Frindle: Chapters 11–15

by Andrew Clements
Nick Allen is a lively kid with big plans. When his newest idea catches on like wildfire, Nick surprises his teachers, his school, and even himself

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–15
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. academic
    associated with an educational institution
    Everyone agrees that Nick Allen masterminded this plot that cleverly raises issues about free speech and academic rules.
  2. awkward
    socially uncomfortable; unsure and constrained in manner
    He could feel it when someone recognized him, and it made him shy and awkward.
  3. investment
    laying out money or capital in an enterprise
    Bud Lawrence had lived all his life in Westfield, and when he was only nineteen years old, he had saved enough money to make an investment.
  4. preliminary
    preceding or in preparation for something more important
    When Bud Lawrence saw the article about the new word, he had his lawyer file a preliminary trademark claim on the word frindle.
  5. claim
    an assertion of a right, as to money or property
    When Bud Lawrence saw the article about the new word, he had his lawyer file a preliminary trademark claim on the word frindle.
  6. imprint
    mark or stamp with or as if with pressure
    Within four days he had set up a small company that was selling cheap plastic ballpoint pens specially imprinted with the word frindle.
  7. stock
    the merchandise that a shop has on hand
    He sold three thousand frindles the first week, and they sold so fast that stores all over Westfield couldn’t keep them in stock.
  8. subscribe
    arrange to receive or obtain regularly
    Alice subscribed to all the small-town newspapers in the area to keep up with local events. Most of them were published on Thursday, and they arrived at her house by Monday or Tuesday.
  9. impressed
    deeply or markedly affected or influenced
    Mrs. Granger was not impressed at all by the lights and the microphones.
  10. controversial
    marked by or capable of causing disagreement
    She could see that Nick and his parents were not going to be pushed into saying anything controversial.
  11. official
    having authority or sanction
    Alice also had a short chat with a worried looking Mrs. Chatham, and a smiling Bud Lawrence, maker of the official frindle.
  12. anchor
    a television reporter who coordinates a broadcast
    The next night, when all the serious news about wars and oil prices and world food supplies had been talked about on the CBS evening news, the anchorman looked into the camera and smiled.
  13. marketing
    the commercial processes in promoting and selling something
    Dozens of other writers and producers and marketing people saw that story on the news—and all of them smelled a great story.
  14. complication
    a development that makes a situation more challenging
    Bud Lawrence was suddenly flooded with orders for anything with the word frindle on it, and he quickly got interested again. But there were complications.
  15. trademark
    a registered symbol identifying a product's manufacturer
    We got a trademark filed, but it’s only like an application. The whole country knows that that little kid made up the word, and unless you make a deal with his dad, you’re going to end up with nothing—maybe even a big fat lawsuit.
  16. profit
    excess of revenues over outlays in a given period of time
    Each supplier has orders so far for over twenty thousand shirts. Profit on every one of those is going to be two, maybe three dollars.
  17. direct
    straightforward in speech, manner, or behavior
    Tom, let me be direct with you. As the boy’s guardian, you need to do the right thing about all this.
  18. ruckus
    the act of making a noisy disturbance
    I know it seems like a big ruckus about a word, but we just can’t tell what’s to come of it unless we take some steps.
  19. royalty
    payment to the holder of a patent or copyright or resource
    It gives your boy thirty percent of whatever profits I might make. That’s a fair royalty, generous for this kind of deal.
  20. contract
    a binding agreement that is enforceable by law
    He looked at Bud, then reached over, picked up the pen, and signed both copies of the trademark papers and three copies of the contract.
  21. import
    bring in from abroad
    The new line of frindles imported from Japan were a big hit, and now there was talk of selling them in Japan and Europe, as well.
  22. consumer
    a person who uses goods or services
    For instance, Nick learned in social studies class that people who buy stuff are called consumers. If consumers stop buying, stores and shops and restaurants go out of business.
  23. recall
    summon knowledge from memory
    “You will recall, Nicholas, that I said I would send you that letter when all this was over...and it’s not over.”
  24. remarkable
    worthy of notice
    And I expect to hear remarkable things about you, young man.
  25. recovery
    return to an original state
    Thanks to his little talk with Mrs. Granger—along with a healthy dose of summer vacation—Nick made a full recovery.
  26. commotion
    a disorderly outburst or tumult
    He was proud that he had made up a new word, and he enjoyed thinking about all the commotion it had stirred up.
  27. arbitrary
    based on or subject to individual discretion or preference
    And there between Friml and fringe he read:
    frin•dle (frin’dl) n. a device used to write or make marks with ink [arbitrary coinage; originated by Nicholas Allen, American, 1987– (see pen)]
  28. coinage
    a newly invented word or phrase
    And there between Friml and fringe he read:
    frin•dle (frin’dl) n. a device used to write or make marks with ink [arbitrary coinage; originated by Nicholas Allen, American, 1987– (see pen)]
  29. satellite
    man-made equipment that orbits around the earth or the moon
    Please think about this: When I started teaching, no one had landed on the moon, there were no space shuttles, no CNN, no weather satellites.
  30. endure
    continue to exist
    And that is why I love the dictionary. It endures. It works. And as you now know, it also changes and grows.
  31. establish
    set up or found
    A permanent trust fund for college scholarships had been established with a donation of one million dollars “from one of your former students.”
  32. former
    belonging to some prior time
    But this was Christmas morning, and even though the superintendent was one of her former pupils, Mrs. Granger decided to wait a day.
  33. obviously
    unmistakably
    It was a little Christmas card with a sloppy note—obviously the work of a fifth-grade boy.
  34. glare
    look at with a fixed or angry gaze
    Mrs. Granger glared at the spelling mistakes, but then chuckled and shook her head.
  35. engrave
    carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface
    Words were engraved along the pen’s shiny barrel, and Mrs. Granger had to slide down to the end of the couch and turn on her reading lamp.
Created on Fri Sep 13 18:42:44 EDT 2013 (updated Fri Jul 22 11:49:29 EDT 2022)

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