A Scatter of Light: List 3

by Malinda Lo
This companion novel to Last Night at the Telegraph Club takes place fifty years later and follows eighteen-year-old Aria Tang West who spends the summer with her artistic grandmother in California.

This list covers pages 125–220 of the 2022 Dutton Books edition.

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

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    A couple of movie posters were tacked up on the wall over the sofa: The Wild One, with Marlon Brando on a motorcycle, and Mädchen in Uniform, with two women looking pensively past each other.
  2. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    The astronomer on-screen was clambering over the lip of the meteor crater.
  3. indelible
    not able to be forgotten, removed, or erased
    The fluorescent-light panel overhead was smudged with black spots where the corpses of dead insects had left indelible stains.
  4. intone
    speak carefully, as with rising and falling pitch
    “Remember the beginning? It starts with that voice-over where they’re like, Welcome to this town in Arizona, where everybody is so sure of the future.” I pitched my voice lower.
    “Future voice,” she intoned, turning back to me with a smile.
  5. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    There was something plaintive about it, as if Steph resented the person who had chosen her.
  6. pallet
    a portable platform for storing or moving goods
    Here there were pallets of soil and fertilizer and rocks, but still no sign of Steph.
  7. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    “Yes, I was really across the street,” I said, pretending to sound indignant.
  8. nonchalant
    marked by casual unconcern or indifference
    “Not right now,” I answered, trying to sound nonchalant.
  9. errant
    moving in an uncontrolled, irregular, or unpredictable way
    She’d show up and we’d go to the shed, and instead of taking down the spade or the watering can she’d run her fingers through my hair to extract another errant leaf, and then her hand would cup my face.
  10. ambiguous
    open to two or more interpretations
    Their relationship seemed to end ambiguously; I wasn’t entirely sure what happened.
  11. pliant
    capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking
    I studied the interior of the bloom, the butter-yellow petals soft and pliant, the tiny white-tipped stigma at its deep gold core.
  12. loll
    hang loosely or laxly
    She disappeared down the road and into a grove of trees, finally stopping at a fallen log in the shade, her tongue lolling out while she panted.
  13. devoid
    completely wanting or lacking
    The aliens in Invasion looked just like their human counterparts, but were devoid of emotion.
  14. hamper
    prevent the progress or free movement of
    When she straightened up we shared an awkward hug, hampered by the bread in my hands.
  15. earnest
    devout or heartfelt
    Steph was different with Joan around. More earnest, respectful.
  16. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    “It’s very subtle,” Steph said. “The ways you’re pushing back against that.”
  17. ephemeral
    lasting a very short time
    When I started—you remember, Aria, I told you I did that performance art. That was about ephemerality, how quickly time passes. The pictures were a way of stopping time.
  18. congruent
    corresponding in character or kind
    ...people have feelings, and other people’s feelings aren’t always congruent with ours.
  19. dubious
    fraught with uncertainty or doubt
    I must have looked dubious because Steph said, “You don’t have to say anything to anyone till you’re ready.”
  20. smitten
    marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
    She grew up with only her father for company, and when a starship full of young spacemen landed, she was immediately smitten by the handsome commander.
  21. chagrin
    cause to feel shame
    I was chagrined. “Oh.”
  22. concierge
    a caretaker in an apartment complex or hotel
    She had an unmistakable stride that I recognized through the group of tourists in front of the concierge desk; she walked as if she were onstage.
  23. ingratiate
    gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts
    Most of my mother’s previous boyfriends had tried to ingratiate themselves with me, but Andrew hadn’t.
  24. curt
    brief and to the point
    “Diet Coke?” I said, and the waiter nodded curtly before taking the menu and dim sum card away.
  25. androgynous
    having both male and female characteristics
    They were mostly women, but I also saw a few people who were more androgynous.
  26. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    Her face was barely lit in the shadowed room, but I didn’t need to see every detail to recognize what she was feeling. It seemed palpable in the air between us.
  27. leach
    use a liquid to dissolve out or remove a substance
    The ferns on the side of the path were washed in whiteness, all their color leached away.
  28. inconsequential
    lacking worth or importance
    I couldn’t get enough of watching the dad settle his kids’ inconsequential arguments while the mom served up a casserole dinner.
  29. tumbler
    a glass with a flat bottom but no handle or stem
    Tasha, waiting inside my room, came to greet me holding a plastic tumbler full of water.
  30. scrabble
    grope, scratch, or feel searchingly
    The ringing sounded like an alarm and I jolted awake, scrabbling for my phone, which for some reason was in my bed under the covers.
  31. beholden
    under a moral obligation to someone
    “Her offer to help with MIT is very generous. I would think about accepting it.”
    “I don’t want to be beholden to her.”
  32. rueful
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    He gave a short, rueful laugh.
  33. inclination
    an attitude of mind that favors one alternative over others
    I didn’t have the time or the inclination, and probably I would have made some bad decisions if I let myself get involved with anyone seriously. It’s been my choice.
  34. insinuation
    an indirect (and usually malicious) implication
    “I feel like I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to do that. I want you to—I want to be friends.”
    “That’s all. Friends.” The word sounded so strange to me now, the s on the end like an insinuation.
  35. supple
    capable of moving or bending freely
    Beneath the curling red bark, the trees’ green interiors looked like skin, soft and supple.
Created on Fri Feb 17 10:58:57 EST 2023 (updated Wed Mar 08 14:32:05 EST 2023)

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