Коллектив авторов: Лучшие повести британских и американских писателей / Best Short Novels by British & American Authors

the Ritz Carlton Hotel– а luxurious hotel; Cesar Ritz (1850–1918) had а controlling interest in ten hotels including the Ritz in Paris (1898) and Carlton in London

Montana– the US state on the US-Canadian border

Brakeman– in the USA, an official in charge of а railway train

protagonist– а chief person in а play, story or real event

the Montana Rockies– the Rocky Mountains in western Montana, the land of high mountains and deep valleys

Croesus(the 6th century BC) – the last king of Lydia, an ancient land in Asia Minor; Croesus was extremely rich, and later his name became the symbol of wealth.

château– а large country house or castle

acciaccare– musical term: means short, crumpled, forced sound

rococo– an elaborate style in art and architecture in the late 18th century Europe

Titania– а literary character in William Shakespeare’s comedy ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ who resembles Hera, the queen of the Olympic gods, in Greek mythology

platonic– related to Plato (428 BC-348 BC), one of the greatest Greek philosophers, or his teachings

the Adriatic Sea– а part of the Mediterranean Sea between the Italian and the Balkan peninsulars

piccolo– а small flute with а tender sound

Virginian– from Virginia, а state on the US Atlantic coast, south of Washington; the state was named for Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen (1533–1603)

George Washington(1732–1799) – commander in chief in the American Revolutionary War in 1775–1783 and the first president of the United States in 1789–1797

Lord Baltimore– George Calvert who controlled the first British colony in Maryland to the north of Virginia; his son, Leonard Calvert (1606–1647), was the first governor of Maryland colony

the Civil War– а four-year war (1861–1865) between the US federal government and the Southern states that wanted to secede from the Union

St. Paul– а city on the Mississippi River in Minnesota

the Catskills– the Catskill Mountains, а part of the Appalachian Mountains in the southwest of New York state

Jersey– New Jersey, one of the thirteen original states on the Atlantic coast, south and southwest of New York

Long Island– an island in the Atlantic Ocean, the southwestern part of New York state

proclamation– an official or public statement

aliases– аn alias is a name, different from one’s own, which а person uses on some occasions or for some reasons

the Babylonian Empire– an ancient empire in Babylonia, а cultural region in Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

bric-à-brac– bits of old and curious things of no great value

nymph– in Greek and Roman mythology, а goddess living in rivers, trees, etc.; а beautiful young woman

Newport– а city in southwestern Rhode Island, US, founded in 1633

amnesia– loss of memory

wop– an Italian ( US slang)

Pro deo et patria et St. Midas– For God, and fatherland, and St. Midas ( Latin )

the Balkans– the Balkan Peninsular, а cultural and historical region in Eastern Europe

Serbian– related to Serbia, а country in the west-central Balkans

Empress Eugénie– the wife of Napoleon III (1808–1873), president of the Second Republic of France and then the emperor of France

West Virginia– а small US mountain state east of the Mississippi River, admitted to the Union in 1863

Omaha– а city in eastern Nebraska, on the west bank of the Mississippi River

Sioux City– а city in northwestern Iowa, on the Missouri River, founded in 1886

portico– entrance of а building with а roof supported by columns

Nemesis– 1. in Greek and Roman religion, the goddess of vengeance, that signified the disapproval of the gods at human deeds; 2. deserved and just punishment

Divinity– а divine person or other being

By golly!– an exclamation of surprise

rhinestones– rock-crystals; gems imitating diamonds

to cut smb. off with а hot coal– idiom to disinherit, to leave little or no money

the Hudson– а river and bay in New York state, named for Henry Hudson

the Tappan Zee– а part of the Hudson River on the west bank where the river widens and forms the Tappan Zee

St. Nicholas(4th century AD) – one of the most popular Christian saints, the bishop of Myra, а town in Lycia in Asia Minor

Greensburgh– а town on the Hudson River in the state of New York

Tarry Town– а village in Greensburgh town in southeastern New York state

the Sabbath– the day of rest (Sunday for Christians)

glen – а narrow valley

Sleepy Hollow– North Terry Town until 1996

powwows– conferences of North American Indians

Hendrick Hudson– Henry Hudson (1565–1611), an English navigator and explorer who tried to discover а route from Europe to Asia through the Arctic Ocean

Hessian(s)– or Chatti, а Germanic tribe from the eastern bank of the Rhine River

Connecticut– а small state in the northwest of the USA (12,960 square km), one of the original thirteen states of the USA and one of the six New England states

psalmody– 1. singing psalms (religious hymns); 2. f book of psalms with musical settings

by hook or by crook– idiom by any means (fair or not)

Cotton Mather(1663–1728) – an American religious leader and author; he believed in the existence of witchcraft, studied the subject and wrote about it

Saardam– а town in Holland

Kentucky– а state in the south of the USA (102 624 km2) on the border with Virginia; in 1792 Kentucky became the 15th state

Tennessee– а state to the south of Kentucky (107 040 square km); the first European explorers came to the land in 1540

piazza– veranda ( US, from Italian )

Herculean– very strong and powerful

Mercury– in Roman religion, the god of trade and merchants

Colt– а type of а revolver invented and manufactured by Samuel Colt (1814–1868), an American arms manufacturer

Mynheer– а form of polite address to а man of Dutch origin (Mister, Sir) ( Dutch )

koek– а kind of pastry