The Westing Game: Chapters 23–30

by Ellen Raskin
Where there's a will, there's a motive to solve a murder. When eccentric millionaire Sam Westing dies, he leaves instructions for sixteen people to come to the reading of his will. With a fortune on the line, Westing's death becomes a puzzle they'll race to solve.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–14, Chapters 15–22, Chapters 23–30
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. swathe
    wrap in or as if in strips of cloth
    Judge Ford strode in as regally as an African princess, her noble head swathed in a turban, her tall body draped in yards of hand printed cloth.
  2. derisive
    expressing contempt or ridicule
    The derisive smiles soon faded as, pair by pair, the heirs heard their code words sung.
  3. accomplice
    a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan
    Doctor Sikes was Sam Westing's friend, a witness to the will, and his accomplice in this game.
  4. diagnosis
    identifying the nature or cause of some phenomenon
    "Intern Deere, you may not be an expert in wax dummies, but you are an expert in medical diagnosis, and you did examine the body of Sandy McSouthers. Correct?"
  5. obituary
    a notice of someone's death
    The obituary, probably phoned in to the newspaper by Westing himself, mentioned two interesting facts.
  6. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Turtle paused in a pretense of letting the heirs mull over her last words, trying to figure out what to do next.
  7. alias
    a name that has been assumed temporarily
    Ladies and gentlemen, heirs (for we all inherited something), let us bow our heads in silent prayer for our benefactor Sam Westing, alias Sandy the doorman.
  8. arrogance
    overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner
    Masking his ignorance with arrogance, he continued.
  9. bequeath
    leave or give, especially by will after one's death
    I, Samuel W. Westing, otherwise known as Sandy McSouthers and others, do hereby give and bequeath all the property and possessions in my name as follows...
  10. extravaganza
    any lavishly staged or spectacular entertainment
    The great winter fireworks extravaganza, as it came to be called, lasted only fifteen minutes.
  11. pending
    awaiting conclusion or confirmation
    Hoo's Little Foot-Eze (patent pending) was selling well in drugstores and shoe repair shops.
  12. abacus
    a manual calculator with counters on rods or in grooves
    "Okay," Madame Hoo replied, toting up accounts on her abacus.
  13. consultant
    an expert who gives advice
    Jake Wexler had given up his private practice (both private practices) now that he had been appointed consultant to the governor's inquiry panel for a state lottery (thanks to a recommendation by Judge Ford).
  14. renovate
    restore to a previous or better condition
    The storefront mission had been renovated and expanded with the money from the inheritance.
  15. ornithology
    the branch of zoology that studies birds
    Chris and his wife Shirley teach ornithology at the university.
Created on Mon Dec 29 17:16:55 EST 2014 (updated Wed Aug 06 12:58:19 EDT 2025)

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