Lasagna Means I Love You: List 3

by Kate O'Shaughnessy
Trying to recreate a sense of family while in foster care, eleven-year-old New Yorker Maureen (Mo) Gallagher writes letters to her dead grandmother and builds a website to share recipes with stories and photographs.

This list covers Saturday, October 28–Wednesday, May 8.

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

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. agenda
    an organized plan for matters to be attended to
    “My dad said we should make an agenda,” Crystal said. “Like, for our plans.”
  2. buffer
    a cushion-like device that reduces shock due to an impact
    “We’d have to have about eighty-two people total. We could do two seatings of forty-five. That would give us a little extra money as a buffer, in case there’s anything we have to spend money on that we didn’t plan for.”
  3. swoon
    be overwhelmed with ecstasy, especially when encountering something or someone you admire
    I fell back onto my bed. “He’s so stupidly cute!” I yelled. “And I’m just plain stupid.”
    Crystal started to laugh. “Oh my god, Mo. You literally just swooned.”
  4. crepe
    a small, thin pancake
    I hope one day I’ll have a job that will send me to Paris. I want to eat crepes and say “Oui, oui, merci” while wearing a beret.
  5. baguette
    a long, narrow loaf of French bread
    I’d walk around the city with a baguette for me and a bag of fancy seeds for the swans.
  6. gush
    praise enthusiastically
    I have to stop writing this and texting Crystal and Travis at the same time in case I accidentally gush about Travis to Travis (the biggest nightmare on earth) instead of writing to you about him.
  7. pang
    a mental pain or distress
    But then again, I’ve seen Tate cook, and he’s not very good. I did feel a bit of a pang, though. Even if all he did was peel vegetables, I kind of wanted him there.
  8. element
    the situation in which you are happiest and most effective
    I wanted at least one of them to see me in my element.
  9. reimburse
    pay back for some expense incurred
    When we got there, he gave me money to reimburse Joe and Carlota, who were the ones who went and picked up all of today’s ingredients.
  10. ruffle
    disturb the smoothness of
    He ruffled my hair as a hello, probably because he was too tired to say much of anything else.
  11. exclusively
    without any others being included or involved
    It’s very good news. Only thing is, they want her on the team. And their company is based exclusively out of Paris.
  12. musty
    covered with or smelling of mold
    I’d still take a week with you in that basement apartment in Myrtle Beach we rented for spring break in fourth grade over an entire month in Paris. Remember that place? With the leak and the musty smell?
  13. fleck
    a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
    And when I reached their door, it started to snow. Little puffy flecks falling out of the sky.
  14. hunch
    round one's back by bending forward
    They were hunched at the small dining table, their hands around mugs of coffee.
  15. sequin
    a small disk of shiny material used to decorate clothing
    What I do know is that the world isn’t the place you always made me think it was. Filled with sequins and sparkles and love, with an adventure waiting around every corner.
  16. pierogi
    a small dumpling that is boiled, baked, or fried
    I got breakfast pierogies, which are like little dumplings. They were filled with scrambled eggs, potatoes, and cheese and were so, so good.
  17. formerly
    at a previous time
    He did some digging and found an older cousin of your grandmother’s. Gerry Gallagher. He passed away a few years ago, but he has a daughter. Her name is Margery Callahan, formerly Gallagher, and she’s very much alive.
  18. dander
    particles of animal skin or hair that may be allergenic
    She doesn’t have any pets, because she’s allergic to dander.
  19. sliver
    (figurative) a small or narrow piece or slice
    I wanted to collect any sliver of memory she had of you and memorize it.
  20. correspond
    exchange messages
    I’ve been corresponding with June’s assistant to get my flights set up.
  21. sift
    move as if through a sieve
    Place oats in large bowl. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into same bowl.
  22. coarse
    rough to the touch
    Using fingertips, add in oil until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and applesauce; stir until a rough dough forms.
  23. compatible
    able to exist and perform in harmonious combination
    “Today went well enough, I thought. I’d like us to have a few more conversations. To get to know each other more, to make sure we’ll be compatible.”
    “Compatible?” I asked. “For what?”
    “For you to come and live with me, of course.”
  24. whim
    a sudden desire
    I want someone to give me kisses that leave behind streaks of pink lipstick, someone who laughs at my bad jokes and takes me to Coney Island on a whim for ice cream sundaes on a school day in the middle of September, just because.
  25. evaluation
    the act of ascertaining or judging the quality of
    Honestly, it’s a bit of a nightmare for us to transfer your case across state borders. We’d have to do a lot of paperwork to make it happen, and both you and Margery would need to attend meetings and evaluations. I can try to get someone to do some favors for me, to make the whole thing go a little smoother, but the bottom line is that she’s willing to accept guardianship.
  26. potluck
    a meal to which guests bring food that is shared by everyone
    Her dad’s band was over for a potluck holiday party, and everyone was wearing colorful paper crowns.
  27. buffet
    a meal set out at which guests help themselves
    They had a huge buffet on a folding plastic table I thought might buckle under the weight of all the food.
  28. casserole
    food baked together and served in a deep dish
    “Apparently, Tom has a story about his weird casserole.” She pointed to a dish in the back that was lumpy, yellow, and glistening.
  29. loom
    hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
    It’s been awkward since they sat me down and told me they’d be going to Paris without me, but with Christmas looming, it’s been at least ten times worse.
  30. wallow
    devote oneself entirely to something
    It was terrible because it was my very first Christmas without you. There. I said it. I know you don’t want me to wallow.
  31. dole
    bestow, as in small portions
    We doled out more servings of French toast than I thought was possible.
  32. exhilarated
    filled with joy or excitement
    It felt good to think about what other people needed for a while.
    When it was over, I didn’t feel tired. I felt exhilarated.
  33. slump
    fall or sink heavily
    Joe slumped down on the sofa without taking his coat off. “Good lord. I’m exhausted.”
  34. necessarily
    in an essential manner
    After that, the energy got weird. Not bad weird, necessarily.
  35. contaminate
    make impure
    Marcus showed me how they taste things in culinary school—you have a main spoon you dip into the big pot, and then use that spoon to drop food onto a tasting spoon. That way you never contaminate what you’re cooking.
  36. bulbous
    rounded and bulging
    Then he wiggled one of his feet, presenting a bulbous, rubbery slip-on.
  37. somberly
    in a serious and solemn manner
    Crystal looked at his foot somberly. “I’d rather perish.”
  38. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    “You won’t change your minds?”
    “Never, kid,” Joe said solemnly. “Never in a million years.”
  39. kinship
    relatedness or connection by blood or marriage or adoption
    I had to stay with June and Tate for six weeks after the pop-up restaurant finished while Joe and Carlota got approved for something Moira called “kinship care.”
  40. maintenance
    activity involved in keeping something in good working order
    He took on a maintenance job at another building, and guess what? It came with a raise!
Created on Fri Jun 28 10:54:24 EDT 2024 (updated Fri Jun 28 17:07:56 EDT 2024)

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