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Our Only May Amelia: Chapters 9–13

May Amelia Jackson grows up on the American frontier at the end of the 19th century.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–8, Chapters 9–13
30 words 45 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    I know it will never change, it will never stop, like her gnarled cane, evil and bent the way it is and leaving dark-blue bruises and blood everywhere.
  2. casket
    box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
    We put Amy in the dress Wendell had made her—it was real fine, so pretty-looking—and Mamma used her lavender velvet wedding dress to line the little casket Isaiah made.
  3. oblige
    cause to be indebted
    Then Pappa turns to my uncle and says, Henry, I’d be much obliged if you could find my boy here some work in town so he can earn his keep.
  4. decadent
    relating to indulgence in something pleasurable
    Uncle Henry says that Astoria has the most saloons and taverns of any town in Oregon, that it is the most decadent town between San Francisco and Seattle.
  5. frontier
    a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
    They write things like: “Bride wanted on frontier. Will pay for travel. Send picture.”
  6. poach
    cook in a simmering liquid
    She can cook oysters twelve different ways: fried, baked, fricasseed, poached, stew, soup, pies, you name it.
  7. casual
    without or seeming to be without plan or method; offhand
    You know, Mariah says casually, my husband’s been dead for a long time but I still miss him.
  8. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Ivan and Alvin don’t pay attention to Uncle Henry—they’re too busy glowering at me.
  9. slur
    a negative or offensive remark about someone
    You children listen to what your Uncle Henry says but only believe half of it. He is a teller of tall tales.
    Now that is simply an exaggeration, a real slur Feenie, Uncle Henry says.
  10. vagabond
    a wanderer with no established residence or means of support
    Knappton was the closest town and was full of only bachelors and vagabonds, not a woman to be found.
  11. provisions
    a stock or supply of foods
    Ivan and Alvin are lucky indeed that they have relations to stay with in Astoria, because many of the homesteaders who had taken the boat into Astoria to get provisions are trapped and cannot get back home.
  12. lynch
    kill without legal sanction
    That boat will never even make it to Knappton between the snags, ice floes, and coming storm, it’s sailing straight to the devil and if I end up burying my son there’ll be a killing, because I, August Olson, will lynch Captain Jordon and fillet him like a salmon.
  13. jostle
    make one's way by pushing or shoving
    Down at the docks there’s a real big crowd, everyone’s jostling to get on the Gleaner.
  14. deckhand
    a member of a ship's crew who performs manual labor
    Alvin has his ticket out and is handing it to a deckhand when I grab him by the arm.
  15. capsize
    overturn accidentally
    The Gleaner was near Knappton when a sudden wind blew against the boat’s broadside and capsized it.
  16. notion
    an odd or fanciful or capricious idea
    I say, Emma, you must be crazy as a lunatic if you’re thinking of kissing a boy. I’d sooner kiss one of Isaiah’s sheeps.
    Emma says, May Amelia, I swear, don’t you have any romantic notions in that head of yours?
  17. elope
    run away secretly with one's beloved
    Why, he married the O’Casey girl, she says.
    The Irish girl? The one everyone thinks is drowned?
    They eloped, Aunt Alice says simply.
  18. ruckus
    the act of making a noisy disturbance
    There is a real crowd outside, and Uncle Henry is at the front of it Raising A Ruckus.
  19. beseech
    ask for or request earnestly
    Calm down Henry, the sheriff says, holding up his hands beseechingly.
  20. rig
    formation of masts, spars, sails, etc., on a vessel
    Wilbert has been helping repair the rigging that got damaged in a storm the last time Uncle Henry was out to sea. He gets to climb the high masts and Ed Grady says that Wilbert moves faster than the monkeys he’s seen climbing the trees in the jungles of Africa.
  21. craggy
    having a steep, rough, and rocky surface
    A bateau is sailing toward where we are standing on the craggy rocks.
  22. wryly
    in a humorously sarcastic or mocking manner
    She eyes my dress which has got mud on it from mucking about and food all down the front. She smiles wryly and says, You look real pretty in that dress, did you have a nice time at the dance dear?
  23. nigh
    slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
    Pappa shakes his head and says, Your brother Wendell has been sick nigh on three weeks and your poor mother is plumb worn out between nursing him and every other soul who comes to our door in the middle of the night for her medicines.
  24. cobbler
    a pie made of fruit with rich biscuit dough on top
    There’s cobbler, roast duck, venison stew, squeaky cheese, and my very favorite, fresh pulla, which is Finnish bread flavored with cardamom topped with sugar icing.
  25. sidle
    move sideways
    Buttons sidles up and mews for a scrap.
  26. rapscallion
    one who is playfully mischievous
    Old Man Weilin and Wild Cat Clark are setting on the porch smoking pipes when we come running up.
    What do you rapscallions want? Old Man Weilin says, blowing smoke out in rings.
  27. fringe
    an ornamental border of short lengths of hanging threads
    Jane has made Susannah a Chinook dress just like hers. It is made of young cedar bark that has been beaten soft and then woven into a long tunic with a fringe.
  28. crick
    a painful muscle spasm, especially in the neck or back
    When I wake up, Bosie is licking my hand and my neck has a crick in it on account of me falling asleep in the rocking chair.
  29. starch
    stiffen textile fabrics in laundering
    Whenever I think of her, I picture her in that same white starched apron and I wonder if they buried her in it or if maybe Lonny’s pa simply burned it in the fireplace, burned it away so he wouldn’t be reminded of how soft her cheeks were and how she never got the hang of speaking English.
  30. frail
    physically weak
    Wendell, who’s still looking frail on account of getting over his fever, is holding Susannah and he says May Amelia We Thought You Were Dead, we thought you were drowned there in the Nasel with all those logs.
Created on Mon Oct 19 16:48:36 EDT 2020 (updated Tue Oct 20 14:12:33 EDT 2020)

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