1.

splatter
dash a liquid upon or against

Stanley watched the water splatter on the dirt, where it was quickly absorbed by the thirsty ground.

2. raspy
unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound

His voice was weak and raspy.

3. parch
cause to wither from exposure to heat

His mouth was as dry and as parched as the lake.

4. evict
expel or eject without recourse to legal process

The landlord is threatening to evict us because of the odor.

5. snicker
laugh quietly

Several people snickered.

6. excavate
recover through digging

It expanded when it was excavated.

7. dawdle
hang or fall in movement, progress, development, etc.

He couldn't afford to dawdle.

8. crumple
gather something into small wrinkles or folds

His knees crumpled beneath him.

9. layered
with one thin piece on top of another

It was layered and streaked with different shades of red, burnt orange, brown, and tan.

10. contaminate
make impure

They didn't dip their socks into the hole, afraid to contaminate the water.

11. protrude
extend out or project in space

He was able to lift Zero high enough for him to grab the protruding slab of rock.

12. indentation
the space left between the margin and a line set in

He saw a large indentation in the weeds a little farther down the mountain.
13. memorize
learn by heart

I just don't have it memorized exactly."

14. unearth
recover through digging

He unearthed several shovelfuls of dirt in this manner, before it occurred to him that he was dumping his dirt

within the perimeter of his hole.

15. increment
the amount by which something increases

Instead they zigzagged back and forth, increasing their altitude by small increments every time they changed

directions.

16. rummage
search haphazardly

Kate could see her rummaging through the cabin, dumping drawers and knocking things from the shelves of

cabinets.

17. wiggle
move to and fro

He had a tattoo of a rattlesnake on his arm, and as he signed his name, the snake's rattle seemed to wiggle "I

used to smoke a pack a day.

18. nozzle
a projecting spout from which a fluid is discharged

Mr. Sir opened the nozzle, and the water flowed out of the tank, but it did not go into Stanley's canteen.

19. dangle
hang freely

Zero's legs dangled in front of him.

20. grading
evaluation of performance by assigning a score

Miss Katherine usually stayed in the schoolhouse, grading papers and such, while Sam worked on the roof.

21. fume
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas

The air was thick with heat, dust, and exhaust fumes.

22. rotate
turn on or around an axis or a center

He rotated it and only had to chip off a few chunks of dirt, here and there, before it could lie flat across his hole

in every direction.

23. glisten
be shiny, as if wet

As he dumped it out, he thought he saw something glisten as it fell onto the dirt pile.
24. perimeter
a line enclosing a plane area

He unearthed several shovelfuls of dirt in this manner, before it occurred to him that he was dumping his dirt

within the perimeter of his hole.

25. shimmer
shine with a weak or fitful light

It was a mirage caused by the shimmering waves of heat rising off the dry ground.

26. humiliate
cause to feel shame

Maybe he was in a hurry to bring the shoes to his father, or maybe he was trying to run away from his miserable

and humiliating day at school.

27. writhe
move in a twisting or contorted motion

His body writhed in agony.

28. evaporate
change into gas or steam

The water ran out under the walls and evaporated quickly in the sun.

29. taped
recorded on tape

Mr. Sir made a bandage out of a piece of his sack of sunflower seeds and taped it over Stanley's wound.
30. holster
a sheath for carrying a handgun

He tapped his holster.

31. gash
cut open

He felt his wet blood and a pretty big gash just below his ear.

32. donate
give to a charity or good cause

Clyde Livingston testified that they were his sneakers and that he had donated them to help raise money for the

homeless shelter.

33. snout
a long projecting or anterior elongation of an animal's head

Myra's father got down on his hands and knees and closely examined each pig, tail to snout.

34. hinge
a joint that holds two parts together so that one can swing

The door hung crooked on its bent hinges.

35. amaze
affect with wonder

"No."

Stanley was amazed.

36. afflict
cause physical pain or suffering in

In fact, it was the same foot fungus that a hundred and ten years later would afflict the famous ballplayer Clyde

Livingston.

37. recede
pull back or move away or backward

For a second, Mr. Sir's pain seemed to recede.

38. accelerate
move faster

Stanley jerked back against the seat and tightly gripped the wheel as the truck accelerated.

39. predatory
living by preying on other animals

The yellow-spotted lizards like to live in holes, which offer shade from the sun and protection

from predatory birds.

40. mirage
optical illusion in which hot air distorts distant objects

It was a mirage caused by the shimmering waves of heat rising off the dry ground.

41. zigzag
a shape with sharp turns in alternating directions

They called themselves Magnet, Armpit, and Zigzag.

42. strand
a group of fibers twisted together to form a thread or rope

Instead, she robbed him and left him stranded in the middle of the desert.

43. nectar
a sweet liquid secretion that is attractive to pollinators

It was a warm, bubbly, mushy nectar, sweet and tangy.

44. retrieve
get or find back; recover the use of

By the time Stanley retrieved it, he had missed his bus and had to walk home.

45. pry
be nosey

He leaned on the shaft and pried up his first shovelful of dirt, then dumped it off to the side.

46. lurch
move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements

The truck lurched forward.

47. quack
the sound made by a duck

That quack wanted to put leeches on her stomach!

48. scoop
the shovel or bucket of a dredge or backhoe

He glanced at Zero, about fifteen feet away, who scooped out a shovelful of dirt and dumped it on a pile that

was already almost a foot tall.

49. premise
a statement that is held to be true

Next to it was another sign which declared that it was a violation of the Texas Penal Code to bring guns,

explosives, weapons, drugs, or alcohol onto the premises.

50. sniff
perceive by inhaling through the nose

He sniffed and caught his breath.

51. grimace
contort the face to indicate a certain mental state

He grimaced as he sliced off a chunk of dirt, then raised it up and flung it onto a pile.

52. humid
containing or characterized by a great deal of water vapor

The air became unbearably humid.

53. confuse
mistake one thing for another

Myra looked confused.

54. ingredient
a component of a mixture or compound

"Do you want to know my secret ingredient?"

55. hover
hang in the air; fly or be suspended above

During the summer the daytime temperature hovers around ninety-five degrees in the shade—if you can find

any shade.

56. venom
toxin secreted by animals

"Rattlesnake venom."

57. despicable
morally reprehensible

The judge called Stanley's crime despicable.

58. murky
clouded as with sediment

It contained almost two feet of murky water.

59. gruff
brusque and surly and forbidding

In his mind he could hear his father's gruff voice softly singing to him

"If only, if only," the woodpecker sighs,

"The bark on the tree was just a little bit softer."

60. distract
draw someone's attention away from something

"You seem distracted."

61. bounce
spring back; spring away from an impact

He tried to jam it into the earth, but the blade banged against the ground and bounced off without making a

dent.

62. wrench
a sharp strain on muscles or ligaments

"Luh— Luh-un—" Suddenly, Zero made a horrible, wrenching noise as he doubled over and grabbed his

stomach.

63. toxic
of or relating to or caused by a poison

"It's only toxic while it's wet."

64. focusing
the concentration of attention or energy on something

After focusing on Big Thumb for so long, it was as if the rock had absorbed his energy and now acted like a

kind of giant magnet pulling him toward it.

65. poke
thrust abruptly

He poked his fat finger in Stanley's neck.

66. lizard
relatively long-bodied reptile with legs and a tapering tail

Then he will get to spend a day or two recovering in his tent, instead of having to dig a hole out on the lake

But you don't want to be bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard.

67. flap
move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion

"Thanks," he said as Zero entered through the tent flap.

68. recite
repeat aloud from memory

He would have felt pretty silly reciting nursery rhymes at Camp Green Lake.

69. hazy
filled or abounding with fog or mist

The only time they were visible was just at sunup, before the air became hazy.
70. jagged
having a sharply uneven surface or outline

There were three dark-purple jagged lines running down his cheek where the Warden had scratched him.

71. spat
a quarrel about petty points

Madame Zeroni spat on the dirt.

72. discourage
try to prevent; show opposition to

"Not every Stanley Yelnats has been a failure," Stanley's mother often pointed out, whenever Stanley or his

father became so discouraged that they actually started to believe in the curse.

73. exhaust
wear out completely

The air was thick with heat, dust, and exhaust fumes.

74. requirement
necessary activity

The next morning, out on the lake, Stanley listened as Mr. Sir told Twitch the requirements for his hole: ". . . as

wide and as deep as your shovel."

75. assign
select something or someone for a specific purpose

The counselors slept in F.

Stanley was assigned to D tent.

76. sparkle
emit or produce sparks

Her eyes sparkled.

77. exclaim
utter aloud, often with surprise, horror, or joy

"That's preposterous!" exclaimed Igor, expelling saliva as he spoke.

78. relaxation
freedom from activity

Mr. Sir told him he should wear one set to work in and one set for relaxation.

79. parched
dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight

His mouth was as dry and as parched as the lake.

80. pierce
penetrate or cut through with a sharp instrument

Stanley stamped down on the back of the blade of the shovel, piercing the hard, dry earth.
81. tangle
twist together or entwine into a confusing mass

As they climbed higher, the patches of weeds grew thicker, and they had to be careful not to get their

feet tangled in thorny vines.

82. preposterous
inviting ridicule

"That's preposterous!" exclaimed Igor, expelling saliva as he spoke.

83. relax
make less taut

The muscles in his face relaxed.

84. scar
a mark left by the healing of injured tissue

It was a jagged purple line running from below his eye to below his mouth, like a tattoo of a scar.

85. absorb
take in a liquid

Stanley watched the water splatter on the dirt, where it was quickly absorbed by the thirsty ground.

86. scatter
cause to separate and go in different directions

He could see empty jars scattered about.

87. leak
enter or escape as through a hole or crack or fissure

The roof leaked.

88. clutch
take hold of; grab

Suddenly, Mr. Sir screamed and clutched his face with both hands.

89. adjust
alter or regulate so as to conform to a standard

His body had adjusted somewhat to the heat and harsh conditions.

90. stall
a small area set off for special use

"There's a water spigot on the wall of the shower stall."

91. altitude
elevation above sea level or above the earth's surface

Instead they zigzagged back and forth, increasing their altitude by small increments every time they changed

directions.

92. nonetheless
despite anything to the contrary

He knew it was nothing to be proud of, but he felt proud nonetheless.

93. translate
restate from one language into another language

Elya tried his best to translate it from Latvian into English, but it wasn't the same.

94. whirl
the shape of something rotating rapidly

Theodore whirled and grabbed Stanley by his collar.

95. invent
come up with after a mental effort

The apartment smelled the way it did because Stanley's father was trying to invent a way to recycle old sneakers.

96. challenging
requiring full use of your abilities or resources

Dear Mom and Dad,

Camp is hard, but challenging.

97. drought
a shortage of rainfall

The drought can't last forever.

98. automatically
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism

He kept stepping into, then jumping back from, the spray, until the water shut off automatically.
99. unaware
not having or showing knowledge or understanding

Stanley weighed three times as much as the other boy Mrs. Bell wrote the ratio on the board, 3:1, unaware of

how much embarrassment she had caused both of them.

100. quiver
shake with fast, tremulous movements

She pointed her quivering finger in their direction and whispered, "God will punish you!"

101. concentrate
make denser, stronger, or purer

Zero concentrated hard, then said, "Chat."

102. swarm
a group of many things in the air or on the ground

A swarm of gnats hovered around them, attracted by their sweat.

103. expanse
a wide and open space or area as of surface or land or sky

Magnet gestured with his arms to the great expanse around them.

104. precipice
a very steep cliff

As the ground flattened, a huge stone precipice rose up ahead of him, just barely visible in the moonlight.
105. clasp
hold firmly and tightly

He felt Zero's hand clasp his wrist.

106. surround
extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle

His hole was almost up to his shoulders, although it was hard to tell exactly where ground level was because his

dirt piles completely surrounded the hole.

107. pan
shallow container made of metal

It was as if they had been walking across the flat bottom of a giant frying pan, and now they had to somehow

climb up out of it.

108. cluster
a grouping of a number of similar things

Zero kept backing up, out past the cluster of holes the boys had been digging, then farther and farther out onto

the lake.

109. scratch
cut, scrape, or wear away the surface of

There were three dark-purple jagged lines running down his cheek where the Warden had scratched him.
110. tangled
in a confused mass

As they climbed higher, the patches of weeds grew thicker, and they had to be careful not to get their

feet tangled in thorny vines.

111. ignore
refuse to acknowledge

"All right!" said Mr. Pendanski, raising his hand for a high five, but Stanley ignored it.

112. lump
a compact mass

"Hey, watch it!" said an orange lump on a chair.

113. zero
the mathematical symbol 0 denoting absence of quantity

Both Mr. Pendanski and X-Ray called him Zero.

114. ratio
relation with respect to comparative quantity or magnitude

On his last day of school, his math teacher, Mrs Bell, taught ratios.

115. muddy
soft and watery, of soil

Zero's head knocked against the back of his shoulder as he fell and tumbled into a small muddy gully.
116. riot
a state of disorder involving group violence

"There was a riot," Mr. Pendanski told her.

117. frail
physically weak

His frail body trembled terribly as he climbed the stone wall.

118. gear
a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism

"Put it in gear!" shouted Twitch.

119. rotten
having decayed or disintegrated

It was all because of his no-good-dirty- rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather!

120. rub
move over something with pressure

Myra's father rubbed his chin.

121. moisture
wetness caused by water

He barely had enough moisture in his mouth to seal and stamp the envelope.
122. blossom
a flower or cluster of flowers on a plant

"That's right, my blossom," said her father.

123. expand
extend in one or more directions

When she looked at you, her eyes seemed to expand, and you felt like she was looking right through you.

124. nursery
a child's room for a baby

"You know, the nursery rhyme?"

125. obstacle
something that stands in the way and must be surmounted

Other times they'd run an obstacle course, or go bungee jumping off a table, tied to broken rubber bands.

126. tank
a large vessel for holding gases or liquids

Mr. Sir filled each of their canteens from a tank of water in the bed of the pickup.

127. weigh
have a certain heft

As an example, she chose the heaviest kid in the class and the lightest kid m the class, and had

them weigh themselves.

128. layer
a single thickness of some substance or material

It was layered and streaked with different shades of red, burnt orange, brown, and tan.

129. collapse
break down, literally or metaphorically

As Stanley tried to turn over on his cot, he was afraid it was going to collapse under all his weight.

130. muscle
animal tissue consisting predominantly of contractile cells

Every muscle and joint in his body ached as he tried to get out of bed.

131. glare
be sharply reflected

As he glared at Mr. Pendanski, his dark eyes seemed to expand.

132. compound
a whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts

Two boys, each carrying a shovel, were coming across the compound.

133. grade
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

Miss Katherine usually stayed in the schoolhouse, grading papers and such, while Sam worked on the roof.
134. shaft
a long rod or pole, especially the body of a weapon

The vibrations ran up the shaft of the shovel and into Stanley's wrists, making his bones rattle.

135. adult
a fully developed person from maturity onward

She taught classes in the evening for adults, and many of the adults loved her as well.

136. meadow
a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay

39

Stanley awoke in a meadow, looking up at the giant rock tower.

137. concentrated
gathered together or made less diffuse

Zero concentrated hard, then said, "Chat."

138. patch
a small contrasting part of something

Patches of weeds dotted the mountainside.

139. drift
be in motion due to some air or water current

The truck stopped, and the dust cloud drifted past it.
140. stare
look at with fixed eyes

Stanley stared up at him, terrified.

141. guy
an informal term for a youth or man

"You're a good guy, Caveman."

142. survive
continue in existence after

"He was lucky to have survived," Stanley's mother was quick to point out.

143. desolate
providing no shelter or sustenance

The land was barren and desolate.

144. urge
force or impel in an indicated direction

"We don't have much time!" urged Katherine.

145. amazed
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise

"No."

Stanley was amazed.

146. initial
occurring at the beginning

It was full of bumps and holes because so many people had carved their initials into the felt.

147. barren
completely wanting or lacking

The land was barren and desolate.

148. remind
put in the mind of someone

The lake was so full of holes and mounds that it reminded Stanley of pictures he'd seen of the moon.

149. warn
notify of danger, potential harm, or risk

Madame Zeroni warned that if he failed to do this, he and his descendants would be doomed for all of eternity.

150. tube
a hollow cylindrical shape

It was a gold tube, about as long and as wide as the second finger on his right hand.

151. convince
make realize the truth or validity of something

Though he tried to convince himself otherwise, he'd been aware for a while that his piles of dirt were too close

to his hole.
152. peak
a V shape

In that split second Stanley thought he saw an unusual rock formation on top of one of the mountain peaks.

153. outline
the line that appears to bound an object

He rubbed off some dirt, and the outline of the fish became clearer.

154. definitely
without question and beyond doubt

They were definitely looking for something.

155. boil
change from a liquid to vapor

There were no mirrors in camp, but he imagined he looked like he had a hard- boiled egg sticking out of him.

156. leap
move forward by bounds

They have strong, powerful legs, and can leap out of very deep holes to attack their prey.

157. fan
a device for creating a current of air by movement

There was a hole in the far wall, and an electric fan had been placed in front of it.
158. reflect
throw or bend back from a surface

The bright sun reflected off the side mirror of the truck, and Stanley had to shield his eyes with his hand.

159. lap
the upper side of the thighs of a seated person

Stanley Yelnats was the only passenger on the bus, not counting the driver or the guard The guard sat next

to the driver with his seat turned around facing Stanley A rifle lay across his lap

Stanley was sitting about ten rows back, handcuffed to his armrest His backpack lay on the seat next to him

It contained his toothbrush, toothpaste, and a box of stationery his mother had given him He'd promised to

write to her at least once a week.

160. complain
express discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

Theodore spit a thin line of saliva between his teeth, causing some of the other boys to complain about the need

to keep their "home" sanitary.

161. introduce
bring something new to an environment

He told the boys to come shake Stanley's hand and introduce themselves, "like gentlemen."
162. appreciate
be fully aware of; realize fully

And as the truck bounced along the dirt, he was able to appreciate the air blowing through the open window

onto his hot and sweaty face.

163. foul
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust

Even if she didn't love him, couldn't she see what a foul person Igor was?