Catcher in the rye word

Культовый роман «Над пропастью во ржи» был написан американским писателем Джеромом Селинджером в 1951 году. История взаимоотношений американского подростка со сверстниками и взрослыми, его мысли и чувства, его ожидания и его страхи, его взгляд на мир такой противоречивый и такой обостренный, сразу завоевала популярность не только среди молодых американцев, а среди подрастающего поколения всего мира (роман переведен практически на все языки). Роман, как ни странно, сначала предназначался для взрослых. Эта книга вошла в список из 100 лучших произведений 20 века, несмотря на тот факт, что критики ругали произведение за наличие нецензурных выражений и еще кое-что. Прочитать роман несомненно надо, написан он в своеобразной манере, читается легко. А чтобы было еще легче, вот список разговорных выражений на английском языке, которые я сама, когда-то выписала из него) Несомненно они пригодятся для тех, кого интересует разговорный английский язык. Язык, на котором говорят подростки, да и не только….

Разговорный английский из романа Д. Селинджера «Над пропастью во ржи. / The Catcher in the Rye»

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Слова и выражения

1. To flunk a subject — провалить какой-то предмет
2. to pick at — придираться
3. to pick one’s nose — ковырять в носу,
4. to shoot the bull — нести околесицу, молоть вздор,
5. to double up — согнуться, скрючиться от боли, смеха (to double up with pain)
6. to be yellow — трусить
7. yellow guy — трус
8. to ride in taxi — кататься на такси
9. dope fiend — наркоман
10. to plug smb — всадить пулю в кого-то
11. To have smth on or to have on smth — быть одетым во что-то
12. to hung up one’s coat — повесить пальто
13. to have qualms about — испытывать угрызения совести, сомнения
14. to horse around — дурачиться
15. spooky film (шутл.) — страшный фильм
16. to get to know a girl — узнать  девушку
17. To be lousy with — кишеть чем-то
18. To knock out — ошеломлять, утомлять;
19. To get smth on one’s mind — иметь что-то на уме
20. to get to hate smb — начать ненавидеть
21. to make the date with smb — назначить свидание
22. to date with — встречаться с кем-то
23. to neck with — обниматься с кем-то
24. to chew the fat — долго обсуждать что-то, жаловаться на жизнь
25. ten times as much —  в 10 раз больше
26. to pass out – терять сознание
27. to fold it 2 times  — сложить что-то в 2 раза
28. to cut classes — пропускать уроки
29. to come unprepared to a class — приходить неготовым к уроку
30. to make a phone call — звонить
31. To be in the right mood —  быть в нужном настроении
32. to lie awake — лежать без сна
33. to be fed up — быть сытым по горло
34. To grow angry with — рассердиться на
35. to know smth by heart — знать наизусть
36. to get to know smb — узнать кого-л. получше
37. to learn smth — узнать что-нибудь
38. to socialize — проводить время в обществе, общаться
39. to treat smb to lunch — угостить кого-н. ланчем
40. to get off — убраться
41. to beat it (on me) — смыться (от меня)
42. to roller-skate — кататься на роликах
43. to ride one’s bike — кататься на велосипеде
44. to ride on a bus — ехать на автобусе
    

 Фразы и разговорные выражения

1. Stop picking at that. — Прекрати придираться к этому.
2. What I like about her… — Что мне в ней нравиться…
3. It is not all my fault.  — Это не одна моя вина.
4. I am not kidding. — Я не шучу.
5. I’m not kidding myself. — Я себя не обманываю.
6. It kept getting darker. — Продолжало темнеть.
7. What were you running for? — За чем ты бежишь ?
8. I just felt like it. — Мне просто так хотелось.
9. Are you frozen to death? — Ты до смерти замерз ?
10. How’ve you been ? — I’ve been just fine.  Как поживал (съездил)?- Просто прекрасно.
11. It’s partly true, but it’s not all true. — Это не совсем правда.
12. I was sort of thinking of… — Я подумывал…
13. I sort of think… / I sort of had…  /  It was sort of funny….
14. I don’t feel like going… — Мне не хотелось идти…
15. It’s up your alley. — Это по вашей части.
16. It drives me crazy. — Это сводит меня с ума.
17. It hasn’t really hit me yet. — До меня еще не дошло.
18. I felt sorry as hell for him. — Мне было его чертовски жалко.
19. How come? — Как же так ?
20. Watch your language! — Не выражайся!
21. Strictly for the birds. — Меня на этом не проведешь.
22. If you want to know the truth. — Если хочешь знать правду…
23. In the first place… — Сперва…
24. It’s no excuse. — Это не оправдание.
25. Cut it out. — Прекрати это (сленг).
26. Let get one thing straight. — Давай выясним.
27. When in the hell are you going to grow up? — Когда, к черту, ты вырастешь?
28. What made it worse…  — И что еще хуже…
29. It killed me. — Умереть можно.
30. It would have killed me. — Это бы меня убило.
31. Go to hell! — Иди к черту!
32. Just for the hell of it. — Просто так, ради интереса
33. Sort of dizzy. — Что-то вроде коловокружения.
34. Stop swearing. — Прекрати ругаться.
35. I swear it. — Я клянусь в этом.
36. A very big deal. — Подумаешь! Большое дело!(презрит.)
37. And how! — Еще как!
38. He’s got a date.  — У него свидание.
39. It knocked me out. — Это меня вырубило.
40. Be a buddy(амер.,разг.). — Будь другом.
41. Get out of here. — Убирайся отсюда.
42. Look sharp! — Смотри в оба!
43. What was lousy about it?  — А что в этом паршивого?
44. I don’t remember exactly…  — Я точно не помню…
45. Boy, was it dark. — Боже, ну и темно же было. ( Инверсия для эмоциональной окраски).
46. She said it very cold. — ( Для разговорной речи характерно употребление прилагательного вместо наречия).

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Редко употребляемые слова:

1. dog crap — дерьмо
2. cigar-butt — окурок
3. swanky — шикарный, модный (разг)
4. fiend — одержимый, маньяк, фанатик
5. big shot — важная персона, шишка
6. hot shot guy — пижон
7. babe (амер.,разг.). — симпатичная девушка, красота
8. to booze — выпивать, пьянствовать
9. to puke — тошнить, рвать

  Итого 99 слов и разговорных выражений из культового романа, который должен прочитать любой подросток

1) Вот еще разговорный глагол apply, который мне показался интересным. Как возвратный глагол (то есть вместе с возвратным местоимением — apply oneself) — он  используется вместо академичного и заезженного глагола study.

To apply oneself (to a subject)  —  заниматься (математикой)

• To apply oneself  to mathematics

• Are you going to apply yourself? — Ты собираешься заниматься?
  

2) Как невозвратный глагол (то есть просто — apply) используется  в своем обычном значении (1) и вместо глагола concern — касаться  (2)

To apply (невозвр.)

1) обращаться к кому-то с просьбой, заявлением (особенно в письм. форме)

• to apply to smb for smth

2) относиться, касаться

• This rule applies to all. — Это правило касается всех.

• What I am saying does not apply to you. — То, что я говорю, к тебе не относится.

Удачи всем в изучении английского языка!

Full list of words from this list:

1. hemorrhage

   the flow of blood from a ruptured blood vessel

   In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two
   hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them.

2. touchy

   quick to take offense

   They’re quite
   touchy about anything like that, especially my father.

3. splendid

   very good; of the highest quality

   And underneath the guy on the horse’s picture, it always says: «Since 1888 we have been molding boys into
   splendid, clear-thinking young men.»

4. commit

   perform an act, usually with a negative connotation

   It was the last game of the year, and you were supposed to
   commit suicide or something if old Pencey didn’t win.
5. phony

   fraudulent; having a misleading appearance

   She probably knew what a
   phony slob he was.

6. foil

   a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button

   I left all the
   foils and equipment and stuff on the goddam subway.

7. ostracize

   expel from a community or group

   The whole team
   ostracized me the whole way back on the train.
8. grippe

   an acute, febrile, highly contagious viral disease

   He had the
   grippe, and I figured I probably wouldn’t see him again till Christmas vacation started.

9. academic

   associated with an educational institution

   It has a very good
   academic rating, Pencey.

10. posture

    the arrangement of the body and its limbs

    I mean he was all stooped over, and he had very terrible
    posture, and in class, whenever he dropped a piece of chalk at the blackboard, some guy in the first row always had to get up and pick it up and hand it to him.

11. privilege

    a special advantage or benefit not enjoyed by all

    I had the
    privilege of meeting your mother and dad when they had their little chat with Dr. Thurmer some weeks ago.

12. sarcastic

    expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds

    «You glanced through it, eh?» he said—very
    sarcastic.

13. alternative

    one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen

    It was a very dirty trick, but I went over and brought it over to him—I didn’t have any
    alternative or anything.

14. reside

    live in

    The Egyptians were an ancient race of Caucasians
    residing in one of the northern sections of Africa.

15. latter

    referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned

    The
    latter as we all know is the largest continent in the Eastern Hemisphere.

16. innumerable

    too many to be counted

    Modern science would still like to know what the secret ingredients were that the Egyptians used when they wrapped up dead people so that their faces would not rot for
    innumerable centuries.

17. lagoon

    a body of water cut off from a larger body by a reef

    I live in New York, and I was thinking about the
    lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South.
18. qualm

    uneasiness about the fitness of an action

    «Do you have any particular
    qualms about leaving Pencey?»

19. liable

    likely to be or do something

    If I’m on my way to the store to buy a magazine, even, and somebody asks me where I’m going, I’m
    liable to say I’m going to the opera.

20. sheer

    complete and without restriction

    So when I told old Spencer I had to go to the gym and get my equipment and stuff, that was a
    sheer lie.

21. undertaking

    the trade of a funeral director

    He made a pot of dough in the
    undertaking business after he got out of Pencey.

22. swell

    very good

    He was telling us all about what a
    swell guy he was, what a hot-shot and all, then all of a sudden this guy sitting in the row in front of me, Edgar Marsalla, laid this terrific fart.

23. crude

    conspicuously and tastelessly indecent

    It was a very
    crude thing to do, in chapel and all, but it was also quite amusing.

24. rostrum

    a platform raised above the surrounding level

    Hardly anybody laughed out loud, and old Ossenburger made out like he didn’t even hear it, but old Thurmer, the headmaster, was sitting right next to him on the
    rostrum and all, and you could tell he heard it.
25. compulsory

    required by rule

    He didn’t say anything then, but the next night he made us have
    compulsory study hall in the academic building and he came up and made a speech.

26. illiterate

    lacking culture, especially in language and writing

    I’m quite
    illiterate, but I read a lot.

27. peculiar

    markedly different from the usual

    He was a very
    peculiar guy.

28. hoarse

    deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness

    «I think I’m going blind,» I said in this very
    hoarse voice.

29. grope

    feel about uncertainly or blindly

    I started
    groping around in front of me, like a blind guy, but without getting up or anything.

30. sadistic

    deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on another

    I was pretty
    sadistic with him quite often.

31. falsetto

    artificially high; above the normal voice range

    He started laughing in this very high
    falsetto voice.

32. conceited

    having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

    «He’s
    conceited, but he’s very generous in some things. He really is,» I said.

33. aggravate

    exasperate or irritate

    Boy, he could really be
    aggravating sometimes.

34. flatter

    praise somewhat dishonestly

    He was only
    flattering me, though, because right away he said, «Listen. Are ya gonna write that composition for me? I have to know.»
35. liberate

    grant freedom to; free from confinement

    I had a pretty good half nelson on him. »
    Liberate yourself from my viselike grip.» I said.

36. vise

    a holding device attached to a workbench

    I had a pretty good half nelson on him. «Liberate yourself from my
    viselike grip.» I said.

37. rile

    disturb, especially by minor irritations

    You couldn’t
    rile him too easily.

38. fiend

    a person motivated by irrational enthusiasm

    Old Brossard was a bridge
    fiend, and he started looking around the dorm for a game.

39. monotonous

    sounded or spoken in a tone unvarying in pitch

    He started talking in this very
    monotonous voice, and picking at all his pimples.

40. halitosis

    offensive breath

    That guy had just about everything. Sinus trouble, pimples, lousy teeth,
    halitosis, crumby fingernails.

Created on March 12, 2013
(updated July 20, 2018)

Chapter-by-chapter definitions of vocabulary in The Catcher in the Rye

Chapter 1

• Lousy (adjective)

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, an what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.“ (page 1)

definition: Very bad or poor; disgusting

• Crumby (adjective)

“That isn’t too far from this crumby place, and he comes over and visits me practically every week end.” (page 1)

definition: 1. Miserable or wretched. 2. Shabby or cheap.

• Hemorrhage (noun)

“In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them.” (page 1)

definition: An escape of blood from a ruptured blood vessel, especially when profuse.

• Grandstand (noun)

“You couldn’t see the grandstand too hot, but you could hear them all yelling, deep and terrific on the Pencey side, because practically the whole school except me was there, and scrawny and faggy on the Saxon Hall side, because the visiting team hardly ever brought many people with them.“ (page 2)

definition: The main seating area, usually roofed, commanding the best view for spectators at racetracks or sports stadiums.

• Scrawny (adjective)

“You couldn’t see the grandstand too hot, but you could hear them all yelling, deep and terrific on the Pencey side, because practically the whole school except me was there, and scrawny and faggy on the Saxon Hall side, because the visiting team hardly ever brought many people with them.” (page 2)

definition: Unattractively skinny and bony.

• Phony (adjective)

“She probably knew what a phony slob he was.” (page 3)

definition: 1. Not genuine or real; sham or counterfeit. 2. Spurious, deceptive, or false 3. Fraudulent, deceitful, or dishonest.

• Ostracize (verb)

“The whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train. It was pretty funny, in a way.” (page 3)

definition : To exclude, by general consent, from society, friendship,conversation, privileges, etc.:

• Flunk (verb)

“I wasn’t supposed to come back after Christmas vacation on account of I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and all.

definition: To fail in a course or examination.

• Ax (“get/give the ax”)

“So I got the ax. They give guys the ax quite frequently at Pencey.”

definition: Be discharged or fired, expelled, or rejected.

• Crook (noun)

“Pencey was full of crooks. Quite a few guys came from these very wealthy families, but it was full of crooks anyway.”

definition: A dishonest person, especially a sharper, swindler, or thief.

• Dough (noun, slang)

“They didn’t have too much dough.”

definition: Slang for money.

Chapter 2

• chuckling (verb)

“Old Spencer’d practically kill himself chuckling and smiling and all”

definition : to laugh softly or amusedly, usually with satisfaction

• hot-shot (noun)

“If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then it’s a game, all right–I’ll admit that.”

definition : An especially gifted and effective person; a notably successful person; ball of fire, winner •Often used ironically

• chiffonier (noun)

“He started walking around the room, very slow and all, the way he always did, picking up your personal stuff off your desk and chiffonier.”

definition : a high chest of drawers or bureau, often having a mirror on top.

• firecracker (noun)

“He was hot as a firecracker.”

definition : a paper or cardboard cylinder filled with an explosive and having a fuse, for discharging to make a noise, as during a celebration.

• lagoon (noun)

“ I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over (…)”

definition : any small, pond-like body of water, especially one connected with a larger body of water.

• corny (adjective)

“ I mean if a boy’s mother was sort of fat or corny-looking or something(…)”

definition : old-fashioned, trite, or lacking in subtlety:

• qualms (noun)

“”Oh, I have a few qualms, all right. Sure. . . but not too many. Not yet, anyway.”

definition : an uneasy feeling or pang of conscience as to conduct; compunction:

Chapter 3

• undertaker (noun, from undertaking business)

definition : a person who undertakes something (to take upon oneself, as a task, performance, etc.)

• grandstand (noun)

“(…)we all had to stand up in the grandstand and give him a locomotive–that’s a cheer.”

definition :  The main seating area, usually roofed, commanding the best view for spectators at racetracks or sports stadiums.

• rostrum (noun)

“ (…) but old Thurmer, the headmaster, was sitting right next to him on the rostrum and all, and you could tell he heard it.”

definition : any platform, stage, or the like, for public speaking.

• sadistic (adjective)

“ I was pretty sadistic with him quite often.”

definition : pertaining to or characterized by sadism; deriving pleasure or sexual gratification from extreme cruelty:

Chapter 4

• can (noun)

“I didn’t have anything special to do, so I went down to the can and chewed the rag with him while he was shaving.”

definition :  slang for bathroom, toilet

• lather (noun)

“It was always rusty as hell and full of lather and hairs and crap.”

definition : foam or froth made by a detergent, especially soap, when stirred or rubbed in water, as by a brush used in shaving or by hands in washing.

• exhibitionist (noun)

“All I need’s an audience. I’m an exhibitionist.”

definition : a person who behaves in ways intended to attract attention or display his or her powers, personality, etc.

• caddy (verb)

“I caddy’d for her mother a couple of times.”

definition : a person who runs errands, does odd jobs, etc, a person hired to carry a player’s clubs, find the ball, etc in golf

• booze hound (noun)

“About the booze hound running around the house naked, with Jane around.”

definition : A person who habitually drinks a great deal of whiskey, a drunk

• hound’s-tooth (noun)

“No kidding, you gonna use your hound’s-tooth tonight or not?”

definition : a pattern of broken or jagged checks

• conceited (adjective)

“He’s conceited, but he’s very generous in some things. He really is,”

definition : having an excessively favorable opinion of one’s abilities, appearance,etc.

• rile (verb)

“ You couldn’t rile him too easily.”

definition : to irritate or vex

Chapter 5

• galoshes (noun)

“Hidden in his goddam galoshes or something, for instance.”

definition : a waterproof overshoe

• halitosis (noun)

“ I have this one stupid aunt with halitosis that kept saying how peaceful he looked lying there, D.B. told me.”

definition : chronic foul-smelling breath

• psychoanalyzed (verb)

“ I was only thirteen, and they were going to have me psychoanalyzed and all(…)”

definition : to be treated by psychoanalysis, a systematic structure of theories concerning the relation of consciousand unconscious psychological processes.

• monotonous (adjective)

“All he did was keep talking in this very monotonous voice about some babe he was supposed to have had sexual intercourse with the summer before.”

definition : lacking in variety, a sound continuing on one note

Chapter 6

• unscrupulous (adjective)

“He was unscrupulous. He really was. “

definition :  not scrupulous; unrestrained by scruples; conscienceless;unprincipled.

• griping (verb)

“He came in griping about how cold it was out.”

definition : to complain naggingly or constantly; grumble

• yap (noun)

“If you don’t keep your yap shut, I’m gonna–”

definition : slang, mouth

• gore (noun)

“ You never saw such gore in your life.”

definition : blood that is shed, especially when clotted.

Chapter 7

• tiff (noun)

“I had a little goddam tiff with Stradlater”

definition : a slight or petty quarrel.

• Canasta (noun)

“He was a Canasta fiend.”

definition : a variety of rummy, a card game

• acquainted (adjective)

“ I was personally acquainted with at least two girls he gave the time to.”

definition : brought into social contact; made familiar:

• fiend (noun)

“ Old Brossard was a bridge fiend, and he started looking around the dorm for a game.”

definition : a person who is excessively interested in some game, sport, etc.; fan; buff

• monastery (noun)

“Listen. What’s the routine on joining a monastery?”

definition : a house or place of residence occupied by a community of persons, especially monks, living in seclusion under religious vows.

• dopy (adjective)

“ I could see my mother going in Spaulding’s and asking the salesman a million dopy questions”

definition : stupid, inane

• lavish (adjective)

“ I have this grandmother that’s quite lavish with her dough.”

definition : expended, bestowed, or occurring in profusion, using or giving in great amounts

Chapter 8

• conscientious (adjective)

“Some of the faculty are pretty conscientious.”

definition :careful and painstaking; particular; meticulous; scrupulous: governed by personal principle

• wolf (verb)

“She inhaled and all, but she didn’t wolf the smoke down, the way most women around her age do.”

definition : to devour voraciously

Chapter 9

• incognito (adverb)

“traveling incognito.”

definition : with the real identity concealed

• screwball (noun)

“Screwballs all over the place.”

definition :an eccentric or whimsically eccentric person; a nut.

• bellboy (noun)

“The bellboy that showed me to the room was this very old guy around sixty-five.”

definition : a person who is employed, especially by a hotel, to carry guests’ luggage, run errands, etc.

• burlesque (adjective)

“She used to be a burlesque stripper or something.”

definition : a humorous and provocative stage show featuringslapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and ascantily clad female chorus.

• suave (adjective)

“ I said it suave as hell. I really did.”

definition : smoothly agreeable or polite.

• fouled (verb)

“Boy, I really fouled that up.”

definition : to cause confusion or disorder; bungle; spoil.

Chapter 10

• putrid (adjective)

“ It was so putrid I couldn’t take my eyes off it.”

definition :in a state of foul decay or decomposition, as animal or vegetablematter; rotten

• jitterbugging (verb)

“Do you feel like jitterbugging a little bit, if they play a fast one?”

definition : a strenuously acrobatic dance consisting of a few standardized stepsaugmented by twirls, splits, somersaults, etc.

• immaterial (adjective)

“It’s immaterial to me”

definition : of no essential consequence; unimportant

• sterling (adjective)

“ She had a sterling sense of humor.”

definition :thoroughly excellent

Chapter 11

• snubbing (verb)

“I mean my mother always thought Jane and her mother were sort of snubbing her or something when they didn’t say hello.”

definition : to treat with disdain or contempt, especially by ignoring.

• necking (verb)

“ It was the only time old Jane and I ever got close to necking, even.”

definition : kissing, caressing, and other sexual activity between partners that does not involve stimulation of the genitals or sexual intercourse.

Chapter 12

• hoodlum (noun)

“Now and then you just saw a man and a girl crossing a street, with their arms around each other’s waists and all, or a bunch of hoodlumy-looking guys and their dates”

definition : a thug or gangster

• crocked (verb)

“In the first place, they were both slightly crocked.”

definition : drunk

• pansy (noun)

“He was one of those guys that think they’re being a pansy if they don’t break around forty of your fingers when they shake hands with you.”

definition : a weak, effeminate, and often cowardly man.

Chapter 13

• yellow (adjective, NOT colour)

“ I’m one of these very yellow guys.:

definition : cowardly

• nonchalant (adjective)

“ I was getting more and more nonchalant as it went along.”

definition : coolly unconcerned

• rake (noun, slang, NOT the tool)

“He was a real rake and all, but he knocked women out.”

definition : man who is habituated to immoral conduct

• slip (noun, article of clothing)

“All she had on was this pink slip.”

definition : woman’s undergarment worn underneath a skirt or dress

• crumb-bum (noun)

“So long, crumb-bum,”

definition : a worthless, meretricious person

Chapter 14

• lunatic (noun)

“ If you want to know the truth, the guy I like best in the Bible, next to Jesus, was that lunatic and all, that lived in the tombs and kept cutting himself with stones.”

definition : an insane person

• psychic (noun)

“I knew who it was, too. I’m psychic.”

definition : sensitive to influences or forces of a nonphysical or supernatural nature.

• scraggy (adjective)

“All those scraggy looking Santa Clauses were standing on corners ringing those bells, and the Salvation Army girls, the ones that don’t wear any lipstick or anything, were tinging bells too.”

definition : lean or thin, scrawny

• rubbernecks (noun)

“(…)there were at least a couple of hundred rubbernecks that didn’t have anything better to do than stand around and watch everybody falling all over themselves.”

definition : a sightseer; tourist.

Chapter 15

• spendthrift (noun)

“ I’m a goddam spendthrift at heart.”

definition : a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; prodigal.

• cowhide (noun)

“ Mine came from Mark Cross, and they were genuine cowhide and all that crap, and I guess they cost quite a pretty penny.”

definition : leather made of cow hide : dried cow skin

• bourgeois (adjective)

“Everything I had was bourgeois as hell”

definition : belonging to, characteristic of, or consisting of the middle class.

Chapter 16

• swanky (adjective)

“ You could tell, for one thing, that they never went anywhere swanky for lunch.”

definition : elegant or ostentatious

• gooseflesh (noun)

“It made you depressed, and every once in a while, for no reason, you got goose flesh while you walked.”

definition :  a rough condition of the skin, resembling that of a plucked goose,induced by cold or fear

• bandstand (noun)

“ She likes to skate near the bandstand.”

definition : a raised platform in a nightclub, restaurant, etc., used by the members of a band or orchestra while performing. : a platform, oftenroofed, for outdoor band performances.

• skate key (noun)

“I knew that was the museum the kid with the skate key meant.”

definition : A small special-purpose wrench used to adjust the clamps once used to hold roller skates on shoes.

• mutinying (verb)

“(…)and then the sailors mutinying on him and all.”

definition : to commit the offense of mutiny; revolt against authority

• ought (verb)

“He told us we ought to think of Jesus as our buddy and all.”

definition : used to express duty or moral obligation, should

Chapter 17

• raspy (adjective)

“(…) and he’d be whistling while he did it, if he wasn’t talking in this raspy voice.”

definition : harsh; grating

• beret (noun)

“She hardly ever wore a hat, but that beret looked nice.”

definition : a soft, visorless cap with a close-fitting headband and a wide, round top often with a tab at its center.

• bunk (noun, slang)

“All that crap they have in cartoons in the Saturday Evening Post and all, showing guys on street corners looking sore as hell because their dates are late–that’s bunk.”

definition : absurd, ridiculous, nonsense

• crew cut (noun)

“I went to my room and put some water on my hair, but you can’t really comb a crew cut or anything.”

definition : a haircut in which the hair is very closely cropped.

• blasé (adjective)

“He was with some gorgeous blonde, and the two of them were trying to be very blasé and all(…)”

definition : indifferent to or bored with life; unimpressed, as or as if from an excess of worldly pleasures.

• Ivy League (noun)

“I wouldn’t go to one of those Ivy League colleges, if I was dying(…)”

definition : a group of colleges and universities in the northeastern U.S.,  having a reputation for high scholastic achievement and social prestige.

• clique (noun)

“(…)and all you do is talk about girls and liquor and sex all day, and everybody sticks together in these dirty little goddam cliques.”

definition : a small, exclusive group of people

• oodles (noun)

“There wouldn’t be oodles of places to go to at all.”

definition : a large quantity:

• dame (noun)

“ There’s always a dumb horse race, and some dame breaking a bottle over a ship(…)”

definition : a matronly woman of advanced age; matron.

Chapter 18

• enlightening (adjective)

“He was very enlightening sometimes.”

definition : to give intellectual or spiritual light to; instruct; impart knowledge to

• Rockettes (noun)

“Then, after the Rockettes, a guy came out in a tuxedo and roller skates on, and started skating under a bunch of little tables, and telling jokes while he did it.”

definition : A precision dance company who perform at Radio City Music Hall

• crucifixes (noun)

“(…)about a bunch of actors carrying crucifixes all over the stage.”

definition : a cross with the figure of Jesus crucified upon it.

• sacrilegious (adjective)

“Sally said I was a sacrilegious atheist.”

definition : the violation or profanation of anything sacred or held sacred.

• furlough (noun)

“I was practically a child at the time, but I remember when he used to come home on furlough and all, all he did was lie on his bed, practically.”

definition : a usually temporary layoff from work:

Chapter 19

• louse (noun)

“The bartender was a louse, too.”

definition : any small, wingless insect of the order Anoplura, or a mean, nasty person

• snowing (verb, slang)

“What he’d do was, he’d start snowing his date in this very quiet, sincere voice.”

definition : to persuade or deceive:

• aristocratic (adjective)

“He kept telling her she had aristocratic hands.”

definition : anything regarded as the best, most elegant, or most stylish of its kind: relating to a member of an aristocracy, a noble

• flit (noun)

“The other end of the bar was full of flits.”

definition : a contemptuous term used to refer to a male homosexual.

• inane (adjective)

“Must we go on with this inane conversation?”

definition : lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly:

Chapter 20

• sophisticated (adjective)

“She liked shows that are supposed to be very sophisticated and dry and all, with the Lunts and all.”

definition : altered by education, experience, etc., so as to be worldly-wise; not naive

• staggering (verb)

“Finally, though, I came out and went in the men’s room, staggering around like a moron, and filled one of the washbowls with cold water.”

definition : to walk, move, or stand unsteadily.

• radiator (noun)

“(…)so I kept sitting on the radiator and counting these little white squares on the floor.”

definition : any of various heating devices, as a series or coil of pipes through which steam or hot water passes.

• chattering (verb)

“It was getting very cold out again, and my teeth started chattering like hell.”

definition : to make a rapid clicking noise by striking together:

• fond (adjective)

“ I mean she’s quite fond of me.”

definition : having a liking or affection for

Chapter 21

• bloodhound (noun)

“ But my parents, especially my mother, she has ears like a goddam bloodhound.”

definition : one of a breed of medium- to large-sized dogs, usually having a black-and-tan coat, very long ears, loose skin, and an acute sense of smell

• loafers (noun)

“They were these dark brown loafers, sort of like this pair I have, and they went swell with that suit my mother bought her in Canada.”

definition : a leather shoe shaped like a moccasin, with a low flat heel.

• windbreaker (noun)

“This other girl and me, Selma Atterbury, put ink and stuff all over his windbreaker.”

definition : a brand name for a jacket of wind-resistant material with close-fitting elastic hip band and cuffs.

• plastered (adjective, slang)

“I was plastered.”

definition : drunk

Chapter 22

• cock-eyed (adjective)

definition : having a squinting eye.

• squealed (verb, slang)

“(…)one of Stabile’s lousy friends went and squealed on him to Stabile.”

definition : to turn informer; inform.

Chapter 23

• snappy (adjective)

“I made it very snappy on the phone because I was afraid my parents would barge in on me right in the middle of it.”

definition : impatient or irritable, as a person or a reply, quick and rushed

• Yogi (noun)

“She was sitting smack in the middle of the bed, outside the covers, with her legs folded like one of those Yogi guys.”

definition : a person who practices yoga

Chapter 24

• Oiled up (slang)

“He was pretty oiled up, for one thing.”

definition : drunk

• spontaneous (adjective

“You know. Spontaneous and all.”

definition : given to acting upon sudden impulses

• digresses (verb)

“And if the boy digresses at all, you’re supposed to yell ‘Digression!’ at him as fast as you can.“

definition : to deviate or wander away from the main topic or purpose in speaking or writing

• digression (noun)

“ That digression business got on my nerves.”

definition : a passage or section that deviates from the central theme in speech or writing.

• polio (noun)

“(…) his uncle got polio and all when he was forty-two years old.”

definition : an acute viral disease, usually affecting children and young adults, caused by any of three polioviruses

• pedagogical (adjective)

“Holden. . . One short, faintly stuffy, pedagogical question.”

definition : anything relating to a person who is pedantic, dogmatic, and formal.

• stuffy (adjective)

“Holden. . . One short, faintly stuffy, pedagogical question.”

definition : dull or tedious; boring

• provocative (adjective)

“Or, if his uncle’s brace is such a provocative subject, shouldn’t he have selected it in the first place as his subject–not the farm?”

definition : tending or serving to provoke; inciting, stimulating, irritating, orvexing.

• unify (verb)

“I mean you can’t hardly ever simplify and unify something just because somebody wants you to.”

definition : to unite, make a single unit

• stenographer (noun)

“Or you may end up in some business office, throwing paper clips at the nearest stenographer.”

definition : a person who specializes in taking dictation in shorthand.

• nobly (adjective)

“The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause(…)”

definition : courageously; bravely; gallantly

• morally (adverb)

“Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now.”

definition : virtuously

• spiritually (adverb)

“Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now.”

definition : of, relating to, or consisting of spirit; incorporeal.

• reciprocal (adjective)

“It’s a beautiful reciprocal arrangement.”

definition : given or felt by each toward the other; mutual:

• trusty (adjective)

“I could see his trusty highball glass in his hand.”

definition : able to be trusted or relied on; trustworthy; reliable.

Chapter 25

• handkerchief (noun)

“ I don’t even think the bastard had a handkerchief, if you want to know the truth.”

definition : a small piece of linen, silk, or other fabric, usually square, and used especially for wiping one’s nose, eyes, face, etc., or for decorative purposes.

• unsanitary (adjective)

“I mean I hadn’t eaten anything unsanitary or like that and usually I have quite a strong stomach.”

definition : unhealthy or unhealthful; tending to harbor or spread disease:

• bum a ride (slang)

“What I’d do, I figured, I’d go down to the Holland Tunnel and bum a ride(…)”

definition : hitch a ride, get a ride in a passing vehicle

• stationery (noun)

“I was too excited to write the note right in the stationery store.”

definition : office supplies, paper for writing

• shoot the breeze (slang)

“ Then the old lady that was around a hundred years old and I shot the breeze for a while(…)”

definition : have a casual conversation