High Spirits: List 3

by Camille Gomera-Tavarez
In eleven interconnected stories inspired by her family in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Spain, and the United States, the author describes the lives of several generations of the Beléns.

This list covers "Life After the Storm"–"High Spirits."

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3
40 words 69 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lucrative
    producing a sizeable profit
    He often felt like he must be the only one who saw all the cracks and seams and cheat codes throughout the city. And with so many lucrative possibilities that inflicted absolutely no harm to anyone.
  2. petty
    inferior in rank or status
    He was a businessman, not a petty thief.
  3. haphazardly
    without care; in a slapdash manner
    The cop pulled out what must’ve been the dry cleaning receipt and tossed it on the snowy ground haphazardly.
  4. talisman
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
    It was a rosary bracelet—pale pink and blue, made of intricately woven threads. Jorge ran his fingers across the tiny braided cross at the end of it, as though it were a talisman.
  5. coarse
    rough to the touch
    There were long strands of coarse, black curls plastered all over his face, blocking his vision.
  6. manic
    affected with or marked by frenzy uncontrolled by reason
    The shouting woman manically rushed herself down the river, white dress trailing behind.
  7. guttural
    relating to or articulated in the throat
    When the other woman pulled them in for a hug, they let out a scream into her chest. He’d never felt anything like this before. It was a guttural pain.
  8. shoddy
    of inferior workmanship and materials
    Through the open doorway, they had just seen a wall in the kitchen collapse. And pretty soon they would be floating up to this shoddy ceiling to drown if they couldn’t find a way out to higher ground.
  9. leverage
    strategic advantage; power to act effectively
    She went to the other side of the bed, and, using the wall for leverage, pushed the bed beneath the hole they’d made in the ceiling.
  10. stout
    fairly large
    The stout older woman in front of them explained that there was a person inside that would ask the questions and make the approval.
  11. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    Luciana still talked to Lupe all the time, despite her separation from Tito. It didn’t matter that they were no longer bound by Lupe’s meandering son.
  12. delirious
    experiencing hallucinations
    And she would wake up clammy and delirious, somewhere outside of time and space, until her mother shouting disbelief at her daughter’s laziness would tune the girl’s ears into focus.
  13. gaggle
    a large, disorganized group of people
    In spite of the mystery that surrounded the tiny, wooden main house and its two-house-long backyard, the girls knew that the walls contained at least one rooster, a smelly goat, a gaggle of toddlers, and now—one single volleyball.
  14. preemptive
    designed to prevent an anticipated situation or occurrence
    “Perdónanos, señor,” Rafaela apologized preemptively before the man could get a word in.
  15. crusty
    blunt and ill-tempered
    She turned her attention back to crusty old Don Díaz, meeting his eyes in a stalemate.
  16. stalemate
    a situation in which no progress can be made
    She turned her attention back to crusty old Don Díaz, meeting his eyes in a stalemate.
  17. concede
    be willing to yield
    It was she who eventually conceded and turned back the same way she came.
  18. quota
    a prescribed number
    She knew he was done talking. Any more words she exchanged were above her quota for respectability as a teenager speaking to an ancestor.
  19. wretched
    characterized by physical misery
    Ari watched as a particularly wretched old man crawled his way down the street using his house chair as a makeshift cane.
  20. labored
    requiring or showing effort
    He dragged his plastic faded green chair up to the fold-out dominoes table and took a labored descent into his seat.
  21. prosperous
    very lively and profitable
    After one prosperous afternoon, Ari carried home her grandfather’s miniature trophy and berated him with questions.
  22. virulent
    harsh or corrosive in tone
    His virulent green-eyed stare held the same empty arrogance of the string of old men that had come before him.
  23. arrogance
    overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner
    His virulent green-eyed stare held the same empty arrogance of the string of old men that had come before him. It was like they were doing her a favor when they started playing, giving her some charity by allowing her to experience their priceless wisdom.
  24. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    Usually, she felt sorry for them and the fragility of their world. Though this particular sip of elderly ego she was purely relishing.
  25. stolid
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
    The old man sat still for a moment before throwing his piece down, pushing himself back and walking away stolidly.
  26. raucous
    disturbing the public peace; loud and rough
    The circle of old and young men surrounding them broke into raucous laughter.
  27. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    She looked him over and turned to Rafaela, before tentatively taking the boy’s hand.
  28. pious
    having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity
    Doña Mabel’s choice tale for Nochebuena was always pious and about love, in honor of the holy day of Christ’s birth.
  29. acquisition
    something gained
    To him, she was like a toy in a music box that kept spinning and spinning, so simple, and yet a marvelous acquisition, with impeccable memory.
  30. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    Mabel opened the door a bit wider and scrutinized the man before her.
  31. parchment
    a superior paper resembling sheepskin
    He stuck his hand out from his lengthy sleeves and offered a slip of parchment paper.
  32. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “And did you see him soon?” a voice would pipe from somewhere in the adolescent section of the room. At times Doña Mabel felt compelled to say “No” with a chuckle and to muse on how different her life might have been.
  33. ecstatic
    feeling great rapture or delight
    “My parents were ecstatic, naturally. The next day came, and your abuelito arranged a carriage to guide him and me to the ranch in Hidalpa.”
  34. suitor
    a man who courts a woman
    After cordial welcomes between the Don and her suitor’s mother, the stout, dark-skinned woman led them into the parlor.
  35. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    On her way down the brief corridor, she mentioned casually that she hoped her son would be able to choose between the two girls quickly.
  36. certitude
    complete assurance or confidence
    She took a deep breath, thought of the lesson on herbal remedies she was missing today, and decided with certitude that she would fulfill her duty.
  37. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    “Very good...mmm...very good,” La Doña would give her best impression of a stoic old woman.
  38. haggle
    wrangle, as over a price or terms of an agreement
    Was Don Cristobal haggling his daughter’s worth or her suitor’s?
  39. staggering
    so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
    In actuality, she would say, she was speechless in the presence of his staggering confidence.
  40. concoct
    prepare or cook by mixing ingredients
    For dessert, she took the leftover beans and concocted what would later be referred to throughout Hidalpa as her famous habichuelas con dulce, a sweet bean pudding.
Created on Tue May 30 14:59:48 EDT 2023 (updated Wed May 31 10:38:40 EDT 2023)

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