Instructions for Dancing: Chapters 1–12

by Nicola Yoon
When her parents' seemingly happy marriage breaks up, high school senior Yvette (Evie) Antoinette Thomas decides she doesn't believe in love anymore, until she starts taking ballroom dancing lessons in preparation for a Los Angeles competition.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–12, Chapters 13–22, Chapters 23–36, Chapters 37–60
40 words 62 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. funk
    a state of nervous depression
    It used to be that if I was in a funk or in the barren hinterland between sad and mad, I could just pluck any random one from my favorites shelf and settle into my fuzzy pink chair for a good read.
  2. hinterland
    a remote and undeveloped area
    It used to be that if I was in a funk or in the barren hinterland between sad and mad, I could just pluck any random one from my favorites shelf and settle into my fuzzy pink chair for a good read.
  3. cohesive
    combining well to form a unified whole
    These days, though, the books are nothing but letters arranged into correctly spelled words, arranged into grammatically correct sentences and well-structured paragraphs and thematically cohesive chapters.
  4. contemporary
    characteristic of the present
    Until I started giving them away, the Contemporary Romance section was the biggest.
  5. brooding
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    The best scene is when the no-nonsense head chef and the sexy, constantly brooding line cook with the mysterious past have a food fight in the kitchen.
  6. perennial
    recurring again and again
    Enemies to Lovers—Asking the perennial question will they kill each other or will they kiss each other?
  7. trope
    a common or clichéd plot device, idea, or theme in a creative work
    Second Chance—These days I realize this is the most unrealistic trope. If someone hurts you once, why would you give them the chance to do it again?
  8. jaunty
    having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air
    She tilts her phone and circles the brownie pyramid, taking picture after jaunty picture.
  9. portcullis
    an iron or wooden grating hanging in the entry to a castle
    The houses here are as big as castles. All they’re missing are moats, portcullises, dragons and damsels in distress.
  10. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    I ride slowly, meandering down street after street, gawking at the enormous, pristine lawns and the enormously expensive cars.
  11. placard
    a sign posted in a public place
    A small placard reads Little Free Library.
  12. hone
    refine or make more perfect or effective
    She honed most of her makeup skills by practicing on my face.
  13. vanity
    low table with a mirror where one sits while dressing
    She sits down at her vanity and starts wiping foundation from her cheeks.
  14. propensity
    a natural inclination
    He winces at that detail, but there’s nothing I can do about Danica’s propensity to kiss people who are not Martin.
  15. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
    I stop talking to gauge his reaction so far.
  16. rivulet
    a small stream
    I look down at my mashed potatoes and carve little gravy rivulets with my fork.
  17. tributary
    a branch that flows into the main stream
    I connect the east and west tributaries in my mashed potatoes.
  18. indeterminate
    of uncertain or ambiguous nature
    Close to the top of the staircase, there’s a life-sized poster of a man and woman of indeterminate age wrapped tightly around each other.
  19. stiletto
    a shoe with a very thin, very high heel
    She’s wearing an astonishingly red asymmetrical dress with long fringe (also astonishingly red) across the bottom and perfectly matching bright-red strappy stilettos.
  20. fringe
    an ornamental border of short lengths of hanging threads
    Her fringe sways madly with each stomp. She’s an exploding firecracker in human form.
  21. implore
    beg or request earnestly and urgently
    In my head, I hear Martin imploring me to keep an open mind.
  22. barre
    a rod that ballet dancers use as a support
    The studio is a wide-open space with hardwood floors, barres for stretching and floor-to-ceiling mirrors.
  23. regal
    belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
    In my entire life, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so regal. She looks like she’s just assumed the throne of a small but powerful Caribbean island nation.
  24. assume
    take on titles, offices, duties, or responsibilities
    She looks like she’s just assumed the throne of a small but powerful Caribbean island nation.
  25. tulle
    a fine fabric net used for veils, tutus, or gowns
    Her ball gown is high-necked and pale blue and made from sequined lace, tulle and (I’m pretty sure) the diaphanous wings of actual fairies.
  26. diaphanous
    so thin as to transmit light
    Her ball gown is high-necked and pale blue and made from sequined lace, tulle and (I’m pretty sure) the diaphanous wings of actual fairies.
  27. dapper
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
    He’s wearing a white tux with white suspenders and a bow tie that matches Maggie’s dress perfectly. He’s so dapper, I’m pretty sure he’s the reason the word dapper was invented.
  28. vulgar
    conspicuously and tastelessly indecent
    “Everyone hated the waltz when it was first introduced to high society. Religious leaders thought it was vulgar and sinful,” he says, and points at Maggie’s dress.
  29. obscene
    suggestive of or tending to moral looseness
    He tells us that when the waltz arrived in England, one English newspaper thought it was so “obscene” that it printed an editorial warning parents against exposing their daughters to “so fatal a contagion.”
  30. trill
    a note that alternates with another note a semitone above it
    I walk toward the studio where I left my bike and hear the distinct trill of the bell coming from inside.
  31. cataclysm
    an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
    There are lot of things I’d rather do than have to turn on the lights and interrupt this emotional cataclysm.
  32. gratuitous
    unnecessary and unwarranted
    The second thing I notice is that he’s very tall. Gratuitously tall, really. He looks ridiculous on my short bike.
  33. abdicate
    give up power, duties, or obligations
    I force my brain cells to stop abdicating their duties and remind myself that he’s not my type.
  34. uncanny
    surpassing the ordinary or normal
    Aforementioned uncanny ability to raise a single eyebrow.
  35. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    There’s a man musing on the difference between baking powder and baking soda.
  36. prone
    having a tendency
    Cassidy is prone to sudden, fleeting obsessions.
  37. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    Cassidy is prone to sudden, fleeting obsessions. Like the time she was going to get an enormous Valkyrie tattooed across her back, or the time she wanted to become a professional trapeze artist.
  38. antic
    a playful, attention-getting act done for fun and amusement
    Sophie laughs at Cassidy’s antics, covering her mouth with her hands the way she always does when she thinks she’s laughing too hard.
  39. fluke
    a stroke of luck
    The four of us have been friends since sixth grade, when a scheduling fluke put us—and only us—into the same study period.
  40. kitschy
    very sentimental or emotional
    Sophie says something about wanting to see some kind of biosphere in Arizona. Cassidy wants to see the kitschy stuff, giant balls of twine and all that.
Created on Thu Jan 25 16:24:52 EST 2024 (updated Fri Jan 26 13:05:51 EST 2024)

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