Milkweed: Chapters 27–35

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
30 words 410 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. wallop
    hit hard
    Each time Ferdi walloped Kuba, a tiny blizzard, like salt, fell from Kuba’s hair to the ground.
  2. pendulum
    an apparatus in which an object is mounted to swing freely
    With every blow Kuba swung back and forth like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.
  3. glint
    be shiny, as if wet
    Their buttons glinted like morning stars on their uniforms.
  4. rash
    imprudently incurring risk
    All the parts—the stealing, the speed, the size, the rash stupidity—came together to make me the perfect smuggler.
  5. distract
    draw someone's attention away from something
    To distract her, I led her to the merry-go-round.
  6. reluctant
    not eager
    I believed that sooner or later I would catch a glimpse of one coming out of a freshly dead body, or just hanging around, reluctant to leave.
  7. fierce
    marked by extreme and violent energy
    Creeping along the shadows toward home, we saw an orange glow beyond a corner and heard a strange sound, like a fierce gust of wind.
  8. jut
    extend out or project in space
    Only a few living people came with the wagons. Except for the rags they wore and the fact that they were standing, they looked like the bodies. One old woman held on to an ankle jutting out from a heap.
  9. commotion
    a disorderly outburst or tumult
    We heard a commotion. We followed the noise to an intersection of streets.
  10. quiver
    shake with fast, tremulous movements
    Her lip pouted out and quivered. Her great eyes watered.
  11. haunch
    the upper thigh and back of the hip in human beings
    Sure enough, there was Janina in the middle of the street, squatting on her haunches, hurling her voice, thumbing her nose at Buffo, taunting him in perfect imitation of me.
  12. taunt
    harass with persistent criticism or carping
    Sure enough, there was Janina in the middle of the street, squatting on her haunches, hurling her voice, thumbing her nose at Buffo, taunting him in perfect imitation of me.
  13. gleam
    a flash of light
    I saw the gleam in Buffo’s eyes as he came clumping after her, spewing flecks of mint, his massive belly bouncing.
  14. mimic
    imitate, especially for satirical effect
    I hated her mimicking me in everything I did. All my talents were useless with her. I could not escape her anymore than I could outrun my shadow.
  15. drowsy
    half asleep
    I was, as always, on the alert for signs of Buffo or the mystery cow, but in time the buzzing of the flies and the warmth of the day took the edge from my attention and made me drowsy.
  16. bitter
    causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation
    On this bitterly cold night the streets of Warsaw were almost as deserted as those of the ghetto, but the blue camel hotel was always bright and warm.
  17. glimpse
    a brief or incomplete view
    As I sailed through the revolving door, I caught a glimpse of red hair in the lobby.
  18. reliable
    worthy of being depended on
    I went to familiar, reliable garbage cans and a few unguarded home pantries, places we both knew well.
  19. fragment
    a piece broken off or cut off of something else
    I kept waiting, hoping to see a tiny fragment of shadow break away and come running to the wall, to me.
  20. undertaker
    one whose business is the management of funerals
    We went to an empty plot of ground. The undertaker’s helpers found shovels and dug a hole.
  21. astonished
    filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise
    More than anything, we loved seeing the astonished faces of Mr. Milgrom and Uncle Shepsel when we returned with our nightly feast.
  22. thatch
    hair resembling roofing material made of plant stalks
    I dropped the comb and began tearing apart the thatch of hair with my fingers.
  23. stub
    a small, unused piece
    He found a candle stub and lit the tiny wick with a match.
  24. imitate
    appear like, as in behavior or appearance
    He gave me the candle. He made for it a collar of newspaper so the hot wax would not drip on my hand. I stood at attention and held my arms out and did my best to imitate a menorah.
  25. pantry
    a small storeroom for storing food or beverages
    As for pickles, I was hoping for the fat, juicy kind that Uri used to eat, but the best I could do was a jar of pickle spears in someone’s pantry.
  26. lurk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    I lurked down alleyways, jiggling strange doors and windows, trying to get in somewhere.
  27. fragile
    easily broken or damaged or destroyed
    I cradled the egg in my hand. I knew how fragile they were.
  28. seep
    pass gradually or leak or as if through small openings
    And then I noticed that it was only cracked, not broken apart. There was no yellow seeping into the snow. I didn’t understand. An egg that cracked but didn’t break. It was a miracle!
  29. self-conscious
    excessively aware of your appearance or behavior
    In other ways Janina was her old self again, chattering, complaining, shadowing me everywhere I went, in everything I did. She made me self-conscious.
  30. harass
    annoy continually or chronically
    I had stopped harassing Buffo so that Janina would also stop, but it didn’t work. In fact, she went even further. She became a gnat in the nose of every Flop she saw. She called them names. She threw stones.
Created on Fri Oct 13 11:34:38 EDT 2017 (updated Fri Jun 23 13:23:16 EDT 2023)

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