Coop Knows the Scoop: Chapters 29–38

by Taryn Souders
In a small Georgia town, thirteen-year-old Cooper Goodman tries to clear his family's name by solving the mystery behind a skeleton discovered in a playground.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–13, Chapters 14–20, Chapters 21–28, Chapters 29–38
40 words 2 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dingy
    discolored by impurities; not bright and clear
    A dingy gray bathrobe hung on his thin frame.
  2. impound
    place or shut up in a public enclosure
    At least Tick hadn’t cuffed us, and I knew once Mama arrived I’d be grounded (again), impounded, imprisoned, plus any other punishment that was considered legal, or possibly even illegal.
  3. intercept
    seize, interrupt, or stop something on its way
    Tick intercepted Hurricane Delilah before she got to us.
  4. seethe
    be in an agitated emotional state
    “I. Don’t. Care.” Mama seethed.
  5. grail
    a legendary chalice used at the Last Supper
    “I don’t care if you found the Holy Grail or the Lost City of Atlantis. You were breaking and entering!”
  6. larceny
    the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
    Now Earl can add larceny to the list of charges. I hope you didn’t take anything else.
  7. reliable
    conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief
    “And before you say you can back up what Coop’s saying, partners in crime aren’t considered reliable witnesses. Earl could say you planted it.”
  8. miscreant
    a person without moral scruples
    “Miscreants! Hope you know I’m pressing charges.”
  9. straitlaced
    exaggeratedly proper or morally strict
    Harley’s so straitlaced he practically wears a corset. You honestly expect people to believe he’s a gambler?
  10. scrawny
    being very thin
    Harley and I are about the same height, so I dressed like him and pawned it at the Trash and Treasures in Sangerville. Wasn’t easy, let me tell you. He’s not a scrawny man. Had to put on a few layers of clothes to pad myself and kept my back to the camera.
  11. compulsive
    having obsessive habits or irresistible urges
    Being cut off from a fortune is a heavy-duty motive, especially when you’re dealing with a compulsive gambler.
  12. bile
    a digestive juice secreted by the liver
    Gramps had lied about the gambling and marriage problems. It’s not a stretch to think he lied about being a murderer too. Bile rose in my throat.
  13. bail
    money forfeited if the accused fails to appear in court
    “Your mama asked if I would go with her to see your gramps and his lawyer at the county jail. They’re trying to arrange bail and such.”
  14. escapade
    a wild and exciting undertaking
    “And don’t think you’re getting off without any punishment after last night’s escapade. I’ve got two words for you. Community. Service.”
  15. sanctuary
    area around the altar of a church for the clergy and choir
    He disappeared through the doorway leading into the sanctuary.
  16. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    The window closest to me had a plaque above it: “John writing the book of Revelation.”
  17. parchment
    skin of a sheep or goat prepared for writing on
    He sat at a wooden desk, wearing a blue robe, and holding a quill pen in his left hand and a piece of a parchment with writing on it in his right.
  18. pulpit
    a platform raised to give prominence to the person on it
    My ears caught the words “always faithful” from the pulpit. Is that what Pastor Joel was preaching about?
  19. motto
    a favorite saying of a sect or political group
    Semper Fidelis. Always faithful. Daddy had lived out the Marine motto every day. He knew his duty and had never strayed or given up.
  20. dawdle
    waste time
    “But don’t dawdle. The four of you need to get started on collecting clothes.”
  21. epiphany
    a usually sudden insight, perception, or understanding of something
    “I was thinking about the murder.”
    “Did you have an apostrophe?” asked Justice.
    “An epiphany, dork brain,” said Liberty.
  22. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    I knocked on the door as they walked down the rickety steps.
  23. eon
    an interminable period of time
    The IRS doesn’t care a horse’s heinie if those things have been sitting in a box in our attic for eons, and I need that tax write-off.
  24. rhetorical
    relating to using language effectively
    “Do you think we’re stupid?”
    Liberty turned to Justice. “Don’t answer that—it’s rhetorical.”
  25. flail
    thrash about
    “If arsenic smelled this bad, your gran would’ve noticed it for sure. I read it’s a pretty nasty way to kick the bucket. Especially if you’re given a megadose. Lots of flailing around, loss of muscle control, and spasms. I bet that’s why the place was such a mess.”
  26. intertwine
    spin, wind, or twist together
    I flipped the dress to the front and looked at the buttons. A G and R intertwined with each other.
  27. engulf
    flow over or cover completely
    The afternoon sun poured into Justice’s room, but the heat engulfing me had more to do with nerves.
  28. bustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    Miss Ruth bustled in behind us and poured three glasses of tea.
  29. overbearing
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    “She’s an overbearing sibling. That’s who she is.”
  30. tweak
    adjust finely
    “Yes—I think I’ll enter that one in this year’s Pioneer Days festival. I’m still tweaking the recipe.”
  31. fluke
    a stroke of luck
    It was a fluke. A coincidence. Miss Meriwether must’ve written the label for her.
  32. calculating
    good at tricking people to get something
    She wasn’t kind and grandmotherly. She was cold and calculating. A thieving murderer.
  33. croon
    sing softly
    “Go on, Coop,” she crooned. “I made those special...just for you.”
  34. discrepancy
    a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinions
    “I came to ask you about discrepancies within the church’s memorial fund,” he said without a hitch.
  35. splay
    widen or spread apart
    Miss Ruth splayed her hand across her chest.
  36. thrift
    extreme care in spending money
    She stuffed it in a box of old clothes and asked Meriwether to take the box to the thrift store.
  37. renovation
    the act of improving by renewing and restoring
    It had never occurred to me how Mama was able to afford the renovations to turn her coffee shop into A Latté Books.
  38. burden
    a serious or difficult concern
    One more reminder that the strongest of hearts may be dragged down by the biggest burdens, the meanest of people often hide the deepest hurts, and the kindest of eyes can disguise the cruelest secrets.
  39. obstruction
    any structure that makes progress difficult
    "Hiding a body, not reporting a death, obstruction of justice—the list goes on. Either way, he’s headed to jail too.”
  40. umbrage
    a feeling of anger caused by being offended
    “And unless you want to experience my umbrage, you’d better watch it.”
Created on Sun Oct 23 21:35:41 EDT 2022 (updated Sun Sep 10 16:32:01 EDT 2023)

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