Vocab Flashcards
Profusely
1) adverb 2) exhibiting great abundance; bountiful 3) “The flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (738).
Boisterous
1) adjective 2) loud or noisy. energetic, cheerful and rowdy. 3) “The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat, uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quickly for a while before they broke into boisterous play, and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands.”
Reprimand
1) noun 2) a rebuke, especially an official one. 3) “The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat, uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quickly for a while before they broke into boisterous play, and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands.” (738)
Civic
1) adjective 2) relating to a city or town, especially its administration; municipal.. 3) “The lottery was conducted - as were the soiree dances, the teenage club, the halloween program- by My. Summers, who had time and energy to devote to civic activities.” (739)
Paraphernalia
1) noun 2) miscellaneous articles, especially the equipment needed for a particular activity 3) “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner…” (738)
Jovial
1) adjective 2) cheerful and friendly 3) “He was a round-faced, jovial man and he ran the coal business, and people were sorry for him because he had no children, and his wife was a scold.” (739)
Perfunctory
1) adjective 2) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection 3) “There was a proper swearing of mr summer by the postmaster. as postmaster of the lottery; at one time some people remembered, there had been a recital of some sort, performed in the office; pf the lottery, a perfunctory, tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year.” (740 )
Interminably
1) adjective 2) endless 3) “in his clean white shirt and blue jeans, with one hand resting carelessly on the black box, he seemed very proper and important as he talked interminably to Mr. Graves and the Martins.” (740)
Surly
1) adjective 2) ad-tempered and unfriendly 3) “And the starch in my pinafore scratching the shit outta
me and I’m really hating this nappy-head bitch and her goddamn college degree. I’d
much rather go to the pool or to the show where it’s cool. So me and Sugar leaning on
the mailbox being surly, which is a Miss Moore word.” (196)
Ferocious
1) adjective 2)savagely fierce, cruel, or violent 3) “And the meter reads
eight-five cents. And I’m stalling to figure out the tip and Sugar say give him a dime.
And I decide he don’t need it bad as I do, so later for him. But then he tries to take off
with Junebug foot still in the door so we talk about his mama something ferocious. Then
we check out that we on Fifth Avenue and everybody dressed up in stockings. One lady
in a fur coat, hot as it is. White folks crazy..“ (197)
Notion
1) noun 2) a conception of or belief about something 3) ““I do so,” he say punchin on Rosie Giraffe. “It’s a microscope.”
“Whatcha gonna do with a microscope, fool?”
“Look at things.
“Like what, Ronald?” ask Miss Moore. And Big Butt ain’t got the first notion. So here go Miss Moore gabbing about the thousands of bacteria in a drop of water and
the somethinorother in a speck of blood and the million and one living things in the air
around us is invisible to the naked eye. And what she say that for?”(197)
Recitation
1) noun 2) the action of repeating something aloud from memory 3) We all start reciting the price tag like
we in assembly. “Handcrafted sailboat of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars.” “Unbelievable,” I hear myself say and am really stunned. I read it again for
myself just in case the group recitation put me in a trance. Same thing. For some reason `this pisses me off. We look at Miss Moore and she looking at us, waiting for I dunnno what.
Treachery
1) noun 2)betrayal of trust; deceptive action or nature. 3) “that this is not much of a democracy if you ask me. Equal
chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough, don’t it?” Miss Moore is
besides herself and I am disgusted with Sugar’s treachery. So I stand on her foot one
more time to see if she’ll shove me. She shuts up, and Miss Moore looks at me,
sorrowfully I’m thinkin. And somethin weird is goin on, I can feel it in my chest.
Furtive
1) attempting to avoid notice or attention typically because of guily or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble 2) adjective 3) “She had a few. Furtive boys in pink shirts hanging about on washday after school. Nervous girls who never laughed. Impressed with her they worshiped the well-turned phrase, the cute shape, the scalding humor that erupted like bubbles in lye. She read to them. “ (201)
Doctrines
:1) a belief or set of belief held and taught by a church political part or other group 2) noun 3) When the white folks poisoned some of the herd, the men stayed up all night with rifles in their hands. I walked a mile and a half just to see the sight.
Hakim-a-barber said, “I accept some of their doctrines, but farming and raising cattle is not my style.” They didn’t tell me, and I didn’t ask, whether Wangero (Dee) had really gone and married him.
We sat down to eat and right away he said he didn’t eat collards and pork was unclean.
Cowering
1) crouch down in fear 2) verb 3) ““Don’t get up,” says Dee. Since I am stout it takes something of a push. You can see me trying to move a second or two before I make it. She turns, showing white heels through her sandals, and goes back to the car. Out she peeks next with a Polaroid. She stoops down quickly and snaps off picture after picture of me sitting there in front of the house with Maggie cowering behind me. She never takes a shot without making sure the house is included. When a cow comes nibbling around the edge of the yard she snaps it and me and Maggie and the house. Then she puts the Polaroid in the back seat of the car, and comes up and kisses me on the forehead.”
Clabber
1) milk that had naturally clotted on souring 2) verb 3) Then she gave a sigh and her hand closed over Grandma Dee’s butter dish. “That’s it!” she said. “I knew there was something I wanted to ask you if I could have.” She jumped up from the table and went over in the corner where the churn stood, the milk in it clabber by now. She looked at the churn and looked at it.
Dasher
1) a person who dresses or acts flamboyantly or stylishly 2) noun 3) “ Uh huh,” she said happily. “And I want the dasher, too.”
“Uncle Buddy whittle that, too?” asked the barber.
Dee (Wangero) looked up at me.
“Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled the dash,” said Maggie so low you almost couldn’t hear her. “His name was Henry, but they called him Stash.”
“Maggie’s brain is like an elephant’s,” Wangero said, laughing. “I can use the churn top as a centerpiece for the alcove table,” she said, sliding a plate over the churn, “and I’ll think of something artistic to do with the dasher.”
When she finished wrapping the dasher the handle stuck out. I took it for a moment in my hands. You didn’t even have to look close to see where hands pushing the dasher up and down to make butter had left a kind of sink in the wood. In fact, there were a lot of small sinks; you could see where thumbs and fingers had sunk into the wood. It was beautiful light yellow wood, from a tree that grew in the yard where Big Dee and Stash had lived.”
Heritage
1) property that is or may be inherited 2) noun 3)” But she turned without a word and went out to Hakim-a-barber.
“You just don’t understand,” she said, as Maggie and I came out to the car.
“What don’t I understand?” I wanted to know.
“Your heritage,” she said, And then she turned to Maggie, kissed her, and said, “You ought to try to make something of yourself too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know it.”
She put on some sunglasses that hid everything above the tip of her nose and chin.”
Trifles:
1) a thing of little value or importance 2) “”I guess before we’re through with her she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about.” “Oh, well,” said Mrs. Hale’s husband, with good-natured superiority, “women are used to worrying over trifles.” The two women moved a little closer together. Neither of them spoke. The county attorney seemed suddenly” 3) noun
Disdainful
1) showing contempt or lack of respect 2) Then, as if releasing herself from something strange, Mrs. Hale began to arrange the dirty pans under the sink, which 5 the county attorney’s disdainful push of the foot had deranged. “I’d hate to have men comin’ into my kitchen,” she said testily–“snoopin’ round and criticizin’.” 3) adjective
Acquiescence
1) the reluctant acceptance of something without protest 2) “the county attorney’s disdainful push of the foot had deranged. “I’d hate to have men comin’ into my kitchen,” she said testily–“snoopin’ round and criticizin’.” “Of course it’s no more than their duty,” said the sheriff’s wife, in her manner of timid acquiescence. “Duty’s all right,” replied Mrs. Hale bluffly; “but I guess that deputy sheriff that come out to make the fire might have got a little of this on.” She gave the roller towel a pull. “Wish I’d thought of that sooner!” 3) noun
Detained
1) keep from proceeding, to hold back 2) “”My!” said Mrs. Peters, dropping the things on the table and hurrying to the stove. Mrs. Hale stood examining the clothes the woman who was being detained in town had said she wanted. “Wright was close!” she exclaimed, holding up a shabby black skirt that bore the marks of much making over. “I think maybe that’s why she kept so much to herself. I s’pose she felt she couldn’t do her part; and then, you don’t enjoy things when you feel shabby” 3) verb
Shabby
1) in poor condition through long or hard use or lack of care 2) “”My!” said Mrs. Peters, dropping the things on the table and hurrying to the stove. Mrs. Hale stood examining the clothes the woman who was being detained in town had said she wanted. “Wright was close!” she exclaimed, holding up a shabby black skirt that bore the marks of much making over. “I think maybe that’s why she kept so much to herself. I s’pose she felt she couldn’t do her part; and then, you don’t enjoy things when you feel shabby. She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively–when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls, singing in the choir. But that–oh, that was twenty years ago”” 3) adjective
