Breadwinner Vocab Flashcards
Collapsed
“[Mother] collapsed onto the toshak where Father had taken his nap just yesterday.”
-to fall or cave in; crumble suddenly: The roof collapsed and buried the crowd.
I collapsed to the ground when I first rode my bike.
Exhaustion
“Parvana had been so preoccupied with her own pain and exhaustion, she hadn’t given any thought to what her mother had been going through”
- extreme weakness or fatigue.
I was exhausted after the 7 mile run.
Brusquely
“Mother rubbed her hands brusquely over Parvana’s head to rub away any stray hairs.”
- abrupt in manner; blunt; rough: A brusque welcome greeted his unexpected return.
Toms mom gave a brusque welcome to her son in the army.
embroidery
“She pictured her aunt in Mazar working hard to do all the embroidery on the dress and around the cuffs of the trousers.”
-the art of working raised and ornamental designs in threads of silk, cotton, gold, silver, or other material, upon any woven fabric, leather, paper, etc., with a needle.
My dad embroidered my name into by baseball glove.
vibrant
It felt so good that she almost felt no regret as she watched the vibrant red cloth flutter in the breeze as it was carried away.”
-moving to and from rapidly;
I moved vibrantly to the touchdown.
relented
“’Parvana’s a boy now. Maryam will be safe.’ Mother relented, but first she spoke to Maryam.”
- to soften in feeling, temper, or determination; become more mild, compassionate, or forgiving.
I relented when my brother stole my money.
kerosene
“Often there was not enough money for kerosene, so they could not light the lamps at night.”
- a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons obtained by distilling petroleum, bituminous shale, or the like, and widely used as a fuel, cleaning solvent, etc.
smuggle
“We will smuggle the stories out to Pakistan, where it will be printed.”
-to import or export (goods) secretly, in violation of the law, especially without payment of legal duty.
intact
“There wasn’t a single intact building in the whole area, just piles of bricks, dust and rubble.”
-not altered, broken, or impaired; remaining uninjured, sound, or whole; untouched; unblemished: The vase remained intact despite rough handling.
Forebade
“They even forbade girls to go to school.”
-to command (a person) not to do something, have something, etc., or not to enter some place: to forbid him entry to the house.
labyrinth
“Tea boys ran back and forth into the labyrinth of the marketplace.”
-an intricate combination of paths or passages in which it is difficult to find one’s way or to reach the exit. Synonyms: maze, network, web.
Scornfully
“‘It is not [Mount Parvana],’ Nooria said scornfully.”
- full of scorn; derisive; contemptuous: He smiled in a scornful way.
resentful
“Sometimes [fetching the water] made her resentful.”
- full of or marked by resentment.
parcel
“ . . . she saw her mother pick up the parcel of Hossain’s clothes and put it away on the top shelf of the cupboard.”
- an object, article, container, or quantity of something wrapped or packed up; small package; bundle.
occupation
the holding and control of an area by a foreign army or government
- a person’s usual or principal work or business, especially as a means of earning a living; vocation: Her occupation was dentistry.
