Ugly: Chapters 10–13

by Robert Hoge
Born with a large tumor on his face, Hoge survived multiple surgeries — but faced bullying and cruelty because of his atypical appearance. In this memoir, Hoge recounts how he learned to embrace his differences.

Here are links to our lists for the memoir: Introduction–Chapter 4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–16, Chapters 17–21
35 words 105 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    By the time I finished grade one, my doctors had relented and told Mom and Dad I could learn, as long as I didn’t do any diving into the pool, since that might force water up my nose.
  2. excel
    distinguish oneself
    It gave me, if not the chance to excel, at least the opportunity to compete.
  3. propel
    cause to move forward with force
    My right leg was short too and didn’t have a foot to help propel me.
  4. shun
    avoid and stay away from deliberately
    But I wasn’t totally shunned and ignored either.
  5. proportion
    relation with respect to comparative quantity or magnitude
    We’d play with Legos—she always had more Legos than me, but that was okay because I had a much higher proportion of space Legos, and if there was one thing you needed to build spaceships, it was space Legos.
  6. dejected
    affected or marked by low spirits
    The first day we had no luck, selling a total of zero grapefruits. We went home dejected.
  7. confer
    have a meeting in order to talk something over
    The customer asked if she could buy all of them for ten dollars. Absolutely, we said, after conferring with each other for exactly three seconds.
  8. enterprise
    a purposeful or industrious undertaking
    Concerned that the neighbor had spent so much on our enterprise, they decided we should go and give half of it back.
  9. congregate
    come together, usually for a purpose
    We used to congregate on sidewalks, in backyards, and at a nearby park to play on the swings and scheme and scamper along the local creek, building bridges and trying to catch the small fish in the little stream.
  10. scamper
    run or move about quickly or lightly
    We used to congregate on sidewalks, in backyards, and at a nearby park to play on the swings and scheme and scamper along the local creek, building bridges and trying to catch the small fish in the little stream.
  11. reclaim
    reassert one's right or title to
    Sometimes I’d get asked, “How did you lose your legs?” As if I’d left them on the bus and they were waiting to be reclaimed from the lost and found.
  12. stern
    strict and demanding
    When I came home from school with a bad test score, Mom would look at me sternly and Dad would say what he always said.
  13. trek
    journey on foot, especially in the mountains
    For sports day we all trekked to Iona, where Michael and Gary both went, and where I would presumably end up too.
  14. presumably
    by reasonable assumption
    For sports day we all trekked to Iona, where Michael and Gary both went, and where I would presumably end up too.
  15. compulsory
    required by rule
    I was entered in the hundred-meter sprint along with all the other kids. It was as compulsory as soggy tomato sandwiches at snack time.
  16. spectacle
    something or someone seen, especially a notable sight
    He was just concerned about me being made into a spectacle.
  17. coordinated
    dexterous in using more than one set of muscle movements
    We sat on the dusty hill next to Iona’s main oval and watched as small, uncoordinated kids ran race after race.
  18. excursion
    a journey taken for pleasure
    Because our school was so close to the water, we’d regularly walk the block down to the shore for a quick excursion.
  19. dappled
    having spots or patches of color
    Sometimes it was to look at the islands dappled across the horizon; other times to talk about the jetty and how boats might have used it in days gone by.
  20. vast
    unusually great in size or amount or extent or scope
    It left behind a vast expanse of mud, seaweed, shells, and the occasional, very unlucky jellyfish.
  21. expanse
    a wide and open space or area, as of land, sea, or sky
    When the tide went out, it went almost three hundred feet—about three-quarters of the way along the jetty at Wynnum. It left behind a vast expanse of mud, seaweed, shells, and the occasional, very unlucky jellyfish.
  22. flail
    thrash about
    I flailed my arms about, consumed by images of quicksand from old Tarzan movies and episodes of Gilligan’s Island.
  23. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    The other kids were doing their own thing, oblivious to me.
  24. lurch
    move abruptly
    I took a deep breath and pushed forward, trying as hard as I could to drag my left leg up and out of the mud. For a second it felt like it was working, but then I lurched too far.
  25. mire
    a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
    I was expecting the usual jarring thud, but my hands didn’t stop when they hit the mud. Instead, they kept going, into the slimy mire—past my wrists, past my forearms, stopping just as the mud reached my elbows.
  26. wade
    walk through relatively shallow water
    There was no mistaking the sound of a nun who was equal parts concerned, annoyed, and frustrated that she’d have to wade into the mud herself to save one of her more stupid students.
  27. vacate
    leave behind empty; move out of
    My hands came out first, then my right leg with a vacuum plop as the mud rushed to fill the newly vacated space.
  28. exertion
    use of physical or mental energy; hard work
    It took us a while and I was really tired from all the exertion, but eventually we made our way back to solid ground.
  29. rummage
    search haphazardly
    I rummaged in my schoolbag, pushing aside books and pencils and half-squished bananas I hadn’t gotten around to eating, and pulled out a sheet of paper.
  30. sulk
    be in a huff and display one's displeasure
    I stormed off, sulking.
  31. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Dad glowered at me and pointed toward the bathroom, and I went.
  32. invariably
    without change, in every case
    The captains would be down to their second-to-last choice. They’d look us over, look at each other, sometimes look at the teacher, and invariably they’d call out: “Robert.”
  33. tactical
    pertaining to detailed maneuvers to achieve objectives
    Every now and then I’d get my hopes up, thinking maybe I’d be recognized for my brilliant tactical or motivational skills and would be chosen first for a change.
  34. motivational
    of or serving to provide incentive or stimulus to action
    Every now and then I’d get my hopes up, thinking maybe I’d be recognized for my brilliant tactical or motivational skills and would be chosen first for a change.
  35. cringe
    draw back, as with fear, pain, or embarrassment
    I should have cringed or felt embarrassed or angry at those two women, but at the time I just wanted to laugh.
Created on Tue Jan 08 20:36:55 EST 2019 (updated Fri Jan 25 11:13:24 EST 2019)

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