The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 1-5

by J.D. Salinger
In J.D. Salinger's classic novel, Holden Caulfield leaves his prep school and experiences disillusionment and alienation while wandering around New York City.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-5, Chapters 6-11, Chapters 12-16, Chapters 17-21, Chapters 22-26

Here are links to our lists for Salinger’s short stories: A Perfect Day for Bananafish,
Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut, Just Before the War with the Eskimos, The Laughing Man, Down at the Dinghy, For Esmé–with Love and Squalor, Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes, De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period, Teddy
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. hemorrhage
    the flow of blood from a ruptured blood vessel
    In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them.
  2. touchy
    quick to take offense
    They're quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father.
  3. phony
    fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
    She probably knew what a phony slob he was.
  4. ostracize
    avoid speaking to or dealing with
    The whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train.
  5. grippe
    an acute, febrile, highly contagious viral disease
    He had the grippe, and I figured I probably wouldn't see him again till Christmas vacation started.
  6. sarcastic
    expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds
    "You glanced through it, eh?" he said — very sarcastic.
  7. alternative
    one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen
    It was a very dirty trick, but I went over and brought it over to him — I didn't have any alternative or anything.
  8. innumerable
    too many to be counted
    Modern science would still like to know what the secret ingredients were that the Egyptians used when they wrapped up dead people so that their faces would not rot for innumerable centuries.
  9. qualm
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    "Do you have any particular qualms about leaving Pencey?"
  10. undertaking
    the trade of a funeral director
    He made a pot of dough in the undertaking business after he got out of Pencey.
  11. rostrum
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    Hardly anybody laughed out loud, and old Ossenburger made out like he didn't even hear it, but old Thurmer, the headmaster, was sitting right next to him on the rostrum and all, and you could tell he heard it.
  12. compulsory
    required by rule
    He didn't say anything then, but the next night he made us have compulsory study hall in the academic building and he came up and made a speech.
  13. sadistic
    deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on another
    I was pretty sadistic with him quite often.
  14. falsetto
    artificially high; above the normal voice range
    He started laughing in this very high falsetto voice.
  15. halitosis
    offensive breath
    That guy had just about everything. Sinus trouble, pimples, lousy teeth, halitosis, crumby fingernails.
Created on Tue Mar 12 13:48:48 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Jul 02 13:51:15 EDT 2025)

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