The Crossover: Second Quarter

by Kwame Alexander
Twin brothers Josh and Jordan Bell clash both on and off the basketball court. How high can you score on this list of words from Alexander's award-winning novel in verse?

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Warm Up, First Quarter, Second Quarter,
Third Quarter, Fourth Quarter–Overtime

Here are links to our lists for other books by Kwame Alexander: Booked, Solo, Rebound, Swing
15 words 412 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. varsity
    a team representing a high school, college, or university
    I scored fourteen points.
    They told me I should
    try out for junior varsity next year
    ’cause I got hops...
  2. loafer
    a low leather shoe with no laces
    He wears your cologne.
    He’s always
    texting her.
    He even wore loafers to school.
    Dad, you gotta do something.
  3. official
    someone who administers the rules of a game or sport
    Mom wasn't
    at the game
    tonight,
    which meant
    that all night
    Dad was free
    to yell
    at the officials,
    which he did.
  4. ironic
    displaying incongruity between what is expected and what is
    ironic
    adjective

    Having a curious or humorous
    unexpected sequence of events
    marked by coincidence.
  5. humorous
    characterized by the power to cause laughter
    ironic
    adjective

    Having a curious or humorous
    unexpected sequence of events
    marked by coincidence.
  6. swagger
    a proud stiff pompous gait
    As in: Isn’t it ironic that showoff JB, with all his swagger, is too shy to talk
    to Miss Sweet Tea,
    so he gives me the phone?
  7. sibling
    a person's brother or sister
    Was that your brother?
    Yep, that was Josh. I’m JB.
    I know who you are, silly—I called you.
    Uh, right. You have any siblings, Alexis?
  8. opulent
    rich and superior in quality
    Didn’t your dad play in the NBA?
    No, he played in Italy.
    But still, he made a lot of money, right?
    It’s not like we’re opulent.
  9. uphold
    keep or maintain in unaltered condition
    I have a reputation to uphold.
  10. verdict
    findings of a jury on issues submitted to it for decision
    So, what's the verdict, Jordan?
  11. strut
    walk in a proud, confident way
    Only today I wait
    at our table in the back
    for twenty-five minutes, texting Vondie
    (home sick), eating a fruit cup (alone), before I see
    JB strut
    into the cafeteria with Miss Sweet Tea holding his precious hand.
  12. meditate
    think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes
    But instead of drills and sprints, we sit on our butts, make weird sounds —
    Ohmmmmmmmm Ohmmmmmmmm and meditate.
  13. stubble
    short hairs growing on a man's face when he has not shaved
    The main reason I can't sleep
    is not because
    of the game tomorrow tonight, is not because
    the stubble on my head feels
    like bugs are break dancing on it,
    is not even because I’m worried about Dad.
  14. verify
    confirm the truth of
    At 5:48
    the cop smiles
    after verifying
    Dad’s identity
    on Google, and says,
    You “Da Man”!
  15. autograph
    mark with one's signature
    At 5:50
    Dad autographs
    a Krispy Kreme napkin
    for the officerght.
    and gets a warning
    for his broken tailli
Created on Mon Aug 11 09:54:47 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Aug 11 12:02:21 EDT 2025)

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