Dread Nation: Chapters 5–9

by Justina Ireland
The American Civil War ends abruptly when fallen soldiers begin to rise from the dead and attack the living. Like many Native American and African American children, Jane is conscripted into a combat school to learn to fight these so-called "shamblers." But when Jane heads to the West to search for a missing girl, she encounters dangers even more perilous than zombies.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Prologue–Chapter 4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–15, Chapters 16–23, Chapters 24–29, Chapters 30–38
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. humdinger
    something or someone of remarkable excellence
    “Ay, hey there! Hoo-wee, I bet dis a humdinger of a lecture if it can get old Jelly Belly out of city hall. Dey ain’t serving food, is dey?”
  2. huffy
    roused to anger
    Behind them, Katherine draws herself up, a huffy look coming over her, and I shake my head just a little.
  3. brooch
    a decorative pin
    “Why, the mayor’s missus, of course. I brought her broach, ’cause she don’t like to go out without it. She got it from the Belle of Baltimore herself! That fool Attendant of hers forgot it, and the house girls sent me out with it.”
    The text uses the less common, alternate spelling broach.
  4. ascot
    a tie with wide square ends
    He’s a big bull of a man, dominating the second row, wearing the red-and-white-striped ascot of the Survivalist Party.
  5. florid
    inclined to a healthy reddish color
    Up front, the professor, a bald white man with small spectacles and a florid face, has already started delivering his remarks.
  6. behest
    an authoritative command or request
    Now, overseas in Scotland, at the behest of a doctor there, Mr. Joseph Lister, they have had great success with burning their dead, which prevents the corpse from rising after burial.
  7. sojourn
    a temporary stay
    In addition, a few of our own local academics, including Mr. Irvington, have just returned from a sojourn to British India.
  8. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
    But the professor holds his hands out in a placating gesture.
  9. maudlin
    very sentimental or emotional
    They ain't decayed much, so they must be new turns, and it makes me feel a little maudlin to think that a few weeks ago they probably had lives, families that loved them, jobs they didn't care for, petty grievances they nursed grudges over.
  10. gist
    the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
    Katherine gives me a confused look before nodding as she gets the gist of what I mean, even if she doesn't get the reference.
  11. prudence
    discretion in practical affairs
    This experiment is intended to ratify the prudence of our mayor’s Negro patrols, which, under the close guidance of our excellent keepers of the peace, fulfill their role of service that God intended, keeping our city safe.
  12. contingency
    a possible event or occurrence or result
    “Well, see, in the event—however unlikely—that your vaccine does not have the desired effect, and Othello there turns, I was wondering what your contingency plan is. Have you taken the vaccine yourself?”
  13. ruddy
    inclined to a healthy reddish color
    “Oh, most certainly not,” the professor says, his already ruddy face going positively crimson.
  14. testament
    strong evidence for something
    There is nothing that I value more than the safety of the good citizens of this fine city, and Professor Ghering's work is a testament to the vision of the Survivalist Party and the future of these American states.
  15. unseemly
    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper
    “You are most unseemly sometimes,” Katherine whispers next to me.
  16. benign
    kind in disposition or manner
    His benign smile is less sure now, and people in the audience are beginning to speak amongst themselves, concern rising like the tide.
  17. tutelage
    teaching pupils individually
    I often wonder if part of that might be due to your tutelage at Rose Hill.
  18. crony
    a close friend or associate
    Unfortunately Professor Ghering and his Survivalist cronies thought they were smarter than the average foot patrol.
  19. belie
    represent falsely
    She wasn't rich in life, her clothing belying her poverty, and even her death has been insulting.
  20. scrabble
    grope, scratch, or feel searchingly
    I push her up and away, locking my elbows and hiding my face in my shoulder, trying to avoid her scrabbling hands.
  21. blight
    a state or condition being devastated or run-down
    Momma loved those stories, and when the paper would come we'd read them together, marveling over tales of a frontier untouched by the blight of the restless dead.
  22. gallivant
    wander aimlessly in search of pleasure
    “You know better than to gallivant around wearing corsets and carrying firearms. You’re in your last year! I expect better from students about to graduate.”
  23. egregious
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
    Wearing a corset is far more egregious a transgression. After all, the stays of the corset limit movement, and not being able to draw a proper breath could be the difference between life and death for the wearer.
  24. drudgery
    hard, monotonous, routine work
    Miss Preston was convinced that the best way to correct minor misconduct was a little drudgery, and housework was the pinnacle of drudge.
  25. dapper
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    His bowler is new as well, and he presents a dapper image.
  26. wherewithal
    the necessary means (especially financial means)
    I ask, trying to be as delicate as I have the wherewithal to be.
  27. truancy
    failure to attend, especially school
    The day the truancy officers came for the children of Rose Hill Plantation, I hid in the summer kitchen with Auntie Aggie.
  28. foolhardy
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    I was bold, but not so foolhardy as to think there was something worthwhile on the other side of the barrier fence that kept the dead out.
  29. skulk
    move stealthily
    There’s something about skulking around while everyone else is fast asleep that you can’t put words to.
  30. sordid
    foul and run-down and repulsive
    There are some things she's better off not knowing, and the sordid details surrounding that lock-picking set is one of them.
  31. protectorate
    a state or territory partly controlled by a stronger state
    What Katherine knows—what we all know—is that the Negro and Native Reeducation Act mandates that at twelve years old all Negroes, and any Indians living in a protectorate, must enroll in a combat school “for the betterment of themselves and of society.”
  32. draught
    a dose of liquid medicine
    But that ain’t my place anymore, and I swallow my concern like a bitter draught.
  33. elicit
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    “Quiet! Both of you. Rupert, grab the trunk. Miss Anderson, would you be so kind as to assist me in a visit to the Johnson homestead? The mayor believes Mr. Johnson has been organizing demonstrations in opposition to his run for Senate, and I find that mid-night visits elicit the most reliable results.”
  34. ungainly
    lacking grace in movement or posture
    They're slow and ungainly, tripping over their own feet, tangling in the dense underbrush, dragging themselves along the ground when they can't find their footing.
  35. asinine
    devoid of intelligence
    I pick up the pace so that there’s no more breath for Katherine’s asinine inquiries.
Created on Wed May 30 08:25:17 EDT 2018 (updated Wed May 30 09:24:43 EDT 2018)

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