Watched: Chapters 4–9

by Marina Budhos
After a minor run-in with the police, eighteen-year-old Naeem is offered a terrible choice: go to court or spy on members of his community.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–9, Chapters 10–12, Chapters 13–17, Chapters 18–32
35 words 37 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. pathological
    caused by or evidencing a mentally disturbed condition
    It wasn’t me, I want to say. My friend! He’s a pathological liar, a freak, and he does stuff like that.
  2. teeming
    abundantly filled with especially living things
    Did he know there wasn’t a camera in the dressing room? That we’d meet back in the front mall, Woodhaven Boulevard’s traffic teeming around us, and I’d hand him the shirts?
  3. sheen
    the visual property of something that shines
    He’s heavyset, with a thick, scrunched brow, a coppery sheen to his skin.
  4. jut
    extend out or project in space
    “What do you mean? I’m going to Queens College!” I blurt, jutting out my chin.
  5. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Taylor is watching me with a careful gaze; the other guy—who hasn’t even told me his name—has retreated into sullen silence.
  6. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
    I sense him watching. Gauging.
  7. infraction
    a violation of a law or rule
    “We can take you down the hall and book you. I’d put my money on a conviction. They’re really cracking down these days. Even on small infractions.”
  8. misdemeanor
    a crime less serious than a felony
    “Every time you fill out a job application, you’ll have to say, I was arrested for a misdemeanor. I’ll put my money on a conviction. That’s even worse. Imagine explaining that for the rest of your life.”
  9. revoke
    cancel officially
    “You know any trouble on a green card it can be revoked, right?”
  10. tender
    having or displaying warmth or affection
    Both men get up, as if on cue. Taylor’s hand drops on my shoulder. It’s warm, almost tender.
  11. spigot
    a regulator for controlling the flow of a liquid
    I joined the others, kicked my sneakers off, washed my feet under the spigots, folded myself on the carpet.
  12. imam
    the person who leads prayers in a mosque
    Then I felt a sharp nudge to my back. I whirled around to see the imam, brow furrowed.
  13. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    Then I felt a sharp nudge to my back. I whirled around to see the imam, brow furrowed.
  14. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    “Sorry,” I mumbled, and slunk away.
  15. insignia
    a badge worn to show official position
    Some community leaders complained, but the little boxy camera is still there, bolted to a telephone pole a few feet away, a black security insignia glinting like a tiny crow in the sun.
  16. skimpy
    containing little excess
    I’m proud and angry, watching him do his prayers, even as the guys from Ecuador are kicking a soccer ball nearby, or some white women are power-walking in their skimpy tank tops.
  17. grudging
    unwilling or reluctant
    Even Sanchez gives a grudging laugh.
  18. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Sanchez slides out of the booth and stands, hikes up his jeans. He’s glowering, checking his watch, as if my little display never happened.
  19. dingy
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
    We’re sitting in their car, silent, with a view of a dingy subway entrance.
  20. provisional
    under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon
    All I got was a provisional acceptance to community college if I keep up my average at a 2.5.
  21. disgorge
    cause or allow to flow or run out or over
    Now the yellow buses are lumbering down streets, disgorging kids at stops where their parents or grandparents wait.
  22. straggle
    go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
    The last of the kids are straggling home, dragging plastic buckets and balls and scooters.
  23. missionary
    someone who attempts to convert others to a doctrine
    He reminds me of a couple of the counselors I knew from YMCA camp a few summers ago. Missionary kids, fresh from Colorado, Utah.
  24. oblong
    having an elongated form with approximately parallel sides
    Taylor is standing now and I can see he’s wearing Converse, which shine like oblong boats against the dark asphalt.
  25. docent
    a guide who leads others on a tour
    He can tell me about cartilage in sharks; he corrected the science museum docents on the name of a man-eating plant in the Amazon.
  26. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
    His face goes ashen.
  27. sustenance
    a source of food or nourishment
    “Come on.” Taylor pats the front seat. “You need a little sustenance. Then we’ll take a look around.”
  28. appraise
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    He’s cool, appraising. His gray eyes tick off everything: the guys on the corner, from their sneakers to their hoodies, fists stuffed into their pockets; the crumpled bag someone tosses into a garbage bin.
  29. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “Hero,” he muses. “What’s that mean? There’s a lot about being a hero that’s really chill. It’s not the big, flashy stuff.”
  30. flashy
    tastelessly showy
    “Hero,” he muses. “What’s that mean? There’s a lot about being a hero that’s really chill. It’s not the big, flashy stuff.”
  31. curt
    speaking in a terse, rude, or abrupt way
    I gave him a curt nod, slid into the back, and we took off.
  32. kebab
    cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer
    I know what they mean: The Muslim neighborhoods. The kebab houses. Mosques. Little shops, like my parents’.
  33. bleary
    indistinct or hazy in outline
    Through the bleary glass, I can see a boy breaking down cartons by the curb, kicking them flat.
  34. wary
    openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
    I can change that. Abba no longer in the slant of shadow, fearful, wary. No one asking questions at the store, frightening him.
  35. bodega
    small shop selling groceries, especially in a Hispanic area
    I test my walk, as if navigating an ice patch, make my way to a bodega.
Created on Fri Sep 06 08:33:48 EDT 2019 (updated Fri Sep 06 08:45:12 EDT 2019)

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