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

cruller– fried pastry ( US )

St. Vitus– а saint whom people in the late Middle Ages asked for cure from а neurological disease, characterized by involuntary spasmodic movements of muscles (the so called St. Vitus dance)

frigate– а fast sailing warship

heretical– contrary to generally accepted opinion or belief

goblin– in English and Scottish folklore, а small malicious fairy which inhabits houses, frightens people, makes noise, spoils things, etc.

pillions– а pillion is a seat for the second rider behind the rider of the horse

tête-à-tête– private talk between two persons

psalm– а religious hymn

corduroy– а thick, coarse cotton cloth

orthodox– generally accepted

gala night– а festive occasion (at the theatre, etc.)

fête– festival or holiday

the Conqueror– William the Conqueror or William I (1028–1087), the duke of Normandy, and after 1066 (the Norman Conquest of England) king of England

All-Hallows Eve– Halloween, October 31, the eve of All Saints’ Day, а religious holiday for some Christians and а secular celebration for the majority

Midsummer– Midsummer’s Eve, June 21, а holiday celebrating the longest day of the year

farcical– adj from farce – а play with ridiculous situations that make people laugh

days of yore– long ago

Freemasons– а secret order, the largest secret society in the world; its teachings include esoteric wisdom, mysticism and some religious beliefs of the past

curate– а clergyman who helps а parish priest

MS– manuscript

lessee– а person who uses land, а house, etc. on а lease

Surrey– а historic county west of London on the River Thames

penny– а British bronze coin (until 1971), 1/12 of а shilling

quart– 1.14 litre

tarpaulins– tarpaulin is a waterproof canvas

Edward IV(1442–1483) – king of England, one of the main participants in the Wars of the Roses

abbot– the head of an abbey (monastery)

Waterloo– the Waterloo Battle (1815), the final defeat of Napoleon in the battle with the combined European forces

Lord Napier– Sir Charles Napier (1786–1860), а British admiral and commander of the Baltic Fleet

cornet– а small brass musical instrument, like а trumpet

ha’ penny– halfpenny

dyspeptic– adj from dispepcia – indigestion

air– melody, tune (old use)

egotistical– adj from egotist – а selfish, conceited person

perquisite– smth. looked upon as one’s right

cavendish– brick tobacco

paraphernalia– accessories, personal possessions, articles

constables– police officers

the Viking– also called Norsemen, Scandinavian warriors in the 9th-11th centuries; the Vikings raided European countries and greatly influenced the history of Europe.

Hampshire– а historic county on the English Channel in south-central England

sangfroid– composure, self-control ( French )

the Saxons– а Germanic people who lived along the Baltic coast in ancient times; they invaded Britain in the 5th century AD

hamlets– small villages

yeomen– peasants or farmers who owned their land

yards– yard is а unit of length, 91.44 cm

the Morris dance– an old English ritual folk dance performed by specially chosen men

coming to grips– idiom dealing with

epicurean– devoted to pleasure and enjoyment; from Epicurus (341 BC – 270 BC), а Greek philosopher, the author of philosophy of pleasure and retirement

casus belli– ground for war, cause of war and justification of it ( Latin )

empyrean– heavenly, celestial

stoic– having great self-control, bearing everything without complaint

basta!– that’s enough!; no more of it! ( Spanish )

Isaac– in the Old Testament, а Hebrew patriarch, the son of Abraham; to test Abraham’s faith, God told him to sacrifice his child, but at the last moment God spared Abraham and his boy

the Mater Dolorata– the Suffering Virgin Mary (Mother of God), а theme in Christian art

the Saviour– Jesus Christ

the Mother with seven swards in her breast– а theme in Christian art and iconography depicting the Virgin Mary with seven swards in her breast

stigma– а mark of smth. (disgrace, suffering, etc.)

before the Romans came– the Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD, and Britain became а part of the Roman Empire

maenad– adj frenzied; n а priestess of Bacchus, the Greek god of wine and ecstasy

Ishmael– in the Old Testament, an illegitimate son of Abraham by his wife’s maid; when the maid got pregnant, her behavior became haughty and arrogant

Baal– а fertility god in the ancient Middle East, one of the most important gods of ancient times (2nd millennium BC)

Ashtaroth– the plural form of the name Ashtoreth, the greatest goddess of the ancient Middle East; the plural form of the name is а general term denoting paganism

‘Rule, Britannia’– а famous song by Thomas Arne (1710–1778), the most important British composer of the 18th century

en bloc– as а whole ( French )

canaille– mob, common people ( French )

Puget Sound– а bay near the USA-Canadian border in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean

San Diego– а city and port in southern California, on the Pacific Ocean, founded in 1769 by the Spanish

Santa Clara Valley– an area near San Diego, а region of orchids

the Klondike strike– the Klondike gold rush of the late 1890s on the Klondike River, а tributary of the Yukon River in Canada

Frisco– San Francisco, а city and port in northern California, а cultural and financial centre of the western USA, founded as а military post by the Spanish in 1776

sou– а French coin of low value (no longer in use)

squarehead– simpleton, blockhead ( slang )

Seattle– the largest city of the northwest Pacific alongside Puget Sound, founded in 1851

the goose hang high– everything is OK

Sacredam!– Damn! ( French - English )

Spitzbergen– а large island in the Arctic Ocean north of the Arctic Circle, а part of Norway