Section I

• malodorous
smelly, bad smelling (the prefix mal- means bad or evil, odor = smell)
• plumage
feathers
• top-knot
a pile of hair on top of the head
• South African securities
papers for investment in South Africa -- considered risky investments at that time
• faculties
mental abilities
• intrusion
come into a place where one does not belong, unwelcome or uncomfortable feeling
• taken aback
surprised, shocked
• absurdly simple
means that it looked complicated but that it isn't
• inference
conclusion based on facts
• meretricious
it looks very good on the outside but is empty or false on the inside
• capital
savings intended to bring in interest or profit of some sort -- in this case probably to help support the person during old age
• billiards
a game played with balls on a table, sticks called "cues" are used to hit the balls -- billiards only has three balls -- variations include "pool" in which the balls are hit into holes on the side called "pockets"
• option
an agreement between buyer and seller giving the buyer the right to buy something within a certain amount of time for a certain price.  It allows the buyer time to investigate the investment or to raise funds.
• hieroglyphics
a form of writing which uses pictures for words -- ancient Egyptian writing used such symbols
• Riding Thorpe Manor, Norfolk
a private house in the county of Norfolk
• conundrum
puzzle, problem, riddle, something that is difficult to solve
• post
delivery of mail, in England there were two mail deliveries per day in most places until recently
• florid
well colored, tan and reddened from being outside
• Baker Street
the street where Sherlock Holmes lived in London.  London at that time was famous for its fog caused in large part by pollution from burning coal
• grotesque
distorted in some strange way
• sift the matter to the bottom
to solve the problem, to find the answer -- refers to using a sifter or sieve to separate the grain from the chaff (unwanted parts)

Section II

• Jubilee
the celebration of Queen Victoria's fifieth year
• vicar of our parish
the priest or minister of a local area called a parish
• registry
government office, as opposed to a church wedding which would have taken longer and been more elaborate
• allude
to refer, to mention
• allusion
reference, she did not mention it
• squire
a country landowner, farmer -- who probably has people working for him
• stain
disgrace, shame

Section III

• copper
a very cheap metal which is used to make pennies and pence -- used as a nickname for pence in England (note that policemen were also called coppers because their helmets were made of copper) -- to spend your last copper means to spend everything, even your pennies
• watering-place
a term for a vacation spot with water -- on the coast or on a lake
• lodgers
homeowners rent out extra rooms in their houses to short-term guests to earn extra money, the guests are called lodgers
• pressing
urgent
• inscribed
written
• fortnight
two weeks
• hansom
a horse drawn cab or taxi -- with an enclosed cab
• design
in this case a plan or purpose to do something bad to a person -- "design upon you" -- the preposition "upon" impies you are unwilling -- "design for you" would mean something positive and you would probably be consulted

Section IV

• rubbed
two ways of using it here -- "rubbed out" means to erase -- "rubbed hands" means to place the palms of the hands together and move them back and forth -- a gesture of anticipation
• chuckled
a small laugh
• scrawled
written sloppily, fast writing
• pebble
small stone
• frankly
direct, not trying to make something gentle, honest even if it hurts
• practical joke
"practical" because someone takes some action to change the environment or life of another for fun or humor -- for instance, you put salt in the sugar bowl -- funny to the person who plays the joke, not to the one who eats the salt
• nuisance
something that causes inconvenience, usually something of no great importance -- she uses the word to make the problem seem smaller that she really thinks it is
• squatted
bent his knees and sat upon his heels with only his feet touching the ground -- as opposed to knelt when one or two knees would be on the ground, or stood when the feet are on the ground but the knees aren't bent -- a picture would be so much easier!
• convulsive
sudden and violent -- implies that emotion gave her unusual strength

Section V

• mere
small
• panel
a section or part of the door, in China there are often paintings on the panels
• skulking
sneaking, watching secretly
• rascal
a person engaged in undesirable behavior, we also call children rascals when they misbehave, but when used in reference to a child it implies that the child has no evil intent.  In reference to an adult it is assumed that the adult intends the bad behavior.
• shrubbery
lines of bushes that surround houses
• preserved
kept
• intricate
detailed
• absorbed in
concentrated on, focused on
• furrowed brow
deep lines between the eye brows -- signal of thinking
• collection
refers to the fact that Watson collects the stories of Holmes' mysteries and publishes them
• pedestal
the base or support on which the sun-dial stands, most likely a column
• frieze
a horizontal band of sculpted or painted decoration -- refers to the line of dancing men
• sprang
past tense of "to spring" -- to jump up
• haggard
unattractively tired, showing signs of lots of work and a lack of sleep/food
• web
where the spider lives and traps food

Section VI

• bizarre
strange, unusual
• alighted
got off the train
• the gallows
used to hang a person by a rope around their neck -- usually for the crime of murder
• despondent
lacking hope, in a state of despair
• melancholy
deep sadness
• German Ocean
Norfolk is on the east side of Britain -- the "German Ocean" refers to the North Sea
• timber gables
gables refers to the tips or peaks of a house, timber gables means that the house was made of
wood -- indicating that the owner was comfortable but not wealthy
• porticoed
having a small roof which comes out from the house to cover the entry
• waxed moustache
an old-fashioned method of wearing a moustache -- wax is combed into it to stiffen it so you can shape it -- often with curls at the end of the points.  A moustache refers to facial hair above the lips.
• associate me in your investigation
work with me as a partner
• pistol, revolver
two words for hand gun

Section VII

• inexorable
impossible to plead with -- means that his eyes sought the truth and would not accept anything less -- they would not show pity or be persuaded by a tearful story
• smell of powder
gun powder has a very distinct and powerful smell
• instantaneous
immediate
• powder-marking
when you fire a gun, you get powder-marks on your hands, when a gun is fired close to an object there are powder-marks close to the bullet hole;  therefore, Mr. Henry Cubitt had been shot from a distance.

Section VIII

• draught (draft)
breeze inside a room or house
• guttered
when a candle burns in a draught (draft) the flame opens a channel on one side and the wax pours down the side of the candle unevenly
• Capital!
a slang expression of pleased surprise -- old-fashioned
• splintering
small, sharp pieces of wood sticking up around the hole -- the direction and pattern would indicate the path of the bullet
• trampled
had been walked on in such a way to break the flowers to the ground -- the word trample implies that no consideration or care had been given -- we also use the word in the phrase "trample on someone's feelings" meaning that one person acted without caring that another would certainly be hurt
• retriever
a type of hunting dog used to find birds in the weeds and bring them back
• disposition
tendancy

Section IX

• dispatched
sent
• earnestness
seriousness
• while away the time
pass the time, wait, implies that there is nothing to do and nothing to worry about
• antics
playful behavior
• recapitulated
summarized, went over, reviewed
• fore-runner
something that comes before, a predictor
• trifling
small and unimportant -- he uses it here as understatement to show modesty
• monograph
a paper written on a single focused topic (the prefix mono- means "one", -graph means "write")
• cipher
a code for communication
• predominate
to be the strongest element or force
• hypothesis
idea that needs to be tested

Section X

• preponderance
majority, dominance in frequency
• abreast
equal in number or frequency
• latter
the second of two things mentionned
• contraction
shortening of a name or word
• allusion
talking about in a vague way
• into her confidence
to tell him the secret
• crook
thief, dishonest person, criminal

Section XI

• to frame a letter
to structure or plan the wording for a specific purpose
• bristling black beard
the beard would cover most of his face and be very uneven with hair going in every direction
• peal
to ring (the bell)
• deftly
quick skillfully, making a complicated movement look easy
• manacled
in handcuffs
• despair
no hope
• dogged
refers to dogs being used to track people by scent

Section XII

• Joint
American slang for a long-term prison
• on the cross
American slang for "dishonest"
• heeled
American slang for "carrying a gun"
• pulled off almost at the same instant
American slang for "fired my gun at the same time"
• like a jay
American slang for a person who comes with no suspicion or defense -- refers to a bird which
is very easy to catch

Section XIII

• epilogue
conclusion to a story which sums up the story or tells what happened in the future -- in this case, it is used to explain the reasoning behind Holmes' conclusions.
• assizes
a meeting of a court of law
• mitigating circumstances
facts which help to explain a criminal act to make it less serious -- if you steal bread to feed your children it is less serious, since Slaney had not come with the intent to kill Cubitt it would be unlikely that he would hang.  Normally, since Cubitt had fired the first shot, Slaney would not be guilty at all -- it would be called self-defense.  But since Cubitt was defending his wife and home, Slaney could not plead self-defense, he was the initial aggressor.

---

---

---

http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/games/stories/holmes/dancing/sndwrd.html
Last update: September 2001
© Marilyn Shea, 2001

---