Milkweed: Chapters 9–17

by Jerry Spinelli
"Stop! Thief!" are the words often shouted at him, so a young orphan takes that as his name as he struggles to survive in Warsaw during World War II.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–17, Chapters 18–26, Chapters 27–35, Chapters 36–45
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stern
    serious and harsh in manner or behavior
    I shouted back as sternly as I could.
  2. dense
    having high compaction or concentration
    The hair that was not on the top of his head seemed to have fallen to the bottom of his face, as he had a dense white mustache and a goatee like a broom.
  3. curfew
    an order that after a certain time activities are prohibited
    “Curfew means all Jews off the streets after dark.”
  4. stunt
    check the growth or development of
    “He’ll stunt his growth!”
    “How can he? He’s already smaller than a cockroach!”
  5. flail
    thrash about
    Olek had Kuba wrapped like an octopus, Kuba squealing and flailing.
  6. mill
    move about in a confused manner
    One by one we stood. We milled about.
  7. grapple
    grip or seize, as in a wrestling match
    We bumped into each other and grappled. We made a game of giving and receiving bear hugs.
  8. lumber
    move heavily or clumsily
    The lumbering horse wore a black shawl over its mane. A line of people, black-shawled and lumbering like the horse, followed the wagon.
  9. hooligan
    a rowdy, violent, and typically youthful troublemaker
    Hooligan Jew-boys filthing up the cemetery!
  10. heed
    pay close attention to
    As if heeding Uri’s words, bread soon became something more to believe in than to eat.
  11. burly
    muscular and heavily built
    One, a thick, burly monster of a tree with warts, came down with a high, thin wail that sounded exactly like a baby crying.
  12. scrounge
    collect or look around for
    The next day I too went searching for black pearls. I scrounged deep into the rubble of collapsed buildings, tunneling for coal bins.
  13. overwhelm
    overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
    They were made of wood, painted, going round and round to tootling music. I ran to them. I just stood there, overwhelmed.
  14. prance
    move or step in a lively, spirited, or showy way
    They were the most magnificent animals I had ever seen—red horses, blue horses, horses of all colors—draped in gold and flowers, heads high, hooves raised as if prancing to the music.
  15. plod
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    So proud and high were their heads, I saw for the first time how miserable were the real horses plodding the streets.
  16. gilded
    having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
    Every gilded saddle was occupied.
  17. whinny
    the characteristic sounds made by a horse
    I don’t think I ever stopped laughing, and in the mix of my laughter and the music I was sure I heard the whinnies of the horses, joyful to be moving again.
  18. interchangeable
    permitting mutual substitution without loss of function
    They found the Jew. Or should I say, they found a Jew. Jews were interchangeable. One was as good as another.
  19. wrangle
    herd or round up
    The hose flew out of the Jackboots’ hands and whipped wildly about like a sliced worm. People screamed and ran. The Jackboots jumped onto the hose head and wrangled it down.
  20. ghetto
    the restricted quarter of European cities where Jews lived
    “Where are they going?” I said to Uri.
    “The ghetto,” he said.
    “What’s the ghetto?”
    “Where the damned live.”
  21. ungrateful
    not feeling or showing gratitude
    Then the lady walking on the other side of him said, “He’s not hungry. Please go.”
    That was ungrateful, I thought, but I did as she said.
  22. stagger
    walk as if unable to control one's movements
    He staggered and laughed as I crashed into him.
  23. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    She was trudging along with her family.
  24. harness
    an arrangement of straps for holding something to the body
    Janina’s father grunted and leaned into his harness until he was practically level to the street.
  25. gruff
    blunt and unfriendly or stern
    A gruff voice said, “Who’s there?”
  26. nimble
    moving quickly and lightly
    “The smelly nimble-footed thief.”
  27. riffraff
    common or disreputable people
    “Why is there a wall?”
    “Keep out the riffraff,” said Uncle Shepsel with a sneer.
  28. boast
    talk about oneself with excessive pride or self-regard
    I told her how I found a low place in the wall and simply stepped over. I added: “I can go anywhere.” I was not boasting, I was simply stating a fact. I had come to love my small size, my speed, my slipperiness.
  29. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    I wondered how the bottles had survived the rickety trek across the city.
  30. barbed
    having or covered with protective points, spines, or thorns
    Since they had finished the brick wall—topped with broken glass and coils of barbed wire—I had not been able to visit Janina.
  31. prod
    poke or thrust abruptly
    But, prodded along by the Jackboots’ rifles, I did wonder about him.
  32. curlicue
    a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles
    A yellow bird landed on a curlicue of wire, stayed for a moment, and flew off.
  33. mock
    treat with contempt
    One of them bowed deeply. I didn’t understand that he was mocking us. I bowed back.
  34. beeline
    the most direct route
    I made a beeline for the Milgroms’ apartment.
  35. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    A knot of children was writhing on the ground. Suddenly one of them, a boy, popped out of the knot and came running toward us.
Created on Fri Oct 13 11:09:42 EDT 2017 (updated Fri Jun 23 15:26:46 EDT 2023)

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