Karthik Delivers: Chapters 9–18

by Sheela Chari
Fourteen-year-old Karthik Raghavan delivers groceries within a two-mile radius from his parents' store in Boston, but he'd rather be rehearsing his delivery of lines on a stage.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–18, Chapters 19–29, Chapters 30–40
35 words 16 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. kurta
    a loose collarless shirt common in parts of South Asia
    I leave them to find a place to hide the silk kurta because:
    •It's like wearing pajamas in public.

    •Silk is actually "raw silk." Meaning: itchy.
  2. unperturbed
    free from emotional agitation or nervous tension
    “Stop buying these,” Dad barks. He fingers the collar around his neck.
    My mother is unperturbed. “You both look so nice. So sharp.”
  3. casually
    not methodically or according to plan
    “What would you guys say if I wanted to learn the piano?” I ask casually.
  4. sprawling
    spreading out in different directions
    My cousin looks the way he always does—like a large, sprawling mess.
  5. beefy
    muscular and heavily built
    No one knows why Raj is so gigantic, with huge, beefy arms and rippling leg muscles, when his parents are so small and twiggy.
  6. enlightenment
    education that results in the spread of knowledge
    “Good evening, everyone. Welcome to a night of spiritual enlightenment and artistic entertainment.”
  7. subside
    wear off or die down
    The crowd subsides to muffled whispers while the aunties in the back keep talking.
  8. conspiratorial
    relating to or characteristic of a secret plot or agreement
    LENNY: (conspiratorial) I knew something was coming, something good, and...it's here!
  9. blare
    make a loud noise
    Then, as I’m reading, three things happen:
    •the curtains open

    •the music blares

    •a big splat of channa masala lands on me
  10. chickpea
    a large round legume that is yellowish in color
    The channa masala has soaked through the front page of Shanthi’s script, with a glop of chickpeas stuck in the middle.
  11. deity
    a supernatural being worshipped as controlling the world
    I look at the stone deities surrounding us: Ganesha, Lakshmi, Venkateswara.
  12. flush
    turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
    “You’re good,” she says. “You should try out for the school musical.”
    I flush.
  13. budding
    beginning to develop
    Am I the grocery boy? I wonder. The dweeb? Or the budding actor?
  14. conscience
    a feeling of shame when you do something immoral
    Of course, if it came to a strangling contest, Raj would win, being about a hundred pounds heavier than me and without a conscience.
  15. decent
    socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
    His dad is decent. I’ve never heard him say anything nasty, but he’s either eating or cooking or throwing around a ball or fixing a pipe under the kitchen sink.
  16. falsetto
    a male singing voice with artificially high tones
    He starts reading out the lines in a high falsetto. “Nobody will believe me when I tell them, I knew about this,” he shrieks.
  17. glaring
    shining intensely
    Then the group shuffles out the door into the glaring sunlight, as I’m left with a crumpled family photo, an empty wallet, and a shoe print on Lenny.
  18. cold feet
    timidity preventing the continuation of a course of action
    “Are you sure about this?” I’m starting to get cold feet.
  19. inspiring
    stimulating or exalting to the spirit
    But ever since yesterday happened, I can only think of Jacob and Hoodie ragging on me with the same lines I have to say now in front of Shanthi. Not exactly inspiring.
  20. earnestly
    in a sincere and serious manner
    Shanthi clasps her hands earnestly as she speaks.
  21. clod
    an awkward, foolish person
    But I know what she’s saying. I’m not a clod.
  22. teeming
    abundantly filled with especially living things
    He doesn’t look anything like Lenny Bernstein. Or the car mechanic Lenny who changed the oil in our Volvo last week. This Lenny has a beard, his face is round, and his hair is dirty blond. The world is teeming with Lennys.
  23. ponder
    reflect deeply on a subject
    As I ponder over the wisdom of Refrigerator Lenny’s words, Dad puts the mop away and brings me a packet marked amchur powder.
  24. rave
    praise enthusiastically
    “Hey, Mr. Jain was raving about the papdi chaat, too,” I say.
    “Let’s see what’s so special,” Dad says casually.
  25. pronouncement
    an authoritative declaration
    “Not so pretty after all.”
    His pronouncement fills the air.
  26. wisp
    a thin tuft, piece, or amount of something
    Black strands are coming out of her hairnet, framing her face in little wisps, and I see flour on her face.
  27. venture
    put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation
    “Manicures and spicy snacks?”
    “Maybe it’s the economy,” I venture.
  28. scrawl
    write carelessly
    “Cutie, did you read the article I left for you?” Mom asks me. By “left for you,” she means taping it to my door with a big “Read this!!” scrawled across the top in Sharpie.
  29. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    “Never mind,” my dad says, all surly. “Finish your roti. No talking anyone.”
  30. doily
    a small round piece of decorative linen or paper
    I think about the knitting projects in the apartment. There’s even a doily thing under the computer monitor.
  31. downsize
    make a company smaller by dismissing employees
    “They were ‘downsized.’ You know what that word means?”
    “Getting fired.”
  32. havoc
    violent and needless disturbance
    It’s hard to believe that someone named Ferdinand could wreak havoc in my dad’s life. I think of the story I know, about a bull named Ferdinand who would rather smell flowers than be in bullfights.
  33. exasperation
    a feeling of annoyance
    “Did Dad know how to run a store?”
    “Not a single darn thing.”
    I notice the waver in her voice. Was it a waver of pride? Or exasperation?
  34. priority
    status established in order of importance or urgency
    “Of course, getting a good job is priority one,” she says.
  35. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    I guess she assumes I got it from the library.
Created on Sat Nov 11 12:40:20 EST 2023 (updated Sun Nov 12 14:10:32 EST 2023)

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