The Glass Castle Vocabulary, pages 186-288 KEY
In the following sentences, circle contextual clues suggesting the meaning of the underlined word, then define it.
1) tirade
CONTEXT: “I said that since neither she nor Dad could be bothered to work, and since she refused to leave Dad, the
government was going to do the job of splitting up the family for her. I expected Mom to come back with one of her
choice remarks, but she listened to my tirade in silence” (194).
DEFINITION: a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation; rant
2) ultimatum
CONTEXT: “I thought a strong woman would be able to manage Dad. What he needed was someone who was focused and
determined, someone who would set ultimatums and stick to them. I figured I was strong enough to keep Dad in line”
(208).
DEFINTION: a final, uncompromising demand, the rejection of which could lead to severance of relations or use of force
3) deference
CONTEXT: “In the hallways [after interviewing record-setting pilot Chuck Yeager], the other kids kept coming up to me to
tell me how lucky I was. ‘What was he really like?’ they asked. ‘What did he say?’ Everyone treated me with the
deference accorded only to the school’s top athletes. Even the varsity quarterback caught my eye and nodded” (234).
DEFINITION: humble submission; respect
4) muckrake
CONTEXT: “The owner, publisher, and editor in chief was Mike Armstrong. He saw himself as a muckraking gadfly and
had mortgaged his brownstone [i.e., row house apartment] five times to keep The Phoenix going” (248).
DEFINITION: to search for and expose real or alleged corruption, scandal, or the like, especially in politics
5) dilapidated
CONTEXT: “Mom and Dad found a room in a boardinghouse a few blocks from Lori’s apartment. The steely-haired
landlady helped them move in, and a couple of months later, when they fell behind on their rent, she put their belongings
on the street and padlocked their room. Mom and Dad moved into a six-story flophouse in a more dilapidated
neighborhood” (253).
DEFINITION: in a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect; rundown
6) destitute
CONTEXT: “And [Mom] was not destitute. She had her collection of antique Indian jewelry, which she kept in a self-storage
locker. There was the two-carat diamond ring that Brian and I had found under the rotten lumber back in Welch… She
still owned property in Phoenix. And she had the land in Texas, the source of her oil-lease royalties” (258).
DEFINITION: without means of subsistence; lacking food, clothing, and shelter
7) gaunt
CONTEXT: “He was paler and more gaunt than usual, but despite all his years of hard living, he had aged very little” (260).
DEFINITION: lean, bony, and haggard, especially because of age, hunger, or suffering
8) arraign
CONTEXT: “Six months later, Maureen stabbed Mom… Mom insisted Maureen had not actually been trying to kill her…
but the wound required stitches, and the police arrested Maureen. She was arraigned a few days later” (275).
DEFINITION: to bring someone before a court to answer a criminal charge
9) nonchalant
CONTEXT: “Brian was fuming. Lori looked grief-stricken. Dad was half potted [i.e., drunk] and kept trying to pick
fights with the security guards. But Mom acted like her normal self—nonchalant in the face of adversity” (275).
DEFINITION: feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm
10) recrimination
CONTEXT: After Rose Mary’s observation about Jeannette’s Egyptian couch, “Every household… needs one piece of
furniture in really bad taste“: [Brian] looked at the dishes. I knew what he was thinking, what he thought every time he
saw a spread like this one. He shook his head and said, ‘You know, it’s really not that hard to put food on the table if
that’s what you decide to do.’ ‘Now, no recriminations,” Lori told him” (288).
DEFINITION: an accusation in response to an accusation from someone else; a countercharge