The Outsiders

1. asset (noun):

a useful or desirable quality 

“Not like the Socs, who jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks, and get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next.” (Chapter 1, Page 11)

2. madras (adjective):

made of a light cotton fabric, especially in multicolored plaid or stripes

“He had on a madras shirt. I can still see it. Blue madras.” (Chapter 1, Page 13)

3. unfathomable (adjective):

not able to be understood; incomprehensible

“He liked fights, blondes, and for some unfathomable reason, school.” (Chapter 1, Page 18)

4. roguishly (adverb):

in a playfully mischievous way

“Dally grinned roguishly. ‘I’m never nice. Want a Coke?’” (Chapter 2, Page 30)

5. gallantly (adverb):

in a courageous, spirited, or noble-minded way

“Two-Bit gallantly offered to walk them home—the west side of town was only about twenty miles away—but they wanted to call their parents and have them come and get them.” (Chapter 3, Page 45)

6. smoldering (past progressive verb):

displaying repressed indignation or anger

“Johnnycake made a kind of gasp and his eyes were smoldering.” (Chapter 4, Page 63) 

7. apprehensive (adjective):

uneasy or fearful about something that might happen

“He was pretty well crocked, which made me apprehensive. If Dally was drunk and in a dangerous mood....” (Chapter 4, Page 67)

8. contemptuously (adverb):

in a way that expresses disrespect or disdain

“‘Oh, shoot, kid’—Dally glanced contemptuously over his shoulder—‘I was in the bedroom.’” (Chapter 4, Page 67)

9. reformatory (noun):

a penal institution for reforming young offenders, especially minors

“If Johnny got caught, they’d give him the electric chair, and if they caught me, I’d be sent to a reformatory.” (Chapter 4, Page 73)

10. gorged (past tense verb):

ate greedily 

“Johnny and I gorged on barbecue sandwiches and banana splits.” (Chapter 5, Page 91)

11. bewilderment (noun):

a state of confusion or puzzlement

“Johnny didn’t say anything. But he stared at the dashboard with such hurt bewilderment that I could have bawled.” (Chapter 6, Page 96)

12. conviction (noun):

a fixed or firm belief

“‘I was scared,’ Johnny said with conviction. ‘I still am.’” (Chapter 6, Page 97)

13. radiates (verb):

projects joy or goodwill 

“The reporters stared at him admiringly; I told you he looks like a movie star, and he kind of radiates.” (Chapter 7, Page 109)

14. drawled (past tense verb):

spoke in a slow manner, usually prolonging the vowels

“Two-Bit’s mother warned us about burglars, but Darry, flexing his muscles so that they bulged like oversized baseballs, drawled that he wasn’t afraid of any burglars, and that we didn’t really have anything worth taking.” (Chapter 8, Page 134)

15. doggedly (adverb): in a persistent or tenacious manner

“Two-Bit knew what I meant, but doggedly pretended not to.” (Chapter 8, Page 135)

16. spruced (past tense verb):

dressed up; made oneself trim in dress and appearance

“Me and Soda and Darry always got spruced up before a rumble.” (Chapter 9, Page 139)

17. clenching (participial adjective):

closing tightly

“We had stood there, clenching our teeth and grimacing, with sweat pouring down our faces and the smell of burning flesh making us sick, each refusing to holler, until Tim happened to stroll by.” (Chapter 9, Page 142)

18. superiority (noun):

the condition of being better or more important than someone else

“Sodapop looked down at me with mock superiority, but Darry went on: ‘You can see he uses [his head] for one thing—to grow hair on.’ He ducked Soda’s swing and took off for the door.” (Chapter 9, Page 143)

19. dumfounded (adjective):

speechless with amazement (also dumbfounded)

“‘Gosh, mister, I’m sorry,’ I said, dumfounded.” (Chapter 10, Page 159)

20. indignantly (adverb):

with a sense of injury or strong displeasure at something considered unjust, insulting, or offensive

“Soda looked back at him indignantly. ‘You’d think I was going to challenge him to a track meet or something right off the bat.’” (Chapter 10, Page 167)