They Call Me Güero: List 1

by David Bowles
This verse novel chronicles the daily life of a Mexican-American twelve-year-old.

This list covers "Border Kid"–"Variedad Musical."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3
35 words 777 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. gulf
    an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land
    Sixty miles wide
    on either side
    of the river,
    my people's home
    stretches from gulf
    to mountain pass.
  2. frontier
    a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
    These borderlands,
    strip of frontier,
    home of hardy plants.
  3. hardy
    able to survive under unfavorable weather conditions
    These borderlands,
    strip of frontier,
    home of hardy plants.
  4. limbo
    an imaginary place for lost or neglected things
    A cold nod and we're waved along,
    allowed to leave the borderlands—
    made a limbo by the uncaring laws
    of people a long way away who don't know us,
    a quarantine zone between white and brown.
  5. quarantine
    isolation to prevent the spread of infectious disease
    A cold nod and we're waved along,
    allowed to leave the borderlands—
    made a limbo by the uncaring laws
    of people a long way away who don't know us,
    a quarantine zone between white and brown.
  6. modest
    not large but sufficient in size or amount
    A modest home, sure,
    but inside its cozy walls we celebrate
    all the riches that matter.
  7. parish
    a local church community
    My mom's the organist for our parish—
    One of the last, she says.
  8. upright
    a piano with a vertical sounding board
    When I was little, she taught me to play
    on a worn-out old upright
    that stands in a corner
    of our dining room,
    holding up family photos.
  9. mystify
    be puzzling or bewildering to
    Like lots of border kids,
    my first song was a lullaby
    that my abuela sang
    to warn me and to mystify.
  10. serenade
    sing and play for somebody
    My mom says when I got home
    smiling without teeth,
    she took me in her arms
    and serenaded me—
  11. lore
    knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote
    So I learned the dangers
    of this crazy, mixed-up place—
    there are monsters lurking,
    but family lore can keep you safe.
  12. literal
    limited to the explicit meaning of a word or text
    But I didn't get it. I was so literal.
    I believed every story she told was true.
  13. chrysalis
    pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon
    Even then, words were burrowing
    into my brain and waiting,
    like larvae in a chrysalis,
    to unfold their paper wings
    and take me flying into the future.
  14. shaman
    one acting as a medium between the visible and spirit worlds
    Uncle Joe tells us of the nagual—
    magical trickster shaman
    who shakes off his human form
    to reveal the beast within—
    coyote, wolf or dog—
    and raids ranches
    to feast on cows and sheep.
  15. fabled
    famous or legendary
    I wish I knew that magic,
    could say some spell
    or perform some ritual
    so I could slip my skin
    like that fabled shapeshifter
  16. confession
    the act of a penitent disclosing sinfulness before a priest
    I guess it gets boring hearing confession,
    so now he's all busy, sharing the gossip!
  17. guacamole
    a dip made of mashed avocado
    I stuff quesadillas with fajitas and beans,
    guacamole as well.
  18. horde
    a vast multitude
    Then sparklers slash
    the dark in the hands of pingos, like Jedi
    who face a horde of deadly Sith.
  19. glee
    great merriment
    We flick our fathers' lighters with glee,
    quickly scattering to take deadly aim!
  20. singe
    burn superficially or lightly
    HISS! René's deadly dart whizzes right by,
    singeing the back of my hair!
  21. domain
    territory over which rule or control is exercised
    Soon the battle invades the grown-ups' domain.
  22. rebuke
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
    All the men start grinning and egging us on,
    though our mothers shout angry rebukes:
    "¡Muchachos traviesos, se van a lastimar!”
  23. hurtle
    move with or as if with a rushing sound
    Clumsy me, I stumble as I lift my weapon:
    With a screaming whistle, the rocket hits
    the ground and hurtles toward Father García...
  24. tussle
    make messy or untidy
    Everyone's got a nickname for me—
    Tío Danny calls me El Pecas, while
    Grandpa Manuel tussles my copper hair
    and shouts, "Way to go, Red!"
  25. complexion
    the coloring of a person's face
    But at school, it's a different story,
    as if my complexion's on purpose.
  26. contemplate
    look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
    I could contemplate the night birds
    and the rabbit in the moon at last.
  27. refrain
    part of a song or poem that recurs at regular intervals
    That night, I start googling the lyrics of my
    favorite songs, laid out in stanzas and refrains.
  28. thematic
    relating to or constituting a topic of discourse
    Mr. Gil, our social studies teacher,
    announces a "thematic unit" one day.
  29. reflect
    think deeply on a subject
    We read and write and reflect.
  30. accordion
    a portable box-shaped free-reed instrument
    Practice accordion in the garage,
    dreaming of fans and loud applause.
  31. frail
    physically weak
    She's almost eighty, frail and slow,
    but in her heart she's lively and fun—
    and she loves music!
  32. keen
    very good
    My great-uncle Juan finds rock 'n' roll keen.
  33. snare
    a small drum with wires stretched across the lower head
    Uncle Danny's into rap—
    snare cracks, high-hat attacks,
    smooth flow from a hip-hop soul,
    phat synths and a low bass roll.
  34. croon
    sing softly
    Dad and Joe like country tunes:
    Guitars twang and voices croon
    about dogs and trucks and fishing boats
    or love among the creosote.
  35. fiesta
    a public celebration or party
    En las fiestas hay variedad musical—
    we respect one another and jam to it all!
Created on Wed May 08 15:59:33 EDT 2019 (updated Thu May 09 08:25:05 EDT 2019)

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