Н. Самуэльян - Лучшие романы Томаса Майна Рида / The Best of Thomas Mayne Reid

479

Adonis – in Greek mythology, a remarkably beautiful youth, the favourite of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty

480

jack-a box – a toy with something inside which springs when the box is opened

481

penn– a grazing farm

482

barbacoa – a grating of green wood for cooking or drying meat over a slow fire; the word barbecue originated from the Arawak Indian term barbacoa

483

vis-à-vis – facing one another

484

calabash – a container for water or grain made of hard skin or shell of fruit or vegetables

485

Abraham – the first of Hebrew patriarchs, a figure equally revered by Judaism, Christianity and Islam

486

gladiator – in ancient Rome, a man who took part in public shows fighting with wild animals or other men in an arena

487

ceiba – a tropical plant with long and strong fibres from which bombax cotton is made

488

chou de palmiste– palm cabbage ( French )

489

Canarian – related to the Canarian Islands, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean; the Canaries belong to Spain

490

débris– scraps, remains ( French )

491

coup de grâce– the last (often fatal) blow ( French )

492

the Land of Eire – Ireland

493

bounty – reward or payment for smth

494

Batabano – the Gulf of Batabano, a part of the Caribbean Sea near southwestern Cuba

495

braggadocio – boastfulness ( Spanish )

496

Caspita! – Oh, devil! (an exclamation of unpleasant surprise) ( Italian )

497

Cuarito – a small coin, ¼ of a peso ( Spanish )

498

caçadores= hunters ( Spanish )

499

bandan(n)a – a brightly coloured kerchief

500

chaussure– shoes; a shoe, a boot ( French )

501

Lincoln green – bright green

502

Sherwood Forest – a former royal hunting place in Nottinghamshire, England; the forest is well known for the events described in medieval English ballads

503

Robin – Robin Hood, a legendary outlaw and rebel, the main character of the 14th century English ballads

504

redivivus– revived ( Latin )

505

Little John – Robin Hood’s friend and associate, a giant man of great strength

506

Sèvres – a town in central France famous for the porcelain manufactured at the royal factory from 1756

507

al fresco– in a fresco ( Spanish )

508

protégé – someone under smb’s protection or patronage ( French )

509

posse comitatus – a group of armed men gathered by the sheriff to protect public order ( Latin )

510

gaucherie– clumsiness, awkwardness ( French )

511

Trelawny – Edward Trelawny (1699–1754), governor of Jamaica in 1738–1752; he put an end to a long war between the white planters and the Maroons in 1739

512

valet de chamber– valet ( French )

513

à la matelot– as a sailor ( French )

514

costume de bal– ball dress ( French )

515

claret – Bordeaux wine from the region of the city of Bordeaux in France; the word claret is not used nowadays

516

eau de vie– vodka ( French )

517

non esset inventus—here: was not found ( Latin )

518

Facilus descensus Averni, sed revocare gradum.– here: It is easy to descend to hell but it is difficult to come back. ( Latin )

519

cavatina – a small lyrical opera aria

520

débonnaire– good-natured, generous ( French )

521

Carthaginian – related to Carthage , a great ancient city in northern Africa on the Mediterranean coast, founded in 814 BC by the Phoenicians

522

Veni, vidi, vici!( Latin ) – Julius Caesar’s famous words ‘I came, I saw, I conquered!’

523

muscovado – raw cane-sugar

524

fêtes= holidays, festivals ( French )

525

pit-a-pat – beating, palpitation

526

tableau– picture, view ( French )

527

the Rhone – the river in France and Switzerland, one of the largest rivers in Europe; it flows to the Mediterranean Sea

528

dos-y-dos– two and two ( Spanish )

529

sine die– for an uncertain period of time ( French )

530

monde– the world, society, environment, humanity ( French )

531

Anthony – Mark Anthony (83 BC–30 BC), Roman general; he was defeated by Octavian (the future emperor) and committed suicide

532

Cleopatra(70 BC–30 BC) – the Egyptian queen, wife of Mark Anthony; she committed suicide together with her husband

533

vanessa – one of the butterfly species

534

apropos – appropriate, timely

535

cynosure – the centre of attention

536

on the qui vive – on the alert, on the look-out

537

duppy– here: devil

538

tillandsia – a grassy tropical or subtropical American plant

539

sylva – forest

540

canoe – a light boat, usually with one paddle

541

phrenological – here: related to a skull; phrenology is a way of judging of a person’s abilities and character from the shape of the skull

542

oracle – in ancient Greece, a person who asked the gods the questions about the future and gave the answers

543

myalizm – a kind of local witchcraft

544

en perdu– frenzy, fury ( French )

545

neophyte – a person recently converted to some cult or religion

546

Mohammedans – the followers of Islam

547

quinteroon – in America, a person who has an African ancestor in the fourth generation

548

litterateur(s)– writer(s) ( French )

549

Hecate – in ancient Greek religion, the chief goddess of magic and spell; she is also the goddess responsible for wealth and happiness of daily life

550

pharmacopoeia – here: substances used for preparing some drug; usually: an official list of medicines and descriptions how to use them

551

crescendo – a piece of music or voice with gradually increasing of the intensity of sound

552

exorcism – here: calling out some deity; usually: practice of driving out an evil spirit by prayers or magic

553

en rapport– in connection with; here: together ( French )