Honus & Me: Chapters 11–17

by Dan Gutman
Thanks to a magical baseball card, Joe Stoshack travels back in time to 1909 and meets baseball legend Honus Wagner.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Introduction–Chapter 6, Chapters 7–10, Chapters 11–17
30 words 33 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. pennant
    a flag that usually tapers and is longer than it is wide
    The place was jammed with fans, and it seemed like all of them were waving a pennant, tooting a horn, or ringing a bell.
  2. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    People were even sitting on rickety bleachers set up on the rooftops of houses across the street from the ballpark.
  3. dugout
    a shelter beside a baseball field for players and coaches
    There were no dugouts. Some of the players sat on a long bench, while the rest were warming up, snapping baseballs back and forth smartly.
  4. convulse
    be overcome with laughter
    They convulsed into more giggles.
  5. smirk
    smile in a mocking or condescending way
    The two women I had been speaking with stood behind him, smirking.
  6. respective
    considered individually
    “Just discussing the merits of the respective teams, sir.”
  7. apparently
    unmistakably
    “The Antelope versus the Buffalo,” was the way the newspaper described them. Honus, apparently, was the Buffalo.
  8. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Moriarty stood up gingerly, limping around the third-base bag.
  9. stance
    standing posture
    I studied his stance carefully. He used a long bat and stood far from the plate.
  10. dismay
    the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
    Ty Cobb batted third and, to the dismay of the ladies sitting behind me, grounded out.
  11. mystify
    be puzzling or bewildering to
    His curveball was mystifying them.
  12. channel
    direct the flow of
    But like any great hitter, he was able to channel his aggression into the task at hand.
  13. taunt
    harass with persistent criticism or carping
    He danced off the base, daring and taunting Babe Adams to try and pick him off.
  14. straddle
    sit or stand astride of
    Honus dashed over and straddled the second-base bag, waiting for the throw.
  15. casual
    not showing effort or strain
    I slid onto the bench as casually as possible and pulled the cap down low over my eyes so nobody would notice my face.
  16. jeer
    a mocking or contemptuous remark
    There were a few jeers from the Detroit crowd, but I could barely hear them.
  17. grandstand
    a covered structure with tiers of seats for spectators
    The ball bounced off the corner of the grandstand and skittered across the outfield.
  18. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    “We met when I played for Louisville,” he said wistfully.
  19. hubbub
    loud confused noise from many sources
    There was a hubbub at the other end of the locker room.
  20. guffaw
    a burst of loud and hearty laughter
    There were snorts and guffaws all around as towels and underwear came flying at Honus from all directions.
  21. rheumatism
    any painful disorder of the joints or muscles
    Rheumatism in your legs. But the Pirates were so awful the next year that everybody begged you to come back.
  22. melancholy
    characterized by or causing or expressing sadness
    There were still a lot of melancholy Tiger fans milling around Bennett Park.
  23. buggy
    a small lightweight carriage
    I dodged a few buggies on Trumbull Street across from Bennett Park and trudged into the hotel to mull things over.
  24. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    I dodged a few buggies on Trumbull Street across from Bennett Park and trudged into the hotel to mull things over.
  25. negotiation
    a discussion intended to produce an agreement
    “You’re certainly an expert in that area, Birdie. Wasn’t it you who tried to convince me the card was worth only ten bucks?”
    “That wasn’t lying,” he said. "That was negotiation.”
  26. stern
    serious and harsh in manner or behavior
    “Young man,” Miss Young said sternly.
  27. yarn
    giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
    “You spin quite a yarn for a young man, Joseph,” she said, shaking her head. “If I told anyone a story like that they’d say I’d finally lost my marbles. Probably lock me up.”
  28. recede
    become faint or more distant
    She began to fade away, like a figure receding into fog.
  29. backstop
    a structure to prevent a ball from traveling out of a field
    The catcher tried his best to block it, but the ball skidded past his mitt and back to the backstop.
  30. wallop
    hit hard
    In any case, it’s a fact that Ruth walloped the pitch high over the centerfield fence for a home run.
Created on Mon Aug 30 11:31:29 EDT 2021 (updated Thu Sep 09 16:28:16 EDT 2021)

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