Томас Майн Рид - Лучшие романы Томаса Майна Рида / The Best of Thomas Mayne Reid

pari passu – here: at an even pace ( Latin )

Collosus – an immense person; a statue that is much larger than life-size

mastodon – a large elephant-looking animal, now extinct

the Scripter– the (Holy) Scripture – 1. the Bible; 2. a sacred book of any other religion

Dublin – the capital of Ireland, founded in the 9 th–10 thcenturies by the Vikings, the country’s main port, cultural, financial and commercial centre

Boniface – Saint Boniface (675–754), often called the apostle of Germany; in the text the name means a German

lunacy – madness

quidnunc(s) – a gossip, a tale-bearer

pettifogger – a person who worries about small and unimportant details

the Mexican Gulf – the Gulf of Mexico is located in the southeast of the North American continent; it is connected to the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea

zephyr(s) – wind(s) from the West; in poetical texts, the word means gentle breeze

trafficker(s) – illicit trader(s)

homonym – a word, the same in form and sound as the other, but with a different meaning

guerillas – men, fighting in small groups, not in the regular army

Havannah cigars – Havana is the capital of Cuba; the country’s world-famous Havana cigars are made from local tobacco leaves

lucifer matches – popular matches of the 19 thcentury with white phosphorus on the tip; the Greek name for Lucifer (the Venus, the morning star) is Phosphorus

dragoon – a cavalryman

jaqueta– a jacket ( Spanish )

picaresque– amusing; adventurous ( French )

onza(s)– an ounce, a monetary unit ( Spanish )

alguazil(s)– bailiff ( Spanish )

travestie– travesty – parody; an imitation on purpose

juste mileu – here: temperance ( French )

calèche– a carriage ( French )

Kirschenwasser– cherry liqueur ( German )

bonne fortune– good, happy fortune; luck ( French )

coup de théâtre – an unexpected turn of the plot (in a play) ( French )

nemine dissentiente – no one dissenting ( Latin )

Cis-Atlantic attorney – the attorney from Europe

looking daggers – the idiom to look daggers means to look with a piercing and disapproving glance

débandade– in disorder, in confusion ( French )

claque(rs) – people hired for a certain purpose (to applaud, to whistle, etc.)

Gauchos – in Latin America, cowboys of mixed (European and Indian) origin

the Pampas – in Latin America, a flat plain without trees, and covered with grass

Si non vero e ben trovato – Even if it is not true, it is a good story. ( Latin )

the Sierra Madre – a large mountain system in Mexico and the United States

the battle of Buena Vista – one of the battles in the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848

steeds of Arabia – Arabian horses were developed in the 7 thcentury in Arabia; for their qualities they are still considered one of the best breeds

Tamaulipas – the state in the northwest of Mexico on the border with Texas

gage d’amour– a token of love ( French )

ricochet – a movement of the bullet after hitting some solid surface

a Benedict – a married man

scion – a young member of the family

souvenir(s)– reminiscence(s) ( French )

Montego Bay – a city in northwestern Jamaica

the West Indies – a group of islands separating the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico from the Atlantic Ocean

Jamaica – a country of the West Indies and one of the largest islands in the Caribbean Sea

escalier– staircase ( French )

cheffonier– chiffonier – a small cupboard or a chest of drawers

fauteuil(s)– armchair(s) ( French )

ottoman(s) – a long bench with cushions and without back, often used as a chest

Quasimeans something that is not wholly genuine

the Caribbean Sea – a part of the Atlantic Ocean in Central America

the Blue Mountains – a mountain range covered with trees in eastern Jamaica; the highest peak is 2,256 metres

Cofre di Peroté – a mountain peak in Mexico

Franciscan – related to the Franciscans, a Christian religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi in the 13 thcentury

terra incognita– an unknown land ( Latin )

Chimborazo – the highest mountain peak (6,310 metres) in Ecuador

the Montezumas – the Aztec emperors, Montezuma I and Montezuma II (1466–1520); the latter was famous for his struggle against the Spanish conquistadors

myal-man– a sorcerer, shaman or wizard