Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!: List 2

by Sarah Kapit
Eleven-year-old Vivian Jane Cohen exchanges letters with major-league baseball pitcher Vincent James Capello with hopes that his shared initials and professional tips could help her play on a little league team in Lakeview, California.

This list covers March 21–May 20.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3
35 words 13 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. demolish
    defeat soundly
    “But once you REALLY get going that knuckle’s totally gonna demolish the rest of the league. They’ll be calling the mercy rule every game.”
  2. squat
    short and thick
    Alex isn’t much of a runner either. He’s got the classic catcher build: short and squat.
  3. unbearable
    incapable of being put up with
    The world became louder, brighter, more unbearable. Somehow, the sun burned hotter, the boys yelled harder. The wound on my knee stung.
  4. metaphorical
    expressing one thing in terms normally denoting another
    I’m sorry, Vivy. And I’m still on your team. (Well, metaphorically speaking.)
  5. technically
    according to the exact meaning; according to the facts
    “But I guess what I meant is, do you...get upset a lot? Like that?”
    “No!” I insisted. Technically, that is 100% true. I’ve only ever had one meltdown because I tripped on a tree and Kyle pulled my ponytail.
  6. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    Yes, I absolutely think you should tell Coach K or someone else about Kyle's note. I’d like to humbly suggest your father. He seems like a good person for this sort of thing.
  7. agonize
    suffer anguish
    Maybe I should tell your dad myself. I’ve considered it, certainly. But after a great deal of agonizing, I decided that it's not fair for me to break the trust you have in me by going to your parents.
  8. incident
    a single distinct event
    “Other than this one incident she’s been fine,” he said.
  9. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    “Okay, Vivy. But just so you know, it isn’t polite to say that your brother is acting super-weird. That’s a little too blunt. Maybe you can just say he’s acting unusually.”
  10. contrast
    the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared
    Knuckleballers can succeed by throwing fastballs, even if they’re not the fastest fastballs around. The contrast between the knuckle and the fastball trips up even the most skilled batters.
  11. plummet
    drop sharply
    In addition to the whole glove problem, my warm-up pitches plummeted into the dirt.
  12. grit
    clench together
    I gritted my teeth.
  13. incompetent
    not qualified or suited for a purpose
    “You might have gotten out of the first inning okay if not for that third baseman. Totally incompetent.”
  14. ideal
    conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection
    As you undoubtedly know by now, my own first start was something less than ideal. That wasn’t how I wanted Opening Day, of all days, to go. I really let myself down with that one.
  15. indulge
    enjoy to excess
    After my own poor start, I indulged in some rocky road. (While I respect your fondness for mint chocolate chip ice cream, I prefer something with higher chocolate content.)
  16. impulse
    a sudden desire
    I can certainly understand the impulse to replay a bad game over and over again in your head.
  17. sabotage
    a deliberate act of destruction or disruption
    I must say that Kyle's sabotage of your glove was quite un-sportsmanlike even by his abominable standards.
  18. abominable
    unequivocally detestable
    I must say that Kyle's sabotage of your glove was quite un-sportsmanlike even by his abominable standards.
  19. consistent
    steady and reliable in performance or behavior
    If it helps, Dad thought the umpire wasn’t consistent in calling some of those outside pitches.
  20. relevant
    having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    “I happened to be putting away the socks you very thoughtfully left on your dresser,” she replied. “But that’s not particularly relevant right now. We need to discuss the more important question. What IS this?”
  21. shenanigan
    reckless or malicious behavior that causes annoyance
    Then he said, “Great ballplayers are great teammates. So I don’t want to hear about any shenanigans on my team. I find out you’ve been a jerk, you sit out games. Got it?”
  22. console
    a scientific instrument with displays and an input device
    Alex turned to the video game console.
  23. muddle
    mix up or confuse
    It’s all very muddled in my memory, and as soon as the sirens started screeching everything got even fuzzier.
  24. concussion
    injury to the brain caused by a blow
    “It’s probably a concussion, like I thought. We can do an MRI just to make sure there isn’t internal bleeding or further damage,” the doctor said.
  25. harrowing
    causing extreme distress
    Maybe you should take a break—just a short one!—following such a harrowing experience. I'm sure Coach K will be happy to welcome you back once you’re fully recovered.
  26. ordeal
    a severe or trying experience
    But after that ordeal a little rest is well deserved. More experienced pitchers than you have taken breaks after that kind of injury, so don’t feel too bad about it.
  27. confound
    be confusing or perplexing to
    I have no doubt that you’ll soon be pitching again and confounding the boys of Northern California.
  28. outrageous
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    “You’re awfully dressed up for baseball,” I pointed out. Then a completely outrageous thought occurred to me.
  29. interrogation
    an instance of questioning
    “Are you...are you going on a date?”
    By this point my brother was purple-faced, but he nodded. “Yeah. I’m going on a date. Now will you stop the interrogation and let me go already?”
  30. obsessed
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    I don’t get why she’s so obsessed with this one teeny-tiny thing. Parents are so weird.
  31. impact
    the striking of one body against another
    If another line drive comes at her head, the helmet can protect her from the worst of the impact.
  32. sliver
    (figurative) a small or narrow piece or slice
    When he said the word “trial,” I let myself feel hope again—if only a tiny, tiny sliver of it.
  33. precaution
    a measure taken in advance to ward off impending danger
    I know you don’t want to hear this, but concussions really are serious business. Your mother isn’t wrong to insist on taking precautions.
  34. sneer
    express through a scornful smile
    “Nice helmet,” Kyle sneered.
  35. provoke
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    I’d really prefer not to discuss my own pitching with you. I don’t want to fight, either. So I will do my best not to say anything that provokes a disagreement between us.
Created on Fri Sep 15 10:03:57 EDT 2023 (updated Thu Sep 21 12:49:48 EDT 2023)

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