Dread Nation: Chapters 24–29

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. avail
    a means of serving
    Sometimes I walk the wall with Ida, who tries her damnedest to draw me into conversation, to no avail.
  2. intrepid
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
    Our job is simple: walk along the wall, make sure the shamblers don't get too intrepid and climb over.
  3. lilting
    characterized by a buoyant rhythm
    Nessie laughs, the sound high and lilting.
  4. plaintively
    in a manner expressing sorrow
    The last letter is from nearly a year ago, and in it Momma plaintively wonders why I haven't written.
  5. ether
    a medium that was once thought to fill all space
    I think of all my letters, all those memories and clever anecdotes, gone into the ether.
  6. unperturbed
    free from emotional agitation or nervous tension
    Momma, for her part, was unperturbed.
  7. ratchet
    move by degrees in one direction only
    The hand ratchets down tighter.
  8. semblance
    the outward or apparent appearance or form of something
    I make my way to the window again, which has been left open to let in some semblance of a breeze.
  9. untenable
    incapable of being defended or justified
    “I suppose...the proper answer is that I don’t rightly know. The honest answer is that life in this place is untenable, and if I don’t get out of here soon something bad is going to happen.”
  10. plumb
    examine thoroughly and in great depth
    “Do not let things get to you, Jane. Do not give in to your rage,” she’d always say, her voice full of warning and a knowledge I was afraid to plumb.
  11. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    The tinkerer puts his revolver away and gives me a wry smile.
  12. telltale
    disclosing unintentionally
    The tinkerer sighs, running his hand through his hair, and I see the telltale glint of a bracelet on his wrist.
  13. rejoinder
    a quick reply to a question or remark
    It’s not a response I’m expecting, and any type of rejoinder dies on my tongue.
  14. predilection
    a strong liking
    It doesn’t surprise me that the sheriff would have such predilections, and I wonder if there ain’t some more sinister truth to the story about the loss of the sheriff’s sweet-tempered wife.
  15. bedeck
    decorate
    “Ain’t you been paying attention? There’s been two trains of families in the past week. Fancy folks, all bedecked in finery. Before that we used to get maybe one train a month, and never anyone wearing silk. Something’s happening back east, but who knows what,” Ida says.
  16. wallow
    devote oneself entirely to something
    I keep thinking about the other side of town until I can’t stand it no more, kicking off my covers in the warm heat of the night. No more wallowing. It’s high time I find my friends and get an idea of what’s going on in this other side of town.
  17. dote
    shower with love; show excessive affection for
    You ain’t never seen a brother and sister dote upon each other the way Lily and Jackson do.
  18. grudging
    unwilling or reluctant
    After Jackson and I had parted ways, I think she’d developed a bit of a grudging respect for me.
  19. usury
    the act of lending money at an exorbitant rate of interest
    It was how Jackson got locals to trust him instead of the banks, even though his rates were straight usury as well.
  20. pontificate
    talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner
    “Figures, I’m starving and she’s over here having tea parties and pontificating.”
  21. antechamber
    an outer room or waiting area that leads into another room
    It ends in a large antechamber, nearly the size of a concert hall.
  22. municipality
    a local district having powers of self-government
    The problem was that they took off after his boy, catching the kid and eating him and a good part of the rest of his family, before the entire clan set out for the local municipality and turned most of them as well.
  23. affectation
    a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
    “What happened to your limp? Was it an affectation, or the real thing?”
  24. warren
    a series of underground tunnels occupied by rabbits
    “These tunnels are one giant rabbit warren,” I murmur.
  25. retrofit
    provide with parts not in use in the original manufacture
    In an effort to keep the town from collapsing, I retrofit the generator to run on physical labor.
  26. subjugate
    make subservient; force to submit or subdue
    The town looks pretty, but in the meantime, we have the same society we did back east, one that subjugates and kills more than half its population to guard the smaller portion.
  27. rapture
    a state of elated bliss
    All His creations are not equal, but we are all His children, all with our place. The rapture, such as it is, is here, on earth.
  28. indulgent
    being favorably inclined
    At first I can’t figure why the man would look at me in such an indulgent way, but then I realize that he ain’t looking at me.
  29. deference
    courteous regard for people's feelings
    The uneven sound of boots on the wooden floor makes me raise my head, and Mr. Gideon stands in the doorway with a small pot of something and his eyes averted in deference to my modesty.
  30. banal
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
    “The sheriff is not a man laid low by something as banal as carnal pleasures. But the sheriff is a man who knew love once, who fell for a good woman. That hole in his heart is the doorway to our freedom.”
  31. modus operandi
    an unvarying or habitual method or procedure
    It’s been her modus operandi since I met her, and old habits die hard.
  32. predicate
    involve as a necessary condition or consequence
    I could tell her there won't be a sheriff left when I’m done, but I doubt she’d go along with the plan if she thought it was predicated on unsavory business.
  33. parasol
    a handheld collapsible source of shade
    “Thank goodness you got here when you did. I was about to wield my parasol,” Katherine says, scowling.
  34. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    “Now, let us go call upon the sheriff. I believe he might have something for us. Try to look contrite, would you?”
  35. fetching
    very attractive; capturing interest
    For the first time I can remember I'm thankful that Katherine is fetching enough for two girls.
Created on Wed May 30 08:32:44 EDT 2018 (updated Wed May 30 13:48:56 EDT 2018)

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