12 Again: List 4

by Sue Corbett
After making a birthday wish, forty-year-old Bernadette wakes up as a twelve-year-old — and attends seventh grade with her son Patrick.

This list covers Patrick's story, Tuesday, October 20–Sunday, November 1.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
35 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    Here's what I need: three sprigs of watercress, any kind.
  2. eradicate
    destroy completely, as if down to the roots
    “Rust. Blister rust. It’s a fungus that thrives on the gooseberry bush. When it jumps to trees, it can kill ’em, especially pine. So the gooseberry’s pretty much been eradicated around here.”
  3. currant
    a small red or black berry used in jellies and jams
    “Would a currant bush do you? It’s very similar.”
  4. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    He drew a crude version of the plant on a sheet of lined paper.
  5. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    She would threaten to turn him in, then pretend to relent so long as he carried some boxes for her or reshelved a few books.
  6. straggler
    someone who strays or falls behind
    “To the office,” said a woman she knew to be the assistant principal, herding Bernadette and a few other stragglers. “Get your late passes.”
  7. irrelevant
    having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    A lot of stuff you learned in middle school really was irrelevant, she thought.
  8. transpose
    cause to change places
    “That’s all I remember. It begins with oh-nine-nine.”
    “That’s the first thing I’ve known you not to know, Detta. Well, you’ll have to bring me the actual card. Maybe you just transposed a digit, but now I’ve got to make a copy of it to satisfy them.”
  9. saboteur
    someone who deliberately destroys or disrupts something
    Bernadette knew she wasn’t going to be able to produce the card, but at the moment she was simply relieved that she hadn’t been discovered as the saboteur of the computer.
  10. vanity
    feelings of excessive pride
    Bernadette had had to admit to herself this bit of vanity: She loved having a flat stomach again.
  11. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    “Or maybe I’ll just relish my mastery of the glide kip for a while,” Bernadette said.
  12. burdensome
    not easily borne or endured; causing hardship
    She reluctantly turned in her flute, telling the band director her homework was getting burdensome, so she was going to have to cut back on her activities.
  13. render
    cause to become
    Bernadette was momentarily rendered speechless.
  14. abide by
    act in accordance with rules, commands, or wishes
    There were a bunch of rules, which Patrick skimmed, quickly clicking on the button that said he had read and agreed to abide by them.
  15. thatch
    cover with roofing material made of plant stalks
    Shenanigans: Welcome to our thatched roof cottage, Mookie!
  16. windfall
    a sudden happening that brings good fortune
    “I just thought of a good cause for this windfall.”
  17. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    She could already see the plaque: THE FIONA DOWNEY MEMORIAL COMPUTER LAB.
  18. truant
    one who is absent from school without permission
    “Well, someone will have to get your work for you. Can I speak to your mother? I can take you off the truant list so she won’t get the recorded message every day.”
  19. Big Brother
    an authoritarian leader and invader of privacy
    “See? That’s why I don’t trust the Internet and all that jazz,” the husband said. “Big Brother can trace everything. These people using credit cards in the information supermarket? They’re asking for trouble. Missy, shouldn’t you be in school by now?”
  20. keen
    having or showing interest and intense desire
    The newspaper wouldn’t be keen on giving the police access to anything on their computers, for any reason.
  21. precedent
    an example that is used to justify similar occurrences
    That would make the editors doubly reluctant to break a precedent and give the police access to newsroom data.
  22. benevolent
    intending or showing kindness
    “You’re under the power of fairies. You don’t want to introduce that into your family. You want out. Fairies are not benevolent creatures.”
  23. doily
    a small round piece of decorative linen or paper
    The house was dark and every surface appeared to be covered with a doily of intricate ivory lace.
  24. mantel
    a shelf that projects from the wall above a fireplace
    There was a framed photograph of the pope—not the current one, Patrick thought, but some previous pope—on the mantel.
  25. grouse
    complain
    Johnny moves the birdbath. He grouses the whole time because it’s heavy as a lorry.
  26. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    He decided it was a lucky break that Mrs. Crone was hobbled and couldn’t chase him.
  27. piercing
    having or emitting a high-pitched tone or tones
    He was just about to go knock on the bathroom door to tell Kevin the coast was clear when he heard a piercing wail, coming from the bathroom.
  28. askew
    turned or twisted to one side
    He trotted, awkwardly, holding the lid to the baking dish a little askew so the ember would get air.
  29. reflexive
    without volition or conscious control
    Bernadette winced, almost reflexively.
  30. afflicted
    grievously affected especially by disease
    The soul cake cure: If fairies are present and the afflicted party seeks a cure, take the remaining meal and shape it into three oval cakes.
  31. successive
    following in order without gaps
    The patient must eat each cake on three successive mornings, each with a sprig of watercress.
  32. riddle
    spread or diffuse through
    And you’ll have to sleep outside—not in the garden, mind you, it’s riddled with enchantments.
  33. exorcise
    expel through adjuration or prayers
    “Well, I’ll be making myself scarce while you’re exorcising the fairies, but after that...”
  34. bureau
    furniture with drawers for keeping clothes
    He heard him dress, take his keys from the top of his bureau, then head downstairs and out the front door.
  35. bracing
    refreshing or invigorating
    Outside the air was bracing and the streets empty.
Created on Thu Aug 19 11:10:38 EDT 2021 (updated Wed Aug 25 10:07:19 EDT 2021)

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