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Let Me Hear a Rhyme: Chapters 9–21

After Steph is killed, his friends and sister try to promote his music — and solve the mystery of his murder.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–21, Chapters 22–31, Chapters 32–55
35 words 23 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. ludicrous
    inviting ridicule
    “You guess? Boy, did you actually listen to Reasonable Doubt? The way he spits over the horns on ‘Can I Live’? ‘Recruited lieutenants with ludicrous dreams of gettin’ cream. “Let’s do this,” it gets tedious. So I keep one eye open like CBS!’..."
  2. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
    “You guess? Boy, did you actually listen to Reasonable Doubt? The way he spits over the horns on ‘Can I Live’? ‘Recruited lieutenants with ludicrous dreams of gettin’ cream. “Let’s do this,” it gets tedious. So I keep one eye open like CBS!’..."
  3. crypt
    a cellar or vault or underground burial chamber
    Untouched, the door creaks like a crypt when I open it, light blazing through the small window.
  4. threshold
    the entrance for passing through a room or building
    Someone built some type of invisible glass force field that won’t let me pass the threshold.
  5. abundance
    the property of a more than adequate quantity or supply
    He would nod....I asked him in abundance,
    How could a Blind Soldier enter a war?
    How would he know what he was fighting for?
  6. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    “Damn. That’s deep,” Jarrell says, pensive. “I didn’t know Steph could write like that.”
  7. vial
    a small bottle that contains liquid medicine
    Inside a large ziplock bag, the kind of bag that Mom marinates chicken in, is at least a hundred mini vials...
  8. condensation
    atmospheric moisture that has changed from a gas
    Project heat is the type of heat that makes walls sweat, pipes hot enough to burn the skin off knuckles, and windows fog with condensation.
  9. uphold
    keep or maintain in unaltered condition
    With only a few pieces left, it would soon be time to officially say goodbye to summer and everything he loved—endless basketball games, open fire hydrants, barbeques, and ice-cream trucks. Everything he used to do with his dad that he made his friends and family uphold.
  10. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    “Maybe?” Jarrell scoffed.
  11. scrawny
    being very thin
    He’s mad scrawny, rocking a bright-green knit sweater with thick glasses that slip down his nose.
  12. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    “But I think that’s what the police are gonna assume..."
  13. promoter
    a sponsor who books and stages public entertainments
    “Yo, man, is this a joke? You a promoter now?”
  14. yoke
    link with or as with stable gear joining two draft animals
    He throws his arm over my neck, yoking me up.
  15. consignment
    the delivery of goods for sale or disposal
    “Aight. But need to be on consignment. Split the profits seventy/twenty.”
  16. trance
    a state resembling deep sleep
    Quady blinks out of a trance and hands him five CDs, and I offer homie a handshake.
  17. militant
    disposed to warfare or hard-line policies
    Plus, I’m rereading Assata Shakur’s autobiography. Daddy bought it for Mom, but she was never really interested. Me, though, I couldn’t get enough. A militant revolutionary so committed to black liberation she even took on an African name.
  18. sheer
    so thin as to transmit light
    Ronnie has on this long black velvet dress with sheer sleeves and two slits that stop way up her thigh.
  19. raspy
    unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    He’s much shorter than he looks on TV, his voice raspy like Rakim.
  20. prompt
    according to schedule or without delay
    “Now, please remind your client not to be late. Mr. Williams is all about promptness.”
  21. chump
    a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
    I don’t wanna say I’m scared ’cause that’d make me sound like some chump.
  22. gush
    praise enthusiastically
    The girl gushes and nods. “Really?”
  23. lackey
    a servile or submissive follower
    “...I don’t have time for games with pointless lackeys.”
  24. venue
    the scene of any event or action
    Biggie’s Suburban SUV stopped at a red light on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and South Fairfax Avenue, near the venue.
  25. paparazzo
    a freelance photographer who pursues celebrities
    “It just don’t make no sense. They expect us to believe with the streets being mad crowded and the police and fire department shutting the club down, Big gets popped a few feet away, and no one saw nothing? No cameras. No paparazzi. No one?” Quadir shook his head.
  26. conspiracy
    a secret agreement to perform an unlawful act
    “...I think it’s a conspiracy. The government is in on it. Trying to take out hip-hop ’cause we taking over. First NWA, now Big.”
  27. incredulously
    in a disbelieving manner
    “But...that’s just mad stupid,” Quadir said incredulously.
  28. wary
    marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    Jarrell looked over both his shoulders with a wary eye before sneezing into his jacket.
  29. neutral
    not supporting or favoring either side in a dispute
    Dante laughs. “Hey man, I’m Sweden!”
    “Sweden? What does that mean?”
    “...I got peoples all over. I’m neutral.”
  30. rummage
    search haphazardly
    With the lights shining in our faces and me pinned against the wall, I couldn’t get a good look at the cats hemming us up, rummaging through all our pockets.
  31. purge
    rid of impurities
    Here we are, cleaning again. Except Mom’s purging stuff now. Throwing away papers, broken toys, and collecting old clothes to donate to the shelter.
  32. lair
    the place where a wild animal lives
    The rusted gate to the basement of a beat-up brownstone looks like a door to Satan’s playhouse, and I ain’t about to skip inside some vampire’s lair.
  33. tarp
    a sheet of waterproofed canvas
    A blue tarp covering a broken window flaps in the wind.
  34. pristine
    immaculately clean and unused
    The basement looks nothing like it does outside. Polished oak floors, green leather sofas, glass audio booths, and pristine equipment surrounded by warm orange lighting.
  35. compose
    make calm or quiet
    He clears his throat, composing himself.
Created on Mon Jul 08 14:26:09 EDT 2019 (updated Mon Jul 08 16:18:16 EDT 2019)

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