Thieves' Gambit: Chapters 24–34

by Kayvion Lewis
Born into a legendary family of thieves, seventeen-year-old Rosalyn Quest tries to escape the criminal life by applying to college programs outside of the Bahamas, but when her mom disappears, she realizes that the best chance to save her would be winning a competition of international heists.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–15, Chapters 16–23, Chapters 24–34, Chapters 35–47
40 words 6 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. flashy
    tastelessly showy
    Appropriate for the occasion but not too flashy. Perfect for blending into the jungle of treasures and wealth we were about to enter.
  2. intoxicating
    extremely exciting
    “The rush of swiping something when no one is looking is intoxicating, sure. But it’s nothing quite like finessing someone to tell you the code to their bank account without even knowing it. Or drawing them into mentioning exactly where in their summer home they keep their prized Fabergé egg collection, even though they’ve only known you for a few hours.”
  3. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
    Start up a few calculated conversations, get to know people, gauge how much money they have.
  4. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    He shook his head in an awfully condescending way.
  5. grungy
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
    “Because the links are all discolored and grungy. It looks like you stole it off a bike rack. The key is to blend in, remember? This draws attention.”
  6. vicinity
    a surrounding or nearby region
    This somehow managed to draw hearty laughter from everyone in the vicinity.
  7. extravagant
    characterized by richness and abundance
    Instead of an uppercut, I settled for swiping one of his extravagant ruby cuff links before I abandoned the group.
  8. ogle
    stare or look at, especially with amorous intentions
    Here in the main room, rows and rows of pedestaled treasures were divided off with velvet ropes. Crowds of the most elegantly dressed, self-entitled guests ogled them in between conversations like the one I’d just left.
  9. par
    a state of being essentially equal or equivalent
    But even from a distance, I could tell his tux was leagues below par compared to the rest of the partygoers.
  10. entitlement
    the belief that one deserves special treatment or privileges
    They’d been keeping other guests from touching and poking the treasure all night. The entitlement of some of these people to do something like that was unbelievable.
  11. audacity
    aggressive or outright boldness
    “The audacity!” the woman scoffed. The guards clipped the rope back in place, much to her annoyance.
  12. chagrin
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    But to my surprise, and maybe his chagrin, he instead turned into the second, smaller ballroom.
  13. allocate
    distribute according to a plan or set apart for a purpose
    “Two hundred million. That’s how much they’ve allocated.”
  14. intimate
    marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
    “Pull up your wrist the tiniest bit, and then bend it a few degrees. It has to be an intimate gesture.”
  15. blanch
    turn pale, as if in fear
    I blanched. It felt like his words had just punched me in the stomach.
  16. wax
    write or speak in a specified manner
    “Oh, boo hoo. Go ahead and wax poetic about how distraught you are that all your charm can’t get the one girl you really want to kiss you, or some other cliché stuff like that. I’ll give you a few minutes to get the phrasing right.”
  17. berate
    censure severely or angrily
    Auntie called, and because I’m a dweeb who would probably fold if I had to hear her berate me about this in real time, I declined.
    Auntie: He’s a thief. He’s playing you. DO NOT KISS YOUR COMPETITION.
  18. cadence
    the rhythmic rise and fall of the voice
    Was it Devroe? No, the chatter of two people in Korean, with voices sounding nothing like his self-assured, charismatic cadence.
  19. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    She settled belly-down on the bed, but with her fries poised off the edge.
  20. compensate
    do or give something to somebody in return
    Her husband’s a prosperous second-generation business owner. Loaded, he’s got a fortune but no faithfulness. Sadia seems to frequent auctions to collect things on her husband’s dime—probably to compensate for his constant cheating.
  21. proxy
    a person authorized to act for another
    “So long as Ross can make sure the museum proxy isn’t able to overbid.”
  22. socialite
    one who is well known or prominent in fashionable circles
    Devroe already made a connection with this socialite target, so that left the museum proxy to me.
  23. frivolous
    not serious in content, attitude, or behavior
    Two weeks ago, I’d have known exactly what to wish for. Freedom. Something new. Other frivolous things. The only thing I should’ve wanted now was my mom back.
  24. pallid
    pale, as of a person's complexion
    Mylo was pallid. Withering. Watching him was like watching a spark flicker away in my palms.
  25. fallout
    any adverse and unwanted secondary effect
    Devroe didn’t stay to watch the fallout. For the second time that night, he stormed out.
  26. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    I took a tentative step closer to him.
  27. deliberation
    careful consideration
    He left, and after a little deliberation, I followed, even though I wasn’t invited.
  28. brigand
    an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band
    “It’s a Zhuangzi quote. ‘A petty thief is put in jail. A great brigand becomes a ruler of a nation.’”
  29. taciturn
    habitually reserved and uncommunicative
    “Okay, that’s cryptic,” Mylo said. “And I thought my parents were taciturn.”
  30. elusive
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    Common sense, and the matching silky lashes, told me that I was looking at his elusive mum.
  31. unwavering
    marked by firm determination or resolution
    Don’t be stubborn, unless it’s important, then don’t be stubborn, be unwavering.
  32. glitz
    extravagant showiness that is tasteless or superficial
    Even she’d gotten distracted by the glitz for a second.
  33. revamp
    patch up or renovate; repair or restore
    I rubbed my revamped meteor bracelet.
  34. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    “Will you hold my seat, please?”
    The woman seemed to debate with herself for a moment. She was here to work, not to get distracted shooing people away from the seat next to her, but she relented. “Sure.”
  35. reminiscent
    serving to bring to mind
    I couldn’t help but chance another hasty scan of the whole room, looking for anyone even vaguely reminiscent of Taiyō, Adra, or Lucus.
  36. conservative
    unimaginatively conventional
    An older Egyptian woman in a conservative gown with a fur shawl took her time settling inside.
  37. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
    At least twenty folders, all in alphabetical order were inside. Some of the titles were mundane—Accounts, Associates, Bookings—but others were stranger.
  38. hodgepodge
    a motley assortment of things
    A string of email addresses pulled up, most a hodgepodge of numbers and letters.
  39. rogue
    disposed to or engaged in defiance of authority or rules
    Was this guest investigating the organization? A rogue member, maybe?
  40. charisma
    personal attractiveness that enables you to influence others
    What were the odds this room’s guests would come back soon? Even if I had Devroe’s charisma, I didn’t think I could spin any sort of logical explanation for this.
Created on Mon Feb 05 16:11:13 EST 2024 (updated Tue Feb 06 16:40:40 EST 2024)

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