Slam!: Chapters 14–21

by Walter Dean Myers
Seventeen-year-old Greg Harris of New York's South Bronx must learn to work with others both on and off the basketball court to improve his game and his math grades.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–21
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. slight
    being of delicate or slender build
    Ice’s mom was dark-skinned and slight.
  2. linoleum
    a floor covering made from linseed oil, cork, and resin
    She was washing the floor as she talked, making patterns of soapy water on the linoleum.
  3. suede
    leather with a napped surface
    He was wearing a black overcoat, gray suit, yellow silk shirt, and gray suede kicks.
  4. tense
    in or of a state of physical or nervous strain
    “You know, I was worried about you for a while,” I said. I was tense as I talked, almost holding my breath.
  5. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    I know he didn’t want to hear her mouth but he wasn’t going to go slinking into the bedroom.
  6. maroon
    a dark purplish-red to dark brownish-red color
    Down on the floor I saw Ice in the maroon-and-yellow warm-up suit that Carver wore.
  7. strain
    become stretched or tense or taut
    He could pass with a single movement, a sweep of his arm would send the ball through a crowd of straining bodies to just the right outstretched hands, just the right player.
    "Strain" also means "to exert much effort or energy"—both definitions fit because the bodies of the players are exerting a lot of energy to stretch themselves beyond others to reach the ball.
  8. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    He would be coming down the right side and move a half-step faster or a half-step slower and you would think, or drop a hand, or move a knee, and then Ice would be in the air, the ball poised on his fingertips, the wrist bent back, and whatever you did would be too late.
    "Poise" also means "great coolness and composure under strain"—this sounds like a fitting description for the nature of a basketball player named Ice, but the example sentence uses "poised" as an adjective to describe the position of the ball on Ice's fingertips.
  9. contract
    a binding agreement that is enforceable by law
    “But you lose the sucker again I’m going to put out a serious contract on your life.”
    “No, if I lose it I’m going to put out a serious contract out on me and then I’m going to hire myself to bump me off,” he said.
  10. discipline
    the act of punishing
    Are you a decent person? They look to see if you have a discipline record.
  11. chump
    a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
    The way I saw it I earned my respect and I didn’t go for him dissing me like I was some chump. He played me when he needed me and then let me sit when he thought he could get by without me like I was something he could just use and throw away.
  12. naive
    lacking information or instruction
    “You want fair? How come a kid as streetwise as you seem to be is so naive when it comes to real life?”
  13. stall
    deliberately delay an event or action
    “They’re stalling! They’re stalling!”
    It was too early in the half to get into a slowdown but that was what they were doing.
  14. finesse
    subtly skillful handling of a situation
    He was looking for finesse but I came after him with muscle.
    The structure of the example sentence makes "finesse" and "muscle" seem like antonyms in a basketball game—"finesse" is an intelligent handling of the situation, while "muscle" would just be unthinking strength. However, hitting an opponent with the opposite of what was expected could also be seen as finesse ("deceptive or evasive handling of a situation").
  15. forensics
    the art or study of formal debate and argumentation
    We showered and got dressed and headed for the subway because the Forensics Team was using the school bus.
  16. character
    attributes that determine one's moral and ethical actions
    Goldy got to me in the locker room, telling me that I had showed character.
    “You have to show the same character off the court,” he said.
  17. flurry
    a light brief snowfall
    The hawk was biting and there were snow flurries in the air.
  18. sincere
    characterized by a firm belief in your opinions
    “And I’ll make a deal with you. You tell me what’s going on, and I’ll work with you to get you out of this mess with Mr. Parrish.”
    I looked at the dude. He looked sincere.
  19. privilege
    a special advantage or benefit not enjoyed by all
    The guy brought the crackers and another bowl of soup.
    “On the house,” he said.
    “You get privileges being with a white guy,” Goldy said.
  20. maintain
    keep in a certain state, position, or activity
    “No, I’m here to maintain standards of excellence,” he came back.
  21. vacant
    not containing anyone or anything; unfilled or unoccupied
    Some homeless guys were in a vacant lot off 139th Street standing around a fire in a garbage can.
  22. flare
    burn brightly
    The fire flared up and lit their faces from underneath and I saw that they were all younger than I thought they were.
  23. raspy
    unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    The raspy voice of the guy in the lot filled the living room.
  24. align
    arrange so as to be parallel or straight
    Derek had his wheel all apart again, and I had to step over it. He needed to take the wheel to the bicycle shop and get it aligned with the machine they had down there.
  25. slaughter
    a sound defeat
    “You know you got to face us again in the Tournament of Champions, right?” he said.
    “Yeah, I know,” I said.
    “So that’s why we giving this party,” he said. “So you can enjoy yourself one last time before the slaughter.”
  26. conservative
    avoiding excess
    There weren’t any hip-hoppers on the set and nobody wearing gang colors. I dig a conservative set and I was doing my thing on the floor when Mtisha showed.
  27. improvise
    perform without preparation
    Mtisha showed cool and me and her and Ice and Bianca got out on the floor and improvised a little four-way number.
  28. scuffle
    fight or struggle in a confused way at close quarters
    Bianca turned the jam off and we heard scuffling outside the door.
    “It’s a fight!” somebody said.
  29. waver
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
    She wavered on the edge of the roof and I thought she might fall, or even jump.
  30. hoarse
    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness
    His voice was hoarse and cracking.
Created on Thu Feb 20 22:53:29 EST 2014 (updated Fri Aug 25 10:46:15 EDT 2023)

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