Dog Squad: Chapters 31–46

by Chris Grabenstein
Fred is your average, lovable dog who looks like his favorite hero, Duke, on the crime-fighting hit show Dog Squad. When Duke needs a stand-in, Fred fills in for him and discovers that Dog Squad action doesn't always stop on the screen.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–15, Chapters 16–30, Chapters 31–46, Chapters 47–67, Chapter 68–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. posh
    elegant and fashionable
    The building is all pink stucco and even pinker stone. Very posh. Very pricey.
  2. shifty
    characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive
    A slot in the door slides sideways. Scruffy only sees a pair of eyes. Shifty eyes.
  3. nefarious
    extremely wicked
    "We have to rescue the Japanese prime minister's cat!" shouts Nala.
    "Before the nefarious Dr. Loofah puts the microchip in his back!" barks Scruffy.
  4. gripe
    complain
    “This show is so ridiculous,” griped Dozer. “How does the president of the United States lose his top-secret briefcase?”
  5. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    He raised his balled-up fist. The dogs winced and quit barking.
    “That’s better.”
  6. blab
    speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
    He didn’t want Tater to start blabbing about the jellyfish incident on the beach. If, somehow, Jenny found out that Fred and Tater had disobeyed her direct commands that day, she might kick them both off the show.
  7. diabolical
    showing cunning or ingenuity or wickedness
    The diabolical Dr. Ludlow Loofah dashes out of the Four Paws Spa's top-secret rear exit, heading for a hornet-shaped helicopter parked in his private parking space.
  8. chortle
    laugh quietly or with restraint
    "Mwah-hah-ha!" the evil doctor chortles, pulling on the stick.
    The helicopter rises.
  9. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    In no time, Duke clambers up into the cockpit and knocks out Dr. Loofah with a solid head-butt.
  10. disintegrate
    break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity
    Scruffy yanks an electrical cord out of its socket. There is a warbling WOOP-WOOP sound as the invisible force field disintegrates.
  11. matted
    tangled in a dense mass
    “Jenny found me at a shelter too,” said Nala. “I remember my fur was a matted mess. I was totally out of shape. Hadn’t herded anything for weeks. But Jenny saw my potential.”
  12. snide
    expressive of contempt
    “How was your time as a make-believe TV star?” Cha-Cha asked snidely.
    “Wonderful,” said Fred. “I got to pretend to drive a car and fly a helicopter and—”
  13. grim
    not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
    Duke, Nala, and Scruffy cruise up to the big red barn on their all-terrain vehicles. Duke raises the tinted visor on his motorcycle helmet. Grim determination grips his face.
  14. nimble
    moving quickly and lightly
    "Well, it's time we go in there and clean them up!" says Nala.
    "Not so fast, my nimble friend," says Duke, holding up a paw.
  15. propulsion
    a force causing to move forward
    "Look, Duke!" says Nala, her laser-sharp eyes focused on a glimmering orb the size of a beach ball. "It's their spacecraft!"
    Duke nods knowingly. "With acorn-powered propulsion."
  16. intrepid
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
    "Helmets off," says Duke. "Ears up."
    The three intrepid dogs remove their helmets and stealthily creep closer.
  17. stealthily
    in a manner marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
    "Helmets off," says Duke. "Ears up."
    The three intrepid dogs remove their helmets and stealthily creep closer.
  18. jeopardize
    pose a threat to; present a danger to
    "If word spreads," says the first squirrel, "it could jeopardize our eons-old plan to harvest nuts here on planet Earth."
  19. nemesis
    a personal foe or rival that cannot be easily defeated
    "You did the right thing, Tater," Duke tells him.
    "Oh, I quite agree," sneers the fearless leader, rubbing his tiny squirrel paws together with glee. "You did exactly the right thing, you puny-brained puppy. You brought my number one nemesis, Duke, to me and..."
  20. oblivion
    the state of being disregarded or forgotten
    There's a sting of DUN-DUN-DUN music.
    "...the Oblivion Flux Phaser!"
  21. scrawny
    being very thin
    He gestures dramatically with his scrawny squirrel arm up to the hayloft, where a scary-looking ray-blasting cannon whirs to life. The rings of concentric circles along its barrel fluctuate through a rainbow of glowing colors as the weapon powers up.
  22. concentric
    having a common center
    He gestures dramatically with his scrawny squirrel arm up to the hayloft, where a scary-looking ray-blasting cannon whirs to life. The rings of concentric circles along its barrel fluctuate through a rainbow of glowing colors as the weapon powers up.
  23. fluctuate
    move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern
    He gestures dramatically with his scrawny squirrel arm up to the hayloft, where a scary-looking ray-blasting cannon whirs to life. The rings of concentric circles along its barrel fluctuate through a rainbow of glowing colors as the weapon powers up.
  24. nonchalantly
    in an unconcerned manner
    "Oh no," Scruffy says nonchalantly to Duke. "Looks like we're in trouble."
  25. rafter
    one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
    "It's Dog Squad to the rescue!" cries Nala, who has clambered undetected up to the rafters high above the barn floor. She leaps from her perch, deploys a tiny parachute, and executes a soft landing—straddling the thrumming ray gun as if it was a bucking bronco.
  26. deploy
    use or distribute systematically or strategically
    "It's Dog Squad to the rescue!" cries Nala, who has clambered undetected up to the rafters high above the barn floor. She leaps from her perch, deploys a tiny parachute, and executes a soft landing—straddling the thrumming ray gun as if it was a bucking bronco.
  27. straddle
    sit or stand astride of
    "It's Dog Squad to the rescue!" cries Nala, who has clambered undetected up to the rafters high above the barn floor. She leaps from her perch, deploys a tiny parachute, and executes a soft landing—straddling the thrumming ray gun as if it was a bucking bronco.
  28. squeamish
    easily disturbed or disgusted by unpleasant things
    Nala swivels the Oblivion Flux Phaser, tilts its barrel downward, and aims it directly at the two suddenly squeamish squirrels!
  29. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    Duke was so riled up, he charged to the edge of the deck and dove off.
    Unfortunately, he dove into the ramp, not the water.
    Instead of a splash, there was a thud.
  30. splay
    widen or spread apart
    The ramp was made out of wood.
    And Duke landed on it with all his legs splayed out.
  31. marquee
    a structure, often with a signboard, over an entrance
    "...So from now on, Fred, you’re Duke! They’re even going to use your name in the credits.” She ran her free hand across the sky as if she was scanning a movie marquee. “It’s going to be Dog Squad Starring Fred as Duke!”
  32. amble
    walk leisurely
    Fred ambled behind Zachary as the nice boy moved closer to Abby.
    “So, what does a stand-in do?” asked Zachary.
  33. understudy
    an actor able to replace a regular performer when required
    “Okay,” said Abby, taking a deep breath. "Duke’s injured, so Fred’s going to be Duke. It’s like that old movie where the understudy goes on for the big star after she breaks her leg or whatever. They’re going to promote it big-time because people love an underdog story!...”
  34. ramble
    continue talking or writing in a purposeless manner
    As Abby rambled on, Fred drifted off for a snooze with his head cradled in her lap.
  35. forgery
    a copy that is represented as the original
    It was like Nala said in the Dog Squad episode where they exposed a bunch of quill-and-ink art forgeries done by a very talented porcupine: “The truth doesn’t cost anything. But a lie could cost you everything.”
  36. seedy
    morally degraded
    “A place called Shinbone Alley. Very seedy, very scary. That’s where the kidnappers will have their lair.”
  37. wisecrack
    a witty or sarcastic remark
    “...Cha-Cha makes it to the dog show, just in the nick of time, and wins Best in Show. Scruffy makes a wisecrack: ‘Next year, we should enter the working dogs competition. Because we work harder than any dogs I know!’”
  38. skeptical
    marked by or given to doubt
    Fred arched a skeptical eyebrow. He still had his doubts about Abby’s mind-reading capabilities.
  39. swoon
    be overwhelmed with ecstasy, especially when encountering something or someone you admire
    I’m sure there will be an even bigger party when my episode airs, she told herself. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they rethought the whole show once America swoons over Cha-Cha the chow chow. Yes. That’ll be the show’s new name: Cha-Cha the Chow Chow.
  40. slather
    spread thickly
    “I won’t be long,” said Cha-Cha, slathering her voice with butter. “By the way, I’m a huge fan.”
Created on Wed May 04 20:21:38 EDT 2022 (updated Tue May 17 14:54:06 EDT 2022)

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