The Maltese Falcon: Chapters 14–17

by Dashiell Hammett
In this classic of noir fiction, detective Sam Spade is hired to protect a client in her search for a priceless artifact, but as she refuses to tell him the whole truth, the job becomes more and more dangerous.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1-4, Chapters 5-9, Chapters 10-13, Chapters 14-17, Chapters 18-20
15 words 10 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. underscore
    draw a line or lines underneath to call attention to
    He read the list slowly and when he had finished he underscored Hongkong with a fingernail, cut the list of arrivals from the paper with his pocket-knife, put the rest of the paper and Cairo’s sheet into the wastebasket, and returned to his office.
  2. malice
    the quality of threatening evil
    Malice glittered in Spade’s eyes.
  3. salient
    conspicuous, prominent, or important
    A lathy youth with salient ears ushered Spade into the District Attorney’s office.
  4. latent
    potentially existing but not presently evident or realized
    When he said, “How do you do, Spade?” his voice was resonant with latent power.
  5. kindred
    similar in quality or character
    The one to whom Spade said, “Hello, Thomas!” was a sunburned stocky man of thirty in clothing and hair of a kindred unruliness.
  6. incriminate
    suggest that someone is guilty
    “You mean if it might incriminate me?”
  7. stenographer
    someone skilled in the transcription of speech
    He rose and turned his head over his shoulder to address the stenographer: "Getting this all right, son? Or am I going too fast for you?"
  8. defraud
    deprive of by deceit
    He suspected one of his cashiers and a doorman of colluding to defraud him.
  9. contemptible
    deserving of scorn or disrespect
    “Sam Spade,” she said, “you’re the most contemptible man God ever made when you want to be.”
  10. supplant
    take the place or move into the position of
    As she stood there—hands on a corner of the desk—watching him pull the rope loose and push aside brown paper, excitement began to supplant nausea in her face.
  11. denote
    be a sign or indication of
    Carrying the parcel lightly under his arm, walking briskly, with only the ceaseless shifting of his eyes to denote wariness, Spade went, partly by way of an alley and a narrow court, from his office-building to Kearny and Post Streets, where he hailed a passing taxicab.
  12. monotone
    an unchanging intonation
    “That’s fine,” he said in a crisp voice, dropping his monotone.
  13. intelligible
    capable of being apprehended or understood
    "Who are you?"
    Her "Rhea Gutman" was thick but intelligible.
  14. askew
    turned or twisted to one side
    He went to John's Grill, asked the waiter to hurry his order of chops, baked potato, and sliced tomatoes, ate hurriedly, and was smoking a cigarette with his coffee when a thick-set youngish man with a plaid cap set askew above pale eyes and a tough cheery face came into the Grill and to his table.
  15. distraught
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
    Her face was haggard, distraught, shaken by the tremors that shook her from head to foot.
Created on Thu Jan 08 08:53:55 EST 2026 (updated Fri Jan 09 12:37:10 EST 2026)

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