A Good Man is Hard to Find

1. valise (noun):

suitcase or travel bag

“She had her big black valise that looked like the head of a hippopotamus in one corner, and underneath it she was hiding a basket with Pitty Sing, the cat, in it.” (Page 12)

2. asphyxiate (verb):

kill someone by depriving them of oxygen

“She didn’t intend for the cat to be left alone in the house for three days because he would miss her too much and she was afraid he might brush against one of the gas burners and accidentally asphyxiate himself.” (Page 12)

3. britches (noun):

pants or trousers that end above the knee

“‘He didn’t have any britches on,’ June Star said.” (Page 13)

4. maiden (adjective):

young or unmarried

“She said once when she was a maiden lady she had been courted by a Mr. Edgar Atkins Teagarden from Jasper, Georgia.” (Page 14)

5. nickelodeon (noun):

coin-operated machine that plays music; old-fashioned jukebox

“They all sat down at a board table next to the nickelodeon and Red Sam’s wife, a tall burnt-brown woman with hair and eyes lighter than her skin, came and took their order.” (Page 15)

6. disposition (noun):

quality of an individual’s personality or character

“He didn’t have a naturally sunny disposition like she did and trips made him nervous.” (Page 15)

7. trellis (noun):

wooden or metal framework supporting trees or climbing plants

“She said the house had six white columns across the front and that there was an avenue of oaks leading up to it and two little wooden trellis arbors on either side in front where you sat down with your suitor after a stroll in the garden.” (Page 16)

8. embankments (plural noun):

structures made of earth or stone carrying a road over low ground

“The dirt road was hilly and there were sudden washes in it and sharp curves on dangerous embankments.” (Page 18)

9. dilated (past tense verb):

widened, became more open

“The thought was so embarrassing that she turned red in the face and her eyes dilated and her feet jumped up, upsetting her valise in the corner.” (Page 18)

10. gulch (noun):

deep, narrow ravine

“The car turned over once and landed right-side-up in a gulch off the side of the road.” (Page 18)

11. frenzy (noun):

state of uncontrolled excitement or wildness

“‘We’ve had an ACCIDENT!’ the children screamed in a frenzy of delight.” (Page 19)

12. jaunty (adjective):

lively and cheerful

“‘But nobody’s killed,’ June Star said with disappointment as the grandmother limped out of the car, her hat still pinned to her head but the broken front brim standing up at a jaunty angle and the violet spray hanging off the side.” (Page 19)

13. embossed (past participle):

carved or stamped onto a surface

“One was a fat boy in black trousers and a red sweat shirt with a silver stallion embossed on the front of it.” (Page 19)

14. scholarly (adjective):

related to academic study

“His hair was just beginning to gray and he wore silver-rimmed spectacles that gave him a scholarly look.” (Page 20)

15. predicament (noun):

difficult situation

“‘Look here, now,’ Bailey began suddenly, ‘we’re in a predicament!’” (Page 20)

16. card (noun):

witty or eccentric person; [a] character

“‘Daddy was a card himself,’ The Misfit said.” (Page 22)

17. glassy (adjective):

when describing eyes, showing no animation

“[...][H]e looked up at the children’s mother and the little girl who were sitting close together, their faces white and their eyes glassy;” (Page 23)

18. penitentiary (noun):

prison for people convicted of serious crimes

“‘I never was a bad boy that I remember of,’ The Misfit said in an almost dreamy voice, ‘but somewheres along the line I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary.’” (Page 23)

19. undertaker (noun):

person who prepares bodies for burial

“‘Lady,’ The Misfit said, looking beyond her far into the woods, ‘there never was a body that give the undertaker a tip.’” (Page 25)

20. parched (adjective):

dried out from heat; very thirsty

“There were two more pistol reports and the grandmother raised her head like a parched old turkey hen crying for water and called, ‘Bailey Boy, Bailey Boy!’ as if her heart would break.” (Page 25)