Fighting Words: Chapters 14–30

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
In this powerful novel, sisters Della and Suki rely on each other as they try to cope with the aftermath of their mother's imprisonment.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–13, Chapters 14–30, Chapters 31–47
20 words 27 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. scuffle
    fight or struggle in a confused way at close quarters
    I marched over to where Trevor was scuffling with a bunch of boys.
  2. deadpan
    without betraying any feeling
    I said, "Southern. Butter. Pecan."
    Nevaeh eyed the jug of creamer. She eyed me. She said, deadpan, "I only like Northern butter pecan."
  3. funky
    having an offensive or unpleasant smell
    "Put that hoodie in the wash when you get home. It's getting funky."
  4. contradict
    prove negative; show to be false
    "I am not," Suki said, which was such a lie, Francine didn't even bother to contradict it.
  5. winsome
    charming in a childlike or naive way
    Suki put on a winsome smile.
  6. slather
    spread thickly
    "Slather this on your head after you shampoo. You won't have so many tangles to rip out."
  7. sarcastic
    expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds
    She looked at me like she thought I was being sarcastic, or mean, but then she saw I meant it, and she smiled.
  8. flashy
    (used especially of clothes) marked by conspicuous display
    She looked good, really good—flashy earrings and green eye shadow and some pretty lip gloss.
  9. testify
    give a solemn statement in a court of law
    There's going to be a trial, and it's going to be easy because we have evidence, and hard because it's scary and because having to testify against Clifton sucks.
  10. rigid
    fixed and unmoving
    I should have seen it right then, the whole truth, in the rigid set of Suki's jaw.
  11. upholster
    provide furniture with comfortable padding or covers
    So upstairs again, and this time I sat on a plain chair in the corner while Suki sat in the pink upholstered chair.
  12. frantic
    excessively agitated; distraught with violent emotion
    "Please," Suki said. She started to cry. She looked frantic.
  13. grimace
    contort the face to indicate a certain mental state
    Meanwhile Luisa was climbing down the ladder, inch by inch, grimacing.
  14. flail
    thrash about
    Then we practiced in the shallow end without the boards, sort of hopping and flailing and splashing around.
  15. wield
    handle effectively
    If it had ended worse, then that knife, Suki wielding it, would have been the worst thing, of course, but even so, that moment right there was the second-worst thing.
  16. artery
    a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body
    ...she'd slashed an artery.
  17. sedate
    cause to be calm or quiet
    Her right arm had an IV line with medicine dripping into it.
    "She's pretty sedated," the nurse said. "Don't expect much."
  18. slur
    utter indistinctly
    Suki closed her eyes. "My brain hurts. Everything. Hurts so much." By the end her words were slurring.
  19. psychiatric
    relating to the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders
    "Psychiatric," she said. "Different word. People who are psychotic have lost touch with reality. That's not your sister. Psychiatric hospitals treat all sorts of mental disorders."
  20. persistent
    never-ceasing
    And the persistent voice, like a train rumbling along tracks through the back of my mind: My fault. My fault. My fault.
Created on Mon May 24 08:22:20 EDT 2021 (updated Mon May 24 13:50:18 EDT 2021)

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