Genuine Fraud: List 1

by E. Lockhart
This suspenseful novel, told in reverse chronological order, follows Jule West Williams, a scrappy and resourceful orphan who develops an intense friendship with Imogen, a privileged heiress.

This list covers Chapters 18–17.

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

Here is a link to our lists for We Were Liars by E. Lockhart.
40 words 32 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sclerosis
    any pathological hardening or thickening of tissue
    “MS,” said the woman. “Multiple sclerosis? And dementia. He used to be the head of our family. Very macho. Strong in all his opinions. Now he’s a twisted body in a bed. He doesn’t even know where he is half the time. He’s, like, asking me if I’m the waitress.”
  2. dementia
    mental deterioration of organic or functional origin
    “MS,” said the woman. “Multiple sclerosis? And dementia. He used to be the head of our family. Very macho. Strong in all his opinions. Now he’s a twisted body in a bed. He doesn’t even know where he is half the time. He’s, like, asking me if I’m the waitress.”
  3. clientele
    customers collectively
    He was big-boned but soft. Slick hair. Given to winking at the clientele.
  4. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    It was all a ruse, so Jule would see Noa as a confidante, not an adversary.
  5. confidante
    a woman or girl to whom secrets can be entrusted
    It was all a ruse, so Jule would see Noa as a confidante, not an adversary.
  6. adversary
    someone who offers opposition
    It was all a ruse, so Jule would see Noa as a confidante, not an adversary.
  7. amiss
    in an improper or mistaken manner
    With luck, Noa wouldn’t realize anything was amiss until Jule was seriously late for trivia night, maybe around eight-thirty.
  8. predatory
    living by or given to victimizing others for personal gain
    His voice sounded predatory all of a sudden.
  9. repulsive
    offensive to the mind or senses
    He jabbed with one elbow, slamming Jule in the chest. It hurt, but the second thrust of the elbow missed as she sidestepped, grabbed that elbow, and twisted it behind Donovan’s back. His arm was soft, repulsive.
  10. matte
    not reflecting light; not glossy
    She put on matte pink lipstick, snapped her compact shut, and slowed her pace even more.
  11. flit
    move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
    Picture yourself, now, on film. Shadows flit across your smooth skin as you walk.
  12. unconditional
    not modified or restricted
    She wanted there to be someone who loved her unconditionally, someone who would forgive her anything.
  13. hostel
    a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
    Seven weeks earlier, at the end of April, Jule woke up in a youth hostel on the outskirts of London.
  14. advocacy
    active support of an idea or cause
    They couldn’t have children, and Gil’s legal work had long included volunteer advocacy for kids in the foster care system.
  15. unorthodox
    breaking with tradition or typical norms
    She celebrated all the Jewish holidays and, when she grew up, had an unorthodox bat mitzvah ceremony in the woods upstate.
  16. secular
    not concerned with or devoted to religion
    They all pushed for a formal conversion process that would put off the ceremony for a year, but instead Patti left the family synagogue and joined a secular Jewish community that did ceremonies at a mountain retreat.
  17. touchstone
    a basis for comparison
    Thus it was that at age thirteen, Imogen Sokoloff became more conscious of her orphan status than she ever had been before, and began reading the stories that would become a touchstone of her interior life.
  18. paragon
    a perfect embodiment of a concept
    They were paragons of self-sacrificing womanhood.
  19. rambling
    straying from the main point or covering a range of subjects
    Immie’s dialogue was rambling, but it was also relentlessly curious and thoughtful.
  20. censor
    subject to deletion on political or moral grounds
    She didn’t seem to censor herself or craft her sentences.
  21. vigilante
    a person who takes the law into his or her own hands
    “Tell that to my mom,” said Immie. “Say, Hello! Immie wants to grow up to be a vigilante, rather than a captain of industry. See how it goes.”
  22. neglectful
    not showing due care or attention
    She pictured her friend as a toddler in a wet diaper, crawling across dirty bedclothes while her mother lay beneath them, high and neglectful.
  23. wrest
    obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also metaphorically
    She struggled to wrest herself from men who wanted to dominate her and women who wanted her exclusive attention.
  24. exclusive
    not divided or shared with others
    She struggled to wrest herself from men who wanted to dominate her and women who wanted her exclusive attention.
  25. dote
    shower with love; show excessive affection for
    Jule thought of Gil Sokoloff’s swollen gray face and the funny little dogs he doted on.
  26. sheen
    the visual property of something that shines
    Her skin had had a moist pinkish sheen, and her hair had been long, dyed deep brown and ironed into loose curls.
  27. static
    showing little if any change
    “The presentation of self in everyday life. This guy Goffman had the idea that in different situations, you perform yourself differently. Your character isn’t static. It’s an adaptation.”
  28. intuitive
    obtained through instinctive knowledge
    “I’m very intuitive about people, you know,” she said, “and you have so much potential. You’re hungry and adventurous. I hope you know you could be anything in the world you want.”
  29. bustle
    a rapid active commotion
    “I brought you Imogen’s rings,” said Jule, when the bustle was over.
  30. pristine
    completely free from dirt or contamination
    She was going to be sick. Or faint. Or both. Here in the Ivy, surrounded by these pristine people, where she didn’t deserve to be, embarrassing the poor, poor mother of a friend she hadn’t loved well enough, or had loved too much.
  31. contract
    make or become more narrow or restricted
    The gagging would not stop. Her throat contracted over and over.
  32. compose
    make calm or quiet
    When Jule returned to the table, Patti had composed herself and was talking to the waiter.
  33. liable
    likely to be or do something
    “I warn you, I may cry again later. Possibly on the street! You never know these days. I’m liable to begin sobbing at any given moment.”
  34. larder
    a small storeroom for storing foods or wines
    Immie’s money. Millions.
    It was safety and power. It was plane tickets and keys to cars, but more importantly, it was tuition payments, food in the larder, medical care.
  35. bequest
    a gift of personal property by will
    She made small bequests to the National Kidney Foundation—because of Gil’s illness—and to the North Shore Animal League, but she made a will and left you the bulk of the money.
  36. notarize
    authenticate by someone empowered to witness signatures
    “When did she write the will?”
    “A few months before she died. She had it notarized in San Francisco. There are just a few things to sign.”
  37. frilly
    having decorative ruffles or similar ornamentation
    She wore a polka-dot dress and a frilly housewife’s apron.
  38. expanse
    a wide and open space or area, as of land, sea, or sky
    The VooDoo Lounge early in the morning was little more than a concrete expanse of roof dotted with red and black couches.
  39. inconspicuous
    not prominent or readily noticeable
    Another night of lifting wallets and another day of sleep and Jule was ready to buy an inconspicuous used car off a sleazy guy in a parking lot.
  40. sleazy
    morally degraded
    Another night of lifting wallets and another day of sleep and Jule was ready to buy an inconspicuous used car off a sleazy guy in a parking lot.
Created on Wed Nov 28 21:01:39 EST 2018 (updated Wed Dec 12 11:49:54 EST 2018)

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