Mexikid: Chapters 1–3

by Pedro Martín
In this graphic memoir Pedro/Peter Martín recounts the summer when his big family took a road trip to Mexico to tighten loose ends and bring his legendary, bandit-fighting Abuelito to live with them in California.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–8, Chapters 9–11, Chapters 12–16, Chapters 17–20
40 words 118 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. hastily
    in a hurried manner
    The hastily prepared, super superficial beginner's guide to: The Martín Family!
  2. superficial
    only concerned with what is apparent or obvious
    The hastily prepared, super superficial beginner's guide to: The Martín Family!
  3. harmonica
    a small rectangular instrument into which air is blown
    Amá, Mercedes (A-S.N.): Mom
    She knows how to heal any wound, real or imagined. Plays harmonica!
  4. enthusiast
    an ardent supporter of some person or activity
    Salvador aka Chava (A-S.N.): Sal
    Science enthusiast. He can grow a beard...if he wanted to!
  5. scenario
    a postulated sequence of possible events
    Hugo (A-S.N.): Hugo ('Cuz in Spanish it's "Oogo." It's a no-win scenario.)
  6. unflappable
    not easily perturbed, excited, or upset
    Adán (A-S.N.): Adam
    Half of the "Adam and Alex team of Amá's favorite kids."
    He's almost totally unflappable.
  7. widower
    a man whose wife is dead, especially if not remarried
    All I really knew about him was that he lived through the Mexican Revolution, like, a hundred years ago. Now he was just an old widower living with one relative or another.
  8. dictatorship
    a form of government in which the ruler is unconstrained
    You'd think my vote would count for something here in the USA! I'm kidding, we didn't vote in this house. This house was a Mexican-family-style dictatorship.
  9. souvenir
    something of sentimental value
    My amá had covered the fridge with all kinds of photos and souvenirs from throughout the years.
  10. sibling
    a person's brother or sister
    Lila was the sibling I was closest to. She totally got me and was never mean.
  11. awkward
    socially uncomfortable; unsure and constrained in manner
    How do I even start to explain Chewbacca to this man? My Spanish isn't that great, and he speaks no English! It'll be an awkward staring contest that will last forever!
  12. agenda
    a list of matters to be taken up, as at a meeting
    I wasn't the only one excited about going to Kmart. We were all going to need some new stuff for the trip. And everyone had their own agendas.
  13. essential
    anything indispensable
    Ok, niños, only the essentials. Watch out for each other. I'll whistle when it's time to leave!
  14. reluctantly
    with a certain degree of unwillingness
    Personally, my essentials were always superhero/Star Wars based. For the most part, everybody in our house reluctantly accepted that fact about me.
  15. cease-fire
    a state of peace agreed to between opponents
    Whenever your abuelito would appear, both sides would respect a cease-fire in order to greet him!
  16. digestive
    relating to the process of breaking down food for energy
    Here, this dried fruit will improve your digestive system!
  17. prune
    dried plum
    I gave the Federales a bunch of prunes.
  18. crusader
    someone who pushes to improve something by changing it
    More cool than Green Arrow, streetwise crusader for the working class?!
  19. portable
    easily or conveniently transported
    I got this sweet portable tape player so I can record songs off American radio for the trip down!
  20. rhythm
    the basic recurring unit in a piece of music
    "Chun-Ta-Ta" is what Mexican music sounds like to Americanized ears. It comes from the rhythm of the guitar part in a Mexican "conjunto" or a "Mariachi."
  21. waltz
    music composed in triple time
    And depending on how many "Ta-Tas" follow, that tells you what kind of song it is! For example: "Chun-Ta-Ta" (Two "tas") is a waltz!
  22. rousing
    capable of stirring enthusiasm or excitement
    And Leon famously hated waltzes. I wasn't a fan either...I preferred a rousing TV show theme song.
  23. mellow
    unhurried and relaxed
    And Leon is adding a cassette tape deck! Oh, man. This is going to be one super- mellow musical journey!
  24. caravan
    travel in a procession
    In the past, when we were super little, we could all cram into a station wagon like so much baggage. Or we would caravan with my uncle Rafa and his family.
  25. inevitable
    incapable of being avoided or prevented
    But this time, the older kids we going to drive themselves! Us younger kids would mourn their inevitable abduction by road bandits.
  26. abduction
    the criminal act of carrying someone away by force
    But this time, the older kids we going to drive themselves! Us younger kids would mourn their inevitable abduction by road bandits.
  27. authentic
    not counterfeit or copied
    My parents are from Mexico! They're 100% authentic Mexican!
  28. rivalry
    the act of competing as for profit or a prize
    We had kind of a rivalry between the Mexican-born kids and the American-born kids.
  29. adobe
    sun-dried brick used in hot dry climates
    We called them the barn babies because they were born at home in an adobe barn with cattle around. Probably.
  30. luxurious
    rich and superior in quality
    Mexico could prove to be a challenge for us hospital babies and our limited "Mexicanity," so we would stick close to our folks in the motorhome. It was Apá's pride and joy. He considered it very fancy and luxurious for what he paid.
  31. bargain
    an advantageous purchase
    Hey! Let's take a fancy tour of the Martin family's fancy, bargain -priced Winnebago Chieftain.
  32. petite
    very small
    A petite powder room with a view of the exhaust.
  33. cotillion
    a ball at which young ladies are presented to society
    A fancy walk-by closet for all your cotillion finery.
  34. finery
    elaborate or showy attire and accessories
    A fancy walk-by closet for all your cotillion finery.
  35. anticipate
    regard something as probable or likely
    She had meals upon meals planned. She anticipated every emergency....
  36. soundly
    deeply
    So, with everything stowed away in its logical place and the motorhome finely tuned, my parents were able to sleep soundly that night.
  37. ironically
    contrary to plan or expectation
    *Put on your seat belts! (Ironically, we passengers had no seat belts.)
  38. proclaim
    be an indication of; make known or apparent
    It was my self- proclaimed job to look out the petite powder room window and keep an eye on the truck. Whenever I lost sight of them, I would make Apá aware with proper amount of urgency.
  39. urgency
    pressing importance requiring speedy action
    It was my self-proclaimed job to look out the petite powder room window and keep an eye on the truck. Whenever I lost sight of them, I would make Apá aware with proper amount of urgency.
  40. broker
    act as a businessman who buys or sells for another
    *Leon rented me the tape player for $5 a day. Ruth brokered that bargain!
Created on Fri Mar 29 16:11:18 EDT 2024 (updated Tue Apr 02 10:39:32 EDT 2024)

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