Solo: List 3

by Kwame Alexander
After learning a devastating truth about his unstable, rock-star father, 17-year-old Blade travels to Ghana in order to come to terms with his family history and forge his own identity.

This list covers Part Two, "Cramped"–"Rock 'n' Roll, Baby!"

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4

Here are links to our lists for other books by Kwame Alexander: The Crossover, Booked, Rebound, Swing
40 words 52 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    I hate the song,
    but it captures me
    in its web,
    taunts me
    like a wrestler
    strutting
    into the arena
    to fight.
  2. emblazon
    decorate, adorn, or inscribe with a design
    It’s still red velvet
    on the table,
    but this time
    Chapel’s here
    seated in
    a white tee
    with SB
    emblazoned
    on it.
  3. customs
    the government agency that oversees and collects duties on imported goods
    ...I approach customs
    drenched

    and a little
    scared.
  4. torrid
    extremely hot
    Outside
    of the airport
    in Accra,
    what hits me faster
    and harder
    than the torrid sun
    are the loud
    taxi drivers
  5. fare
    the sum charged for riding in a public conveyance
    How much is the fare to Konko, sir?
  6. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    Crowded and sparse
    at the same time.
  7. settlement
    a community of people smaller than a town
    Most are here, but there are some in a neighboring community, and a small group in a remote settlement.
  8. bustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    Her Village
    is bustling
    and bursting
    with children
    chasing goats
    and soccer balls
  9. jovial
    full of or showing high-spirited merriment
    The energy here
    is familial,
    jovial even.
  10. glitz
    extravagant showiness that is tasteless or superficial
    It rivals Hollywood Boulevard,
    only less glitz
    more raw
    and real.
  11. delicacy
    something considered choice to eat
    Grasscutter is a delicacy.
  12. pallet
    a mattress filled with straw or a pad made of quilts
    We will make a pallet over there, she says, pointing to a wooden contraption with a few blankets on top.
  13. treacherous
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    The mosquitoes are treacherous.
  14. potent
    having a strong physiological or chemical effect
    Don't worry, Blade, we have mosquito nets. Plus, your American pills are potent.
  15. barren
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    But what if the garden is barren? I think,
    still captivated
    by the way she talks
  16. captivated
    filled with wonder and delight
    But what if the garden is barren? I think,
    still captivated
    by the way she talks
  17. pristine
    completely free from dirt or contamination
    ...I marvel

    at your body
    and soul
    the masterpiece

    that is your
    pristine walk
    the heavenly way

    it colors
    the world
  18. loom
    come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
    I doubt if I will sleep with the big rats looming.
  19. frantic
    marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion
    ...I drift off
    to the unfamiliar hum
    and frantic patter
    of a Ghanaian night.
  20. patter
    a quick succession of light rapid sounds
    ...I drift off
    to the unfamiliar hum
    and frantic patter
    of a Ghanaian night.
  21. cipher
    a message written in a secret code
    Stop blowing up my
    phone Blade, I'm busy.
    Studying ciphers.
  22. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    I slept in a makeshift
    school last night.
  23. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    To hear your name
    called in unison
    in a place
    in a time
    where you feel nameless
    and alone
    is as stunning
    and shocking
    as fireworks
    on a Sunday
    in December.
  24. inquisitive
    given to questioning
    She is like you. American. Inquisitive. Kind. Pensive. Full of wonder and wander.
  25. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    She is like you. American. Inquisitive. Kind. Pensive. Full of wonder and wander.
  26. affirmation
    a statement asserting the truth of something
    She says “I declare” a lot, like a country singer. Do you know what it means?
    She’s from Louisiana. It’s how they talk. I guess it’s like an affirmation or surprise. Another way of saying, "That is so cool!”
  27. putrid
    in an advanced state of decomposition and having a foul odor
    It’s what happens
    when the sweetness
    of life
    turns sour
    and putrid.
  28. sage
    a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics
    Like a sage or Gandhi or something.
  29. monsoon
    rainy season in southern Asia
    But it’s too late,
    she’s darting beneath
    the gushing monsoon,
    giggling and
    trapping raindrops
    inside her smile.
  30. transcontinental
    spanning one of the large landmasses of the earth
    Transcontinental Roamer-Believer.
  31. tantalizing
    arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable
    Tantalizing Rhythm-Keeper.
  32. stern
    serious and harsh in manner or behavior
    Blade, we don’t play with food, Joy says sternly, but
    I can tell she
    is trying
    pretty hard
    not to laugh.
  33. domestic
    of or relating to the home
    Most of the girls will become domestic helpers in the city, and the boys will hunt and cut timber.
  34. propagate
    travel through the air
    You know how
    you can politely
    be
    at the tip
    of a grand ocean
    and you can see
    the wave on its way
    feel it propagating
    through water
    bending sprightly
    toward
    its crest
  35. sprightly
    full of spirit and vitality
    You know how
    you can politely
    be
    at the tip
    of a grand ocean
    and you can see
    the wave on its way
    feel it propagating
    through water
    bending sprightly
    toward
    its crest
  36. crest
    the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
    You know how
    you can politely
    be
    at the tip
    of a grand ocean
    and you can see
    the wave on its way
    feel it propagating
    through water
    bending sprightly
    toward
    its crest
  37. pinnacle
    a lofty peak
    you know how
    when she finally
    spills
    into you
    pinnacles
    and spindrifts
    against your thrusts
    and you are overcome
    unbound
    and nearly
    engulfed?
  38. engulf
    flow over or cover completely
    you know how
    when she finally
    spills
    into you
    pinnacles
    and spindrifts
    against your thrusts
    and you are overcome
    unbound
    and nearly
    engulfed?
  39. lore
    knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote
    The lore of our love
    had no choice
    but to escape and
    fall off.
  40. motley
    consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
    Like groupies
    at a concert,
    a motley crew—
    guy with video camera,
    biker woman with notebook, and
    UNCLE STEVIE—
    bounce
    off the pimped-out bus
Created on Tue Apr 30 16:52:32 EDT 2019 (updated Wed May 01 11:14:22 EDT 2019)

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