Wringer: Chapters 1–12

by Jerry Spinelli
In Waymer, boys are trained to become "wringers" (killers of pigeons) on their tenth birthdays. When Palmer adopts a stray pigeon as a pet, he must decide whether to fulfill his duty as a wringer or to challenge his town's traditions.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–12, Chapters 13–22, Chapters 23–31, Chapters 32–40

Here are links to our lists for other works by Jerry Spinelli: Maniac Magee, Milkweed, Stargirl
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. coveted
    greatly desired
    Shooters are scored according to a point system that, at day's end, rewards the most accurate of all with the coveted Sharpshooter's trophy.
  2. proceeds
    the income or profit arising from a transaction
    Proceeds from the shoot go to maintain the community’s 40-acre park.
  3. acquire
    come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
    Organizers said approximately 5,000 birds are acquired for the event.
  4. wring
    twist and press out of shape
    All downed birds are retrieved by so-called wringer boys, who break the necks of the wounded and place all bodies in plastic bags.
  5. frolic
    play boisterously
    The shoot takes place in a festive, picnic atmosphere of barbecued chicken, water ice and frolicking children.
  6. bellow
    shout loudly and without restraint
    He opened the door—and there they were! Beans. Mutto. Henry. Three grinning faces. Shoving wrapped gifts into his chest. Storming past him into his house, Beans bellowing, “Where’s the grub?”
  7. perch
    sit, as on a branch
    He stared into the ring of candles—nine yellow flames, plump and liquidlike, perched on their wicks—and suddenly he felt the old fear, launching itself from his shoulder and brushing a wingtip across his cheek.
  8. veer
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    Henry veered, lurched, tilted, staggered.
  9. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
    Henry veered, lurched, tilted, staggered.
  10. gangly
    tall, thin, and awkward
    To Palmer, tall, gangly Henry did not look like a bird at all, but a giraffe with two howling hyenas snapping at its knees.
  11. contradiction
    opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas
    It had long seemed a curious contradiction to Palmer, that among the three kids rollicking on the field, Henry was the tallest yet also the meekest.
  12. meek
    evidencing little spirit or courage
    It had long seemed a curious contradiction to Palmer, that among the three kids rollicking on the field, Henry was the tallest yet also the meekest.
  13. careen
    move sideways or in an unsteady way
    After a minute or two of lopsided, long-legged careening, Henry flopped to the ground.
  14. flail
    thrash about
    Four hands clamped around Henry’s neck, shaking Henry’s head like a rag doll, twisting it this way and that.
    “Wringer! Wringer!”
    Henry’s legs flailing. Shrieking laughter.
  15. rollick
    play boisterously
    Beans and Mutto were now at each other’s throats, rolling, rumbling, rollicking across the grass, Henry woozy but up now, laughing with the others, then heading off with the others, the three of them yelping and kicking the ball up through the picnic area.
  16. fringe
    decorate with an ornamental border
    At one time or another Palmer had seen every color in the crayon box on Beans’s teeth. Their major color was a dull yellowish-brown fringed with green.
  17. grave
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    He whistled softly, he nodded gravely.
  18. dainty
    excessively fastidious
    And he had carefully, daintily really, pulled Palmer’s shirtsleeve down over the wound and said, “Happy birthday, kid,” and walked off, and in that moment Palmer loved Farquar.
  19. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    “She’s not,” he told her bluntly. “If she didn’t live across the street I’d probably never see her.”
  20. frayed
    worn away or tattered along the edges
    Palmer tore off the paper to reveal an old, frayed shoe box.
  21. squeamish
    easily disturbed or disgusted by unpleasant things
    Some of them would reach out to touch. The squeamish ones would pull back their hands as if from a hot stove, and they would shudder and squeak.
  22. diminishing
    becoming smaller or less or appearing to do so
    One day he darkened the diminishing bruise with a bit of purple crayon.
  23. disdainful
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    “Good,” she said with a disdainful sniff. Sometimes it amazed him that this girl, just out of third grade, could make him feel so little.
  24. befuddle
    be confusing or perplexing to
    At the same time she befuddled him. Not once did she raise her eyes to her tormenters or say anything back. She did not run into her house. She did not cry. What kind of girl was this?
  25. checkered
    patterned with alternating squares of color
    As he kicked his checkered soccer ball along the streets, he could feel it lurking in shadowy doorways, behind shaded windows.
  26. lurk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    As he kicked his checkered soccer ball along the streets, he could feel it lurking in shadowy doorways, behind shaded windows.
  27. bewilder
    be a mystery to
    Why anyone would pay for a pigeon only to shoot it was just one of many questions about Pigeon Day that bewildered Palmer.
  28. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    And most of all the pigeon, the one pigeon that hurried across the grass lopsided—“loppysided,” as Palmer would have said then—as if one leg had been kicked out from under it, hurrying, hobbling, wobbling in goofy loops, tilting like a sailboat blown over, a boy chasing after, running and reaching, the boy laughing, the people laughing, little Palmer thinking, The boy wants it for a pet.
  29. bayonet
    stab or kill someone with a knife at the end of a rifle
    They would shoot and wring—and, Palmer imagined, punch and hand grenade and bayonet if they had to—anything to end the poor birds’ misery.
  30. teeming
    abundantly filled with especially living things
    Heaven, Palmer thought with a smile, must be teeming with pigeons.
  31. mantel
    a shelf that projects from the wall above a fireplace
    On the mantel of a fake fireplace in the den of Palmer’s house stood a statue of a pigeon.
  32. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    “Guess how many pigeons there are.”
    Dorothy gave it some thought. “A hundred.”
    Palmer smiled smugly. “Five thousand.”
  33. crow
    brag openly or dwell on with satisfaction
    According to the story, Arthur threw his arms into the air like a boxing champion and crowed, “Got me one!”
  34. gape
    look with amazement
    Then, right before the gaping eyes of the picnickers, he wrung its neck.
  35. pedestrian
    a person who travels by foot
    Pigeons were everywhere: sidewalks, ledges, steps. Palmer even saw one crossing a street with a crowd of people on a green light, just another pedestrian.
  36. inscription
    letters engraved or carved on something
    Back home, it occurred to Palmer that since he now could read quite well, he should have another look at the inscription on the golden pigeon statue in the den.
  37. winch
    pull or lift up with or as if with a lifting device
    At times the Ferris wheel seemed to be winching minutes, hauling him ever closer to Saturday and the boom and smell of gunsmoke.
  38. cringe
    draw back, as with fear, pain, or embarrassment
    He cringed at what his parents would say if they found out.
  39. squabble
    argue over petty things
    They made their arms like rifles and barked, “Bang! Bang!” and a squabbling uproar filled the night.
  40. slat
    a thin strip of wood or metal
    They picked up sticks and racketed along the slats. They played the crates like drums.
Created on Fri Dec 07 12:37:23 EST 2018 (updated Tue Dec 11 09:51:36 EST 2018)

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