Bad Boy: List 3

by Walter Dean Myers
In this memoir, acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers recounts his early life in Harlem in the 1940s and 50s.

This list covers the following chapters: "Heady Days at Stuyvesant High"–"The Garment Center."

Here are links to our lists for the memoir: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5

Here are links to our lists for other works by Walter Dean Myers: 145th Street, Fallen Angels, Monster, Slam!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. heady
    extremely exciting as if by alcohol or a narcotic
    Heady Days at Stuyvesant High
  2. mannerism
    a behavioral attribute that is distinctive to an individual
    William Dean was a tall, ramrod-straight man with mannerisms that seemed more appropriate for the nineteenth century than for 1951.
  3. newfangled
    needlessly modern, different, or innovative
    It was typical of him, or at least I thought so, that he had made the decision that horses could never be replaced by the newfangled trucks.
  4. opaque
    not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy
    He wore glasses, one of which was painted an opaque white.
  5. mania
    an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action
    Mama, with her mania for cleaning everything top to bottom, was mortified.
  6. subordinate
    lower in rank or importance
    Pap was also used to having women as subordinates in his life, and Mama was a woman.
  7. offhand
    with little or no preparation or forethought
    An offhand remark about a bit of bad luck would prompt the entire story of how Job suffered but did not curse his Lord.
  8. tenuous
    lacking substance or significance
    My relationship with God at this point was, at best, tenuous.
  9. grudgingly
    in a reluctant manner
    My dad made me a small bookcase, which I accepted grudgingly, but I wasn’t happy with it.
  10. decrepit
    worn and broken down by hard use
    Stuyvesant was in decrepit condition, tucked all the way downtown, nearly an hour’s travel from Harlem.
  11. fanatical
    marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea
    I don’t know why I became so fanatical about the Dodgers that year.
  12. flair
    distinctive and stylish elegance
    They tore through the hot days of summer, knocking over all comers, winning with daring and flair.
  13. pennant
    a flag that is awarded to the winner or champion
    Bobby Thomson hit a home run off Ralph Branca to win the National League pennant at a time when I needed the Dodgers to win in the worst way.
  14. dejected
    affected or marked by low spirits
    I went home dejected.
  15. petty
    small and of little importance
    There were a few fighting gangs that mostly just paraded about looking tough and maybe committing a few petty crimes like the purse snatching.
  16. ostracize
    expel from a community or group
    Her mother had been ostracized because she had married a Native American.
  17. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    His handwriting was crude, childish.
  18. quota
    a prescribed number
    Many of the Jews were also worried about being accepted in Southern schools, and rumors of quotas for Jews in some other schools were also a worry.
  19. segregation
    a social system that provides different facilities for minority groups
    The idea of voluntary segregation went against every value I had been taught.
  20. idealism
    belief that the best possible concepts should be pursued
    The idealism I still nurtured as a fifteen-year-old did not have a racial component.
  21. clime
    the weather in some location averaged over a period of time
    She walks in beauty, like the night
    Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
    And all that’s best of dark and bright
    Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
    Thus mellowed to that tender light
    Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
  22. gaudy
    tastelessly showy
    She walks in beauty, like the night
    Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
    And all that’s best of dark and bright
    Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
    Thus mellowed to that tender light
    Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
  23. conceive
    have the idea for
    The few articles I had read dealing with writers spoke about how they had conceived their ideas, or what they were currently writing, never about money.
  24. respite
    a pause for relaxation
    But even the occasional hit would mean, at best, a minor respite from the daily grind of barely making ends meet.
  25. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    An event at my part-time job seemed to emphasize my predicament.
  26. articulate
    characterized by clear expressive language
    I walked out feeling small inside, and very much ashamed that I couldn’t have been more articulate about how I felt.
  27. tout
    advertise in strongly positive terms
    Books are often touted by librarians as vehicles to carry you far away.
  28. ream
    a large quantity of written matter
    It was easy for me to imagine myself hunched over a keyboard, pounding out reams of deathless, hard-boiled prose.
  29. prose
    ordinary writing as distinguished from verse
    It was easy for me to imagine myself hunched over a keyboard, pounding out reams of deathless, hard-boiled prose.
  30. accordingly
    in agreement with
    I made fourteen dollars each week in my part-time job and planned accordingly.
Created on Tue Nov 06 13:30:09 EST 2018 (updated Tue Nov 06 16:37:40 EST 2018)

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