The Contender: Chapters 7–13

by Robert Lipsyte
Alfred Brooks's life is going nowhere until he joins a renowned boxing club in Harlem. There, he learns what it takes to be a champion.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–20
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. marquee
    a structure, often with a signboard, over an entrance
    Hundreds of people milled under the marquee of Madison Square Garden as Alfred and Henry came up from the subway.
  2. seedy
    morally degraded
    Seedy men with mashed-in faces waved their cigars at tall, well-dressed businessmen carrying attaché cases.
  3. scowl
    frown with displeasure
    At the ticket window, a fat-faced white man scowled down at them, and Alfred was sure he would tell them to get lost.
  4. gleaming
    bright with a steady but subdued shining
    In the center of the floor, gleaming white under hundreds of spotlights, was the ring.
  5. preliminary
    preceding or in preparation for something more important
    The preliminary bouts were a blur of bodies and punches for Alfred, but he jumped up every time Henry and Jelly did.
  6. clench
    squeeze together tightly
    Willie was sitting on an upholstered table, clenching and unclenching his taped hands as a doctor worked on his eye.
  7. contender
    the contestant you hope to defeat
    "For a while I was rated the Number Seven light-heavyweight contender."
  8. shabby
    showing signs of wear and tear
    They rode the rest of the way in silence, Spoon driving carefully as the clean, well-kept buildings in the quiet white neighborhoods gave way to shabby houses on streets filled with black children and garbage.
  9. mimic
    imitate, especially for satirical effect
    "'Where's James, where's James?"' mimicked Major.
  10. shudder
    tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
    Alfred closed the door behind him just as his knees sagged, shuddering violently.
  11. smirk
    a smile expressing smugness or scorn instead of pleasure
    Don't you make fun of me, Alfred. Wipe that smirk off your face.
  12. hazy
    indistinct in outline
    The sweat rolled off his forehead and flooded his eyes, but they wouldn't let him stop to brush the sweat away ... left ... left ... snap it out...
    even as his reflection grew hazy in the full-length mirror.
  13. cackle
    emit a loud, unpleasant kind of laughing
    Angel and Jose, the Puerto Rican boys, cackled like hens when the medicine ball knocked him over like a tenpin.
  14. righteousness
    the quality of adhering to moral principles
    "What seems to be our problem, Sister Conway? Has Alfred strayed from the path of righteousness?"
  15. vague
    lacking clarity or distinctness
    "Oh," said the preacher, his eyes moving around the room, his voice getting vague.
  16. pursuit
    a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts
    This is a passing phase. He'll soon grow tired of this meaningless pursuit and devote his . . .
  17. flex
    exhibit the strength of
    Jake was still going to the bank in the afternoons, but Alfred couldn't get bothered about it, not when he felt his muscles flex every time he stacked the canned goods or lifted a box.
  18. lull
    a pause during which things are calm
    There was a lull one afternoon. There were no customers in the store, and Alfred began throwing the hook at his reflection on the door of the steel food locker.
  19. shuffle
    move about, move back and forth
    He tapped a bony shoulder, shuffled his feet, and threw a slow but graceful left hook.
  20. racketeer
    someone who commits crimes for profit
    "Television came in, and used the same fighters over and over again, a few got rich, the rest had to get jobs. And even the rich ones lost their money. The racketeers, the crooked matchmakers, the rotten managers just—"
  21. sullen
    showing a brooding ill humor
    Willie Streeter came back to the gym, sullen and overweight.
  22. amateur
    an athlete who does not play for pay
    Six weeks, six damn weeks, gained six pounds and never punched anybody except my own face in the mirror. I'm not even an amateur yet.
  23. swagger
    walk with a lofty proud gait
    "Hey, man, you're looking sharp," said Major, swaggering into mirror view.
  24. newcomer
    a recent arrival
    Once the door opened for some newcomers, and he saw Arlene smiling up at him, her face puffy, the blond wig tipped over one eye.
  25. sprawling
    an ungainly posture with arms and legs spread about
    He tried to clear his head, to think, to answer James' question, but the floor came up and sent him sprawling.
  26. veer
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    While he was slipping them on, the car veered toward a young couple crossing the street.
  27. mingle
    be all mixed up or jumbled together
    Alfred began to feel cramps in his stomach at the mingled smells of cotton candy, barbecue, fried chicken, and hot dogs.
  28. accelerator
    a pedal that controls the throttle valve
    The policemen began to run, shouting, as Major stomped on the accelerator and pounded the horn at people crossing the street.
  29. filthy
    disgustingly dirty
    He sorted the new crates, stacked the canned goods, lugged the filthy garbage pails out back.
  30. silhouette
    represent by a drawing of the outline of an object
    He looked at the square head, silhouetted against the flickering neon lights.
  31. apologize
    defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for
    "You've got nothing to apologize to me for."
  32. mock
    treat with contempt
    Angel's face, framed in the headguard, bobbed up, mocking him.
  33. reel
    walk as if unable to control one's movements
    Alfred plunged forward, the months of shadowboxing taking over now, left. . . left. . . right to the face . . . hook . . . and Angel was reeling against the ropes, a drop of blood oozing from his nose.
  34. pride
    a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
    "Don't tell Ryan where it comes from, pride he always had."
  35. arc
    a continuous portion of a circle
    He pivoted on his left foot, and threw the hook in a smooth, short arc.
Created on Sun Mar 08 21:17:28 EDT 2015 (updated Wed Sep 05 17:08:46 EDT 2018)

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