From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: To My Lawyer - Chapter 2

by E.L. Konigsburg
When Claudia Kincaid and her brother run away from home, they find themselves caught up in a mystery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Learn these words from E. L. Konigsburg's award-winning novel.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: To My Lawyer-Chapter 2, Chapters 3-4, Chapters 5-6, Chapters 7-8, Chapters 9-10
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. fascinating
    capable of arousing and holding the attention
    Perhaps, if you had some interest in this world besides law, taxes, and your grandchildren, you could almost be a fascinating person.
  2. testament
    a legal document disposing of property after a death
    I’ve written it to explain certain changes I want made in my last will and testament.
  3. discomfort
    the state of being tense and feeling pain
    She didn’t like discomfort; even picnics were untidy and inconvenient: all those insects and the sun melting the icing on the cupcakes.
  4. preferably
    more readily or willingly
    Therefore, she decided that her leaving home would not be just running from somewhere but would be running to somewhere. To a large place, a comfortable place, an indoor place, and preferably a beautiful place.
  5. companion
    a traveler who goes along with someone else
    She planned very carefully; she saved her allowance and she chose her companion. She chose Jamie, the second youngest of her three younger brothers. He could be counted on to be quiet, and now and then he was good for a laugh. Besides, he was rich; unlike most boys his age, he had never even begun collecting baseball cards.
  6. suburb
    a residential district located on the outskirts of a city
    Living in the suburbs had taught her that everything costs.
  7. fare
    the sum charged for riding in a public conveyance
    She had to save enough for train fare and a few expenses before she could tell Jamie or make final plans.
  8. injustice
    the practice of being unfair
    In the meantime she almost forgot why she was running away. But not entirely. Claudia knew that it had to do with injustice. She was the oldest child and the only girl and was subject to a lot of injustice. Perhaps it was because she had to both empty the dishwasher and set the table on the same night while her brothers got out of everything.
  9. monotony
    the quality of wearisome constancy and lack of variety
    She was tired of arguing about whose turn it was to choose the Sunday night seven-thirty television show, of injustice, and of the monotony of everything.
  10. appreciation
    an expression of gratitude
    Since she intended to return home after everyone had learned a lesson in Claudia appreciation, she had to save money for her return trip, too, which was like full fare one way.
  11. commute
    travel back and forth regularly, as between work and home
    After all, Greenwich was considered an actual suburb of New York, a commuting suburb.
  12. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    Most of them never ventured there; it was exhausting, and it made them nervous.
  13. elegant
    suggesting taste, ease, and wealth
    Claudia loved the city because it was elegant; it was important; and busy.
  14. pamphlet
    a small book usually having a paper cover
    There were even some pamphlets about the museum around the house, which she quietly researched.
  15. accustomed
    in the habit of or adapted to
    Claudia also decided that she must get accustomed to giving up things. Learning to do without hot fudge sundaes was good practice for her.
  16. postpone
    hold back to a later time
    It would postpone her running away only twenty-seven cents worth.
  17. despise
    look down on with disdain or disgust
    On Saturdays Claudia emptied the wastebaskets, a task she despised.
  18. sift
    move as if through a sieve
    One Saturday as she was carrying the basket from her parents’ room, she jiggled it a little so that the contents would sift down and not spill out as she walked.
  19. expose
    disclose to view as by removing a cover
    She managed to shift a shallow layer of Kleenex, which her mother had used for blotting lipstick, and thus exposed the corner of a red ticket.
  20. fiscal
    involving financial matters
    Therefore, their “fiscal week” as Claudia chose to call it began always on Wednesday.
  21. miniature
    being on a very small scale
    He sat slumped in his seat with his lips pooched out and his eyebrows pulled down on top of his eyes. He looked like a miniature, clean-shaven Neanderthal man.
  22. indecent
    not in keeping with accepted standards of polite society
    “What’s the matter with you, Claude? First you bust up my card game, then you don’t tell me. It’s undecent.”
    “Break up, not bust up. Indecent, not undecent,” Claudia corrected.
  23. mutual
    concerning each of two or more persons or things
    “I’ve picked you to accompany me on the greatest adventure of our mutual lives,” Claudia repeated.
  24. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Claudia stifled the urge to correct his grammar again.
  25. complicated
    difficult to analyze or understand
    Jamie squinted his eyes and said, “Make it complicated, Claude. I like complications.”
  26. tyranny
    dominance through threat of punishment and violence
    Wearing shoes all the time is one of the tyrannies you’ll escape by coming with me.
  27. casual
    without or seeming to be without plan or method; offhand
    She almost managed to sound casual. “And bring all your money.”
  28. tycoon
    a very wealthy or powerful businessperson
    Claudia thought that old Jamie would end up being a business tycoon someday. Or at least a tax attorney like their grandfather.
  29. complement
    make perfect or supply what is wanting
    He smiled, and so did she, for she then felt more certain than ever that she had chosen the correct brother for a partner in escape. They complemented each other perfectly.
  30. cautious
    showing careful forethought
    She was cautious (about everything but money) and poor; he was adventurous (about everything but money) and rich.
  31. crouch
    bend one's back forward from the waist on down
    Claudia had instructed Jamie to pull his feet up and crouch his head down so that Herbert, the driver, couldn’t see him.
  32. temptation
    the desire to do something that you know you should avoid
    Each held his breath for a long time, and each resisted at least four temptations to peek up and see what was going on.
  33. ragged
    worn out from stress or strain
    James and Claudia practiced silence all during the ragged ride to the parking lot.
  34. lever
    a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum
    After he got out, Herbert reached in from the small side window to operate the lever that closed the door.
  35. racket
    a loud and disturbing noise
    The door lever was left of the driver’s seat, and as she walked toward it, she heard an awful racket behind her.
    “Jamie,” she whispered, “what’s all that racket?”
    Jamie stopped, and so did the noise. “What racket?” he demanded.
    “You,” she said. “You are the racket. What in the world are you wearing? Chain mail?”
  36. compass
    navigational instrument for finding directions
    “You need a compass to find your way in the woods. Out of the woods, too. Everyone uses a compass for that.”
  37. hitchhike
    travel by getting free rides from motorists
    “The train! Can’t we even hitchhike to New York?”
    “Hitchhike? And take a chance of getting kidnapped or robbed? Or we could even get mugged,” Claudia replied.
  38. dissatisfy
    fail to please or meet expectations
    The train was not filled with either commuters or lady shoppers, so Claudia walked up the aisles of one car and then another until she found a pair of chairs that dissatisfied her the least with regard to the amount of dust and lint on the blue velvet mohair covers.
  39. expenditure
    the act of spending money for goods or services
    Claudia appointed him treasurer; he would not only hold all the money, he would also keep track of it and pass judgment on all expenditures.
  40. terminal
    station where vehicles load or unload passengers or goods
    In fact when they emerged from the train at Grand Central into the underworld of cement and steel that leads to the terminal, Claudia felt that having Jamie there was important.
Created on Thu Sep 14 17:32:11 EDT 2017 (updated Thu Sep 21 08:49:31 EDT 2017)

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