straight,
    or taking a detour,
    when I spot Drew,
    who was MIA yesterday.
  18. strew
    be dispersed over
    Socks & jeans are strewn across the floor like seaweed.
  19. endorsement
    a promotional statement for or recommendation of a product
    I fold over the wings. Maybe endorsement deals?
  20. petty
    preoccupied with unimportant matters in a spiteful way
    Don’t be tantrum petty. He tosses the paper onto the desk,
    starts folding again.
  21. gloat
    dwell on with satisfaction
    Soon, we’re gloating when we don’t.
  22. stifle
    smother or suppress
    We stifle back laughter. Our planes are off by miles.
  23. trance
    a psychological state induced by a magical incantation
    We stand in a trance
    when Mom breaks the spell —
    So, what’s next?
  24. mumble
    talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
    Drew nods as he mumbles the lyrics.
  25. sneer
    express through a scornful smile
    Drew sneers.
Created on Thu May 15 07:19:23 EDT 2025 (updated Tue Jun 10 13:02:37 EDT 2025)

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