Baseball in April: List 3

by Gary Soto
This collection of short stories, which draws on the author's own childhood, focuses on Latino and Latina children growing up in California.

This list covers "Mother and Daughter" and "The Karate Kid."

Here are links to our lists for the short story collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
20 words 259 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    Finally, Yollie’s grogginess cleared and she realized her mother had gone to bed, leaving her on the couch.
  2. gloat
    dwell on with satisfaction
    Yollie burned her mother’s morning toast and gloated. “Ha! Ha! I got you back. Why did you leave me on the couch when I told you to wake me up?”
  3. matinee
    a theatrical performance held during the daytime
    They watched bargain matinees together, and played croquet in the summer and checkers in the winter.
  4. croquet
    a game in which players hit a ball through a series of hoops
    They watched bargain matinees together, and played croquet in the summer and checkers in the winter.
  5. hassock
    a cushion for kneeling on
    “Tienes que estudiar mucho,” Mrs. Moreno said every time she propped her work-weary feet on the hassock.
  6. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    Everyone thought Yollie’s mother was a riot. Even the nuns laughed at her antics.
  7. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    Mrs. Moreno remembered her teenage years and her hardworking parents, who picked grapes and oranges, and chopped beets and cotton for meager pay around Kerman.
  8. scurry
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    The apples shattered like grenades, sending the kids scurrying for cover, and in an odd way the birthday party turned out to be a success.
  9. primp
    dress or groom with elaborate care
    She bathed, dressed, did her hair and nails, and primped until her mother yelled, “All right already.”
  10. tirade
    a speech of violent denunciation
    She was embarrassed at last night’s tirade. It wasn’t her mother’s fault that they were poor.
  11. lurch
    move abruptly
    The phone rang. Yollie lurched from her chair to answer it, thinking it would be Janice wanting to know why she had left.
  12. dilapidated
    in a state of decay, ruin, or deterioration
    But instead of crashing sea for a backdrop, there was a dilapidated barrio of ramshackle houses and dusty cars.
  13. barrio
    a Spanish-speaking quarter in a town or city
    But instead of crashing sea for a backdrop, there was a dilapidated barrio of ramshackle houses and dusty cars.
  14. ramshackle
    in poor or broken-down condition
    But instead of crashing sea for a backdrop, there was a dilapidated barrio of ramshackle houses and dusty cars.
  15. gorge
    overeat or eat immodestly
    He wasn’t hungry anymore; he was gorged on fear.
  16. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    This time he watched intently, with no Cracker Jacks to distract him.
  17. snicker
    laugh quietly
    Outside, in front of the fifth- and sixth-grade boys, Gilbert assumed a karate stance. The Heat snickered that nothing could save him but the U.S. Army and socked Gilbert in the jaw.
  18. spar
    practice boxing or fighting
    Then it was back to the same routine of sloppiness and the boredom of pushups and sit-ups, stretching, blocks, kicks, and katas. Not once did they spar.
  19. feint
    deceive by a mock action
    Gilbert saw himself circle and feint, and he saw the Heat cower and shy away from his blows.
  20. cower
    show submission or fear
    Gilbert saw himself circle and feint, and he saw the Heat cower and shy away from his blows.
Created on Fri Nov 06 20:49:44 EST 2020 (updated Wed Nov 11 11:11:42 EST 2020)

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