Thirteen Reasons Why Vocabulary

HutchinsonEnglish 11

Baker’s dozen

“Baker’s dozen,” I mumble. Then I feel disgusted for even noticing it.

Inference

Baker’s dozen—a group of thirteen

Serrated

I watch her tear the slip across the serrated plastic and drop it into a wastebasket.

Inference

Serrated—having notched, tooth like projections

Meanders

It leads through the front doors and turns into a hallway, which meanders between rows of lockers and classrooms on both sides, finally entering the always-open door to first period.

Example/Explanation

Meanders—to follow a winding and turning course

Contemplating

He’s always looking out windows, contemplating something.

Inference

Contemplating—considering thoughtfully

Spindles

I hold my finger over the button, listening to the soft hum in the speakers, the faint squeak of the spindles winding the tape, waiting for her voice to return.

Inference

Spindles—slender mechanical parts that revolve

Motivation

But this tape is not about your motivation, Alex. Though that is coming up. This tape is about how people change when they see your name on a stupid list.

Inference

Motivation—the act of providing a reason to do something

Repercussions

So, to back up a bit, this tape isn’t about why you did what you did Alex. It’s about the repercussions of what you did. More specifically, it’s about the repercussions to me.

Inference

Repercussions—an indirect effect, influence or result produced by an event or action

Erratically

Across the street, the neon sign of Restless Video flickers erratically.

Synonym

Erratically—done in a way lacking consistency or regularity

Mesmerized

I just watched those lips move up and down. Mesmerized when she said things like “slippery slope,” which, behind her lips, exposed the underside of her tongue.

Inference

Mesmerized—hypnotized

Condescending

And when this guy saw me upset, did he apologize? No. Instead, he got aggressive. Then, in the most condescending way, he told me to relax.

Inference

Condescending—dealing with a person in a way that assumes one is superior to the other person

Montage

Because when I close my eyes, everything happens in a kind of montage. Laughing. Trying hard not to spill our drinks. Waving our hands while we talk.

Example

Montage—group of pictures sequenced and superimposed to create a single impression

Decelerates

I hold myself steady as the bus decelerates and pulls into the curb.

Example

Decelerates—slows down

Candid

But is that the only way you use this stuff? Candid shots of the student body?

Inference

Candid—not posed or rehearsed

Initiative

Before coming here, I took the initiative to look up the word “candid” in the dictionary.

Inference

Initiative-the power, ability or instinct to begin or follow through energetically with a plan or task

Spontaneous

So tell me, Tyler, those nights you stood outside my window, was I spontaneous enough for you? Did you catch me in all my natural, unposed…

Synonym

Spontaneous—happening without any apparent external cause

Nostalgia

We all know the sound a camera makes when it snaps a picture. Even some digitals do it for nostalgia’s sake.

Inference

Nostalgia—bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past

Validate

I wanted someone to be afraid for me. I wanted someone to validate my fears.

Inference

Validate—to confirm

Grotesque

They mark special occasions, write horrible poetry, sketch things that are beautiful or grotesque, or just rant.

Inference

Grotesque—characterized by distortion

Anthology

Here, Courtney, is your contribution to the anthology of my life.

Inference

Anthology—collection of literary pieces such as poems, short stories or plays

Compelled

Why do I feel so compelled to follow her map? I don’t need to. I’m listening to the tapes, every single one, front and back, and that should be enough.

Inference

Compelled—forced

Stifle

I can’t stifle a laugh at my own lame joke.

Inference

Stifle—to cut off

Callousness

Like the person who grabbed my a** at Blue Spot Liquor, what he was about to say was just an aftereffect of someone else’s actions—someone else’s callousness.

Inference

Callousness—state of being unfeeling

Decipher

Decipher a bunch of notes scribbled on the board probably five minutes before class started, then copy them down in your notebook.

Inference

Decipher—to read or interpret (something ambiguous, obscure or illegible)

Pessimist

I could leave the office a pessimist and take my survey with me.

Inference

Pessimist—person with a tendency to take the gloomiest possible view of a situation

Optimist

Or I could leave it as an optimist and hope for the best.

Explanation

Optimist—person with a tendency to expect the best possible view of a situation

Egging

I don’t know, without her as an audience egging me on, I doubt I would have agreed to go out with him that fast. But I was playing it up. Giving her something to brag about at cheer practice.

Inference

Egging—encouraging or inciting to action

Wary

I was a little wary of Marcus. A little suspicious.

Synonym

Wary—on one’s guard—watchful

Pathetic

I’m sorry if this sounds pathetic, but you know it’s true. You’ve never gone there by yourself, have you?

Inference

Pathetic—arousing pity

Melodramatically

I knew he was there, of course. He was practically staring at me. And, eventually, melodramatically, he cleared his throat.

Inference

Melodramatically—in an exaggerated emotional way

Confront

While my original plan called for me to confront you right then and there, I jumped to the side—out of the doorway.

Inference

Confront– to come face to face with hostility

Prologue

For the rest of you listening, the note was addressed to Zach by name. Maybe he sees it now as a prologue to these tapes.

Inference

Prologue—an introductory passage in a book

Averting

The haircut. Averting your eyes in the halls. You were careful, but still, there were signs.

Inference

Averting—turning away

Tinged

But everything they said—everything!—came tinged with annoyance.

Inference

Tinged—affected by faintly

Subtlety

My first few attempts were a bit sad. Not much depth or subtlety.

Inference

Subtlety—characterized by skill or ingenuity

Abstract

That’s what I love about poetry. The more abstract the better. The stuff where you’re not sure what the poet’s talking about.

Inference

Abstract—not easily understood

Orb

Who says “orb” instead of “ball” or “sphere?”

Definition

Orb—a sphere

Abrasive

I pull a napkin out of the holder and wipe the abrasive paper across my eyes.

Inference

Abrasive—harsh, rough

Stellar

Normally, when a person has a stellar image, another person’s waiting in the wings to tear them apart.

Inference

Stellar—outstanding

Silhouette

The garage door began to lift and, in the glow of the red taillights, the silhouette of a man pushed the heavy door all the way up.

Inference

Silhouette—an outline of something that appears dark against a light background

Surreal

But whatever the reason, it felt surreal. Two people—me and him—one house. Yet he drove away with no idea of his link to me, the girl on the sidewalk.

Inference

Surreal—having an oddly dreamlike quality

Intrusive

The questions were personal, as if catching up for the time we let pass. Yet the questions never felt intrusive.

Inference

Intrusive—forced in without invitation

Potential

Everything seemed good, but I knew it had the potential to be awful.

Inference

Potential—capable of being but not yet in existence

Rationalize

And to him I say, Deny it! Go on, deny that I was ever in that room. Deny that I know what you did. Or not what you did, but what you didn’t do. What you allowed to happen. Rationalize why this isn’t the tape you’re making a return appearance on.

Inference

Rationalize—devise self-satisfying but incorrect reasons for one’s behavior

Stabilizing

I stood up, stabilizing myself with one hand on the bed.

Inference

Stabilizing—making immobile

Preconditioned

I don’t know, maybe some people are just preconditioned to think about it more than others. Because every time something bad happened, I thought about it.

Inference

Preconditioned—accustomed to in advance

Rager

A friend of my father’s was out of town and I was watching his house for him, feeding his dog, and keeping an eye on things because there was supposed to be a rager a few doors down….And there was. Maybe not as big as the last party….

Example

Rager– a large, loud party

The snowball effect

How did you get to this point? I know you can’t sum it all up. It’s the snowball effect…..It’s one thing on top of another. It’s too much, isn’t it?

Inference

The snowball effect—something that grows in significance in larger and larger amounts as time passes

Conspiracy

Not like a conspiracy or anything. But it feels like I never know when something’s going to pop out of the woodwork.

Inference

Conspiracy—a secret agreement by a group to perform an evil act

Moonlighting

Teachers, especially a teacher moonlighting as a counselor, tend to get left out of student gossip.

Example

Moonlighting—working at a job in addition to one’s fulltime job