Truly Devious: Chapters 1–4

by Maureen Johnson
When Stevie Bell is admitted to the exclusive Ellingham Academy, she hopes to solve the mystery of the famous crimes that took place at the school years ago. But then another murder takes place, and Stevie realizes that her life and the lives of her friends may depend on her sleuthing skills.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–8, Chapters 9–19, Chapters 20–30
40 words 235 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. detritus
    the remains of something that has been destroyed or finished
    The staff was careful to tidy up, but the grounds were vast and full of hiding places, so they left traces everywhere. A champagne glass here, a satin shoe there. Endless crushed cigarettes, feathers, beads, and other detritus of the rich and wonderful.
  2. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    She had read many stories in which death was present as a character—a palpable force in the room.
  3. protuberance
    something that bulges out or projects from its surroundings
    It was always known locally as Mount Hatchet or “the Big Ax” because of the protuberance at the peak, which resembled the tools of the same names.
  4. idyllic
    excellent and delightful in all respects
    It was, in short, idyllic and fantastical, and may have remained as such had it not been for that foggy night in April 1936 when Truly Devious struck.
  5. devious
    characterized by insincerity or deceit
    It was, in short, idyllic and fantastical, and may have remained as such had it not been for that foggy night in April 1936 when Truly Devious struck.
  6. inherently
    in an essential manner
    Her parents had viewed this dimly, as if a place hard to reach by car was somehow inherently suspicious and impinged on their God-given American freedom to drive anywhere they wanted to.
  7. impinge
    infringe upon
    Her parents had viewed this dimly, as if a place hard to reach by car was somehow inherently suspicious and impinged on their God-given American freedom to drive anywhere they wanted to.
  8. reticence
    the trait of being uncommunicative
    Stevie had heard about this famous Vermont reticence, and that they called outsiders flatlanders, but there was something spooky about his silence.
  9. sheer
    very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front
    Stevie looked back out as the view of the mystically blue Vermont skyline disappeared, eaten by the trees and the walls of sheer rock where the road cut through the mountains.
  10. pedantic
    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning
    Making the correction made her sound pedantic.
  11. solder
    join or fuse with an alloy
    Stevie knew all of Janelle’s likes: making machines and gadgets, soldering and welding, curating her Pinterest boards of organizational techniques, girls with glasses, YA novels, coffee, cats, and pretty much any television show.
  12. contention
    a dispute where there is strong disagreement
    The hair had been a major point of contention, so much so that at one point her parents said she would not be allowed to go to Ellingham as a punishment—but they backed down in the end.
  13. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    What it was, in reality, was an artificial tear in the landscape—a meandering scar in the forest.
  14. gradient
    the property of a line that departs from the horizontal
    Then they went up again, at a gradient usually reserved for ski lifts and airplane takeoffs.
  15. render
    cause to become
    Stevie was rendered near speechless for a minute.
  16. copse
    a dense growth of trees, shrubs, or bushes
    The property was full of smooth, twisting stone paths between copses of trees.
  17. turret
    a small tower extending above a building
    There were some large, grand ones of stone and red brick, with Gothic arches connecting them and tiny turrets softening their corners.
  18. bas relief
    sculpture that projects only slightly from the background
    The entire structure was covered in a coat of Virginia creeper that obscured the bas-relief faces that peered from the roofline and from above the windows.
  19. manifestation
    a clear appearance
    Stevie touched one with the tip of her finger as a physical manifestation of the question: What are you?
  20. arduous
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    “Good evening, sir,” said the butler, accepting the hats and coats. “Good evening, Mr. Mackenzie. I hope your trip was not too arduous in this fog.”
  21. indisposed
    somewhat ill or prone to illness
    “Miss Robinson and Mr. Nair are still with us, though they have been indisposed most of the day, so I believe it will just be Mrs. Ellingham, Mr. Mackenzie, and yourself, sir.”
  22. duplicitous
    marked by deliberate deceptiveness
    “Serves on either side,” he said. “Like a spy. A traitor. A duplicitous person.”
  23. forensics
    the use of scientific techniques in criminal investigations
    She worked her way down to the modern era and ended with her books on forensics and criminal psychology.
  24. quash
    put down by force or intimidation
    It was just like it was supposed to be—miles of linoleum and humming lights, the warm funk of cafeteria stink too early in the morning, the flashes of inspiration that were quickly quashed by long stretches of tedium, and the perpetual desire to be somewhere else.
  25. tedium
    the feeling of being bored by something
    It was just like it was supposed to be—miles of linoleum and humming lights, the warm funk of cafeteria stink too early in the morning, the flashes of inspiration that were quickly quashed by long stretches of tedium, and the perpetual desire to be somewhere else.
  26. requisite
    necessary for relief or supply
    She had a few new items, like the requisite bath caddy and flip-flops for trips to the bathroom, but these things didn’t exactly liven up the room.
  27. genteel
    marked by refinement in taste and manners
    In her imagination, her dorm room was going to look like Sherlock Holmes’s residence on Baker Street—shabby, but genteel.
  28. covet
    wish, long, or crave for
    She coveted a heavy fisherman’s sweater, because the detective in her favorite Nordic Noir wore one, and preferred a sensible cross-body bag like the one worn by her favorite English TV detective.
  29. deprecate
    express strong disapproval of; deplore
    He chuckled in a soft, self-deprecating way that Stevie was pretty sure wasn’t truly self-deprecating.
  30. sultry
    attractive and suggesting hidden passion
    The story was pretty good. Hayes’s acting, less so. Most of it was cheekbones and a low, sultry voice.
  31. altercation
    a noisy, angry argument or fight between people
    Hayes had been involved in a publicized altercation over the summer at some convention when he got involved with another YouTuber named Beth Brave, star of a show called Beth Isn’t Here.
  32. unprovoked
    occurring without motivation or incitement
    “People in LA,” he said unprovoked, as they picked up some more boxes.
  33. telltale
    disclosing unintentionally
    There was a telltale snick, and the entire panel of wall gave.
  34. pretense
    the act of giving a false appearance
    “Marsh,” he said. “Call him at home. Don’t say what’s happened. Just get him up here on some pretense. No one else, do you understand? No one but Marsh.”
  35. moor
    secure in or as if in a berth or dock
    He set the money into one of the rowboats he had moored on the side facing the house and got inside carefully, then put the lamp on the empty bench seat.
  36. observatory
    a building equipped to view astronomical phenomena
    The setting was the lake and the observatory in the background, at night.
  37. presumptuous
    going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
    It was too presumptuous and silly to say detective; she wasn’t any kind of law officer or private investigator, and she had never really solved a case.
  38. buff
    an ardent fan or follower
    Crime buff just sounded like a weird hobbyist with a high gloss.
  39. peripheral
    on or near an edge or constituting an outer boundary
    Then she caught something in her peripheral vision—her parents were coming down the path with another pair of parents, mostly likely Nate’s.
  40. gesticulate
    show, express, or direct through movement
    Stevie’s dad was talking and gesticulating, and her mom was nodding.
Created on Wed Apr 29 11:33:06 EDT 2020 (updated Wed Apr 29 11:52:22 EDT 2020)

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