О. Генри - Лучшие рассказы О. Генри = The Best of O. Henry

Valladolid – a province and city in northwestern Spain, first mentioned in 1074

bijou = very small and exquisite

beso = kiss

vamoose – here: go away

coon = black (American, contemptuous)

Hidalgo – a title of a Spanish nobleman, a knight or a member of the gentry

Diabla bonita = a devilish beauty ( Spanish )

cañoncito = ravine, small canyon ( Spanish )

viva la reina! = long live the queen! ( Spanish )

the Alamo City = San Antonio; the Alamo, a Franciscan mission in San Antonio, was the centre of struggle for the independence of Texas from Mexico.

nom de rout = travelling name ( French )

wienerwurst = sausage ( German )

schooner – a large beer glass ( American )

game of pinochle – an American card game played either by three players or by four players in two pairs

fluid-drachm– a unit of volume used by apothecaries

Morpheus – in Greek and Roman mythology, the god of sleep

madras – cotton fabric originally made in the city of Madras, India

potrero– here: beater ( Spanish )

son of a calico broncho = a son of a stallion in calico trousers

sombrero – a broad-rimmed high hat made of straw or felt, worn in Spain, Mexico and the southwestern United State ( Spanish )

Castilian – related to Castile (land of castles), a historic region in central Spain

Kiowa – a North American Indian tribe, one of the last to capitulate to the US army

’55 = 1855

zephyr – the western wind

El Amo! = Master! ( Spanish )

Jack-in-the-box – 1) a toy with smth. inside the box that springs when the box is opened; 2) swindler, rogue ( obsolete) .

Cléo de Mérode (1875–1966) – a famous French dancer

Reubs = Reubens, unsophisticated country folk

galliwampus = here: tramp; from gallivant – to loaf.

hobo = tramp ( American )

shanghaied – to shanghai means: 1) to drug a person and then kidnap him; 2) to trick a person into an unpleasant situation.

prairie – treeless level land covered with grass

puerta = door, gates, entrance, exit ( Spanish )

Prontito – here: in a minute ( Spanish )

gruyo – here: grey

Tía = aunt ( Spanish )

coma mott = hummock

dook = duke

charco = pool ( Spanish )

quart – liquid measure equal to 0.946 litre in the USA

norther – the northern wind

Ia = Indiana, the US state in the Mid West

dyspeptic – a person suffering from indigestion

Rubenstein – Arthur Rubenstein (1887–1982), a prominent virtuoso pianist of the 20th century

Rough Riders – a regiment of the US cavalry volunteers during the Spanish-American War of 1898

Appletree’s Anaconda Appetite Bitters – a remedy to improve appetite

the Brazilians – here: the Brazilian diamonds

bronco = a mustang, wild horse of the prairies ( Spanish )

Borneo – a large mountainous island of the Malay Archipelago, one of the largest islands of the world

Esau – in the Old Testament, the eldest son of Isaac and Rebecca; once, when Esau returned home hungry, his younger brother, Jacob, deceived him and bought Esau’s right of the eldest son for a plate of soup.

Mrs. Eve settled that business for me when she made the dicker with the snake. – In the Old Testament story of Eve, the first woman on the earth, the serpent tempted her to eat the fruit from the ‘tree of knowledge of good and evil.’

Oklahoma City – the capital of Oklahoma state, and since 1907 the seat of Oklahoma county

The Garden of Eden – in the Old Testament, earthly paradise where Adam and Eve used to live before their fall

Zion – in the Old Testament, a hill in ancient Jerusalem, where in the 10th century BC the royal capital was established

the doves brought in the olive branch – in the Old Testament story of Noah, the appearance of the dove, God’s messenger, with the olive branch symbolized the end of the Flood and God’s forgiveness of people.

Worcester sauce – fermented fish sauce normally added to beef dishes

caballero– 1) horseman, rider; 2) a man of noble origin; 3) a gentleman. ( Spanish )

Cisco – diminutive from Francisco

ranger – a policeman (usually in Texas) ( American )

Matamoras – a city on the southern bank of the Rio Grande in northeastern Mexico, founded in 1824

Aztec – Indian people who ruled a large empire in what is now central Mexico in the 15th–16th centuries

mescal – a strong alcoholic drink made from agave

ex office = because of one’s position

desperadoes = bandits ( Spanish )

couleur de rose = the colour of rose-petals ( French )

Viking – a Scandinavian (Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish) seafaring warrior of the 9th–11th centuries

Terpsichorean = pertaining to dancing; Terpsichore , in Greek mythology, is one of the nine Muses, the patron of dancing

quien sabes = who knows ( Spanish )

hombre = man ( Spanish )

Pizarro – Francisco Pizarro (1475–1541), a Spanish conqueror of the Inca empire

gitanas – gypsy women ( Spanish )

padre – father ( Spanish ); here: a Catholic priest.