Section I

• Norwood
proper name of a place
• malignant
evil, bad, actively trying to do harm
• tremors
shakes, small uncontrolled movements of the hands
• spider
eight legged insect, undesirable insect
• web
where the spider lives and traps food
• foul
dirty, smelly, and implies evil -- a foul odor, a foul deed
• assault
attack, hit with intent to hurt
• an outrage
violation of rules of society beyond the expected
• practice
in this case refers to the legal or medical profession, you practice law (to work as a lawyer) and have a practice (law or medical business) -- implies you have an office, a set of clients, and a standing or status in the community
• Baker Street
An actual street in London, however 22 Baker Street was never a residence. It is presently a bank.
• averse
one who avoids -- "he is not averse" means he would NOT avoid something and in fact would probably like it. The term is usually used in the negative to imply willingness to do something.
• stringent
strict
• prohibition
rule against something
• whimisical
something that has a random nature, is slightly humorous, is not harmful, and is changeable
• disheveled
untidy, disarranged, implies that you just went through something that messed up your clothes and hair
• palpitating
rapid pounding -- the heart beating quickly
• symptoms
physical signs of illness
• sedative
pill to make you sleep
• solicitor
type of lawyer in England, the solicitor does not go into court to speak before the judge, that is another specialty called a barrister
• Freemason
member of a club (for males), used to establish social, business, and political ties and sometimes to engage in charitable works -- Freemasons are famous for having secret handshakes, rites, and other ceremonies to identify fellow members
• asthmatic
someone who has allergies which make it difficult to breathe
• deductions
conclusions drawn from evidence -- Sherlock Holmes is famous for making deductions -- always accurate, of course.
• watch-charm
from the days when watches were carried in pockets. They were attached by a light chain to the clothing and often a small pieces of decorative jewelry hung from the chain -- this was a watch-charm. It usually had some symbol engraved on it -- your school, club, church, or your initials.

Section II

• gaol
place where criminals are kept -- (jail = American spelling)
• Lower Norwood
place name
• builder
one who contructs houses and other buildings -- in this case implies the owner of the company
• arson
setting a fire on purpose
• clue
something which leads to the solution of a question, puzzle or mystery. Usually it is physical like a finger print, but it can be that something is missing that ought to be there
• infallibly
without fail
• apprehension
fear, uneasiness
• perpetrator
person who commits a crime
• vigorous
strong
• suburb
a town outside a city in which most people work in the city but live in the suburb
• eccentric
unpredictable, unusual habits, not normal
• conflagation
large fire which burns wildly

Section III

• warrant
legal paper which grants the police permission to do something -- search a place, arrest a person... The police must have clues, called evidence which point to the suspicion of a crime.
• sinister
evil
• French windows
doors with windows from top to bottom, which substitute for windows -- but you can go out through them usually into a garden or onto a lawn.
• charred remains
implies that a deceased body was found -- "remains" used as a synonym for body
• ignited
a fire was set
• sagacity
wisdom, cleverness
• Scotland Yard
the offices of the central police which became the name of the organization in common speach
• City office
the "City" is the area of London concerned with business and commerce
• London Bridge Station
a train station
• ghastly
pale, having little color, a variation on the word 'ghost'
• despair
having no hope
• will
in this context a legal document telling who gets your money and stuff after you die

Section IV

• ferret
an animal which is disliked because it sneaks into chicken houses to steal eggs
• stammer
to have a hard time talking -- you start words several times before you can say them
• building leases, title-deeds, mortgages...
legal documents -- all stand for money or property
• humour
mood
• frugal
cheap
• Blackheath
another suburb of London
• Anerley Arms
a hotel or inn
• enigmatic
difficult to interpret, the meaning is hidden or conflicting -- an enigmatic smile is one which could mean several things at the same time
• impenetrable
unable to be understood
• four-wheeler
a horse-drawn carriage which has four wheels -- implies that it is fairly large
• beseeching
begging
• points
places where rails connect -- these joins tend to be very rough and bumpy
• corroborates
agrees with
• haphazard
sloppy, with no plan

Section V

• obvious
very easily seen
• trifle
very small and unimportant object or matter -- you can say "It is only a trifle" to mean that it does not matter.
• tramp
someone who travels from place to place to find work -- odd-jobs -- has no regular place to live and no regular source of income -- the 19th century version of the homeless.
• congenial
pleasureable, agreeable
• for the matter of that
we now say "for that matter" -- it means that you are talking about the same logic or condition -- "why should the body be burnt" is the "matter" or subject -- could also say "on that topic" or "in regards to that"
• negotiate
stock or bond certificates have to be signed to be turned into money -- to negotiate, to cash -- use the word negotiate in this situation because the amount of cash you would get will vary depending on the market conditions -- therefore the tramp could not cash them because he could not sign them
• frock-coat
an old-fashioned long coat with a wide skirt
• prospect
future view or sight of danger or other condition -- based on present evidence -- "his prospects aren't good" means that he doesn't have much of a future.

Section VI

• haggard
unattractively tired, showing signs of lots of work and a lack of sleep/food
• right track
means that you are thinking in the right direction -- expression comes from trains where you have to stand by the right track in order to go in the proper direction.
• black-guard
someone who will betray you, who will lie, steal and cheat
• predispose
create a feeling or emotion before the people meet -- can also refer to positive feelings -- "Having read his book I was predisposed to like him before I met him"
• suitor
boyfriend
• aviary
a place where birds are kept -- a room sized cage
• villa
a rather large house, usually with gates on the driveway
• staring
used to make the house seem aggressive and dangerous
• laurel-clumped lawn
laurel bushes and scattered across the yard in groups -- the author created the adjective to give a feeling of discomfort and formality
• treasure-trove
a group of valuable objects

Section VII

• drawn every cover
means he looked into and under every hidden place -- he drew the cover back...
• pick up scent
find a clue, get an idea of what happened -- comes from dogs being used to track people or animals -- they follow the "scent" to track them down
• sidelong eyes
the person looks out of the side of their eyes, keeping their face away from you -- literary sign that the person is dishonest. In real life, successful dishonest people look straight at you and appear innocent -- they are called confidence men because they gain your confidence to sell you something that is false.
• close as wax
close means silent or secretive - wax refers to wax statues -- very popular at this time, museums of wax statues of famous people were established in London and Paris
• paroxysm
a sudden burst of emotion -- in this case of certainty that the man is innocent
• Sunday-school
religious classes held on Sunday before or after church services -- children who go are a symbol of innocence -- here it is used to compare his appearance to that of a boy going to Sunday school.
• broker
a person who buys and sells property or stock in companies for individuals
• scrip
papers which show ownership to some valuable -- stocks, bonds, etc.

Section VIII

• cock-a-doodle
the sound a rooster makes -- a crowing sound -- used to imply that the person is bragging loudly to all the world
• two-edged
refers to a sword with both side of the blade sharpened -- it can cut in both directions
• inanition
hunger
• magnifying glass
Sherlock Holmes is traditionally pictured with a magnifying glass -- he used it to find very small things (clues) that other people missed
• writhing
a movement which cannot be controlled but which the person is attempting suppress or stop -- you can also writhe in pain
• cocksure
again a reference to roosters -- a cock is a male bird -- to be cocksure means that you are very, very confident and you don't mind if the world knows it
• insolence
lack of respect
• providential
fortunate, occuring at a favorable time almost by magic or as a gift of the gods
• wriggle
another movement of the body/face -- this one is a quick, sudden, rapid movement -- a child wriggles in anticipation for a treat or sweet
• equanimity
evenness, control, balance, serious and calm manner

Section IV

• spasm of merriment.
laughter which makes you loose control resulting in a giggle, laugh, or snort
• premature
occuring before something is ready or finished
• able-bodied
strong and fit
• outhouse
any building away from the house used for storage or special purposes
• marshalled
led
• conjurer
magician
• tomfoolery
nonsense, jokes, pranks, childish behavior
• chaffed
teased, in this case the fact that Lastrade made a point of telling Holmes that he (Lestrade) had solved the case first
• sun on your side of the hedge
things going your way, you have the advantage -- come from farming, where having a sunny field is an advantage
• pomp and ceremony
refers to very formal occasions where there are dignified and complex customs
• wizened
like an apple which has been left sitting in the sun two weeks -- or like a raisin
• burrow
the hole where rabbits live

Section X

• Capital
old-fashioned slang expression of pleased approval -- it means that things are going right -- we might say "right on!" today
• smouldering
the fire is still smoking but not actively burning
• whimper
a small pitiful sound, usually made in fear
• practical joke
a joke whick is done usually to a friend in the spirit of humor -- some are actually funny -- the man is claiming that his actions were not meant to harm anyone.
• throw dust in the eyes
to confuse, comes from boxing when you would throw dust in the eyes of an opponent so he couldn't see you -- then you could hit him....
• foolscrap
cheap paper used to write notes -- implies that the writing is not serious or important
• lath-and-plaster
a type of construction where thin boards (lathes) are nailed to beams and then plaster is pushed between the boards to cover them. The lathes hold the plaster to the wall.
• eaves
roof
• confederate
one who helps you
• precious
a valuable thing or person
• clear as crystal
expression which compares the idea to very good glass (crystal) which can be seen through without distortion and easily because it has no flaws

Section XI

• vindictive
wanting revenge
• rankled
botherer over a period of time, an emotion which grows over time such as anger, rankles
• vengeance
wanting to do something bad to someone who has (or you think they have) done something bad to you
• speculation
buying and selling stocks, bonds, or land when there is a lot of risk
• villainy
evil, usually criminal
• incessantly
without stopping, continuously
• befall
happen
• conspiracy
secret plan in which a group of people plan to do something to another group of people -- it usually implies that the second group of people are not going to be happy about this plan
• creditor
person to whom you owe money
• impound
take control of
• serve your turn
serve your purposes

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

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