Bagatelle
A thing of little importance.
Besetting
Troubling or threatening.
Blackguard
A person, usually a man, who behaves in a dishonorable way.
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks were members of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers Party, which, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Russian monarchy in 1917.
C'est Dommage
French for "it's a pity".
C'est Possible
French for "it's possible".
Cambric
A lightweight linen or cotton fabric.
Canard
An unfounded rumor or story.
Christy's
A London-based Auction House that appraises and sells antiques and art.
Cordon
A line of police or soldiers preventing access to a particular area.
Crippen
Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen was an American homeopath who murdered his wife in England and then tried to escape to America in 1910.
Curio
A rare, unusual, or intriguing object.
Czar
Also known as Tsar. The title given to the emperors of Russia before the revolution of 1917.
Daily Mail
A British daily newspaper first published in 1896.
Dictaphone
An early tape recorder, used to record and play back voices or conversation.
Dipsomaniac
A person with an addiction to alcohol.
Émigré
A person who has left their country to settle in another, usually for political reasons.
En Vérité
French for "truly".
Épatant
French for "impressive" or "amazing".
Faust
The protagonist of a classic German legend, who sells his soul to the devil for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures.
Fogey
A person, typically an old one, who is considered old-fashioned or conservative.
Fractious
Irritable and quarrelsome.
Galoshes
A type of rubber boot that is slipped over shoes to keep them from getting muddy or wet.
Gastritis
A medical condition where the lining of the stomach becomes inflamed or swollen - in the case of "acute gastritis", for a short time only.
George Eliot
Mary Ann Evans (1819 - 1880) was a British novelist who wrote under the pen name George Eliot.
Goose Quill
A feather from a goose, usually fashioned to serve as a kind of pen or tool.
Humbug
A person or object that behaves in a dishonest way.
In Extremis
At the point of death; in an extremely difficult situation.
Intelligence Corps
A branch of the British military responsible for the gathering, analyzing, and disseminating of military intelligence and counter-intelligence. Similar to the CIA in the United States.
King Charles the First
Charles I of England (1600 - 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland until his execution in 1649 after the English Civil War.
Latchkey
The key of an outer door to a house.
Les Femmes
French for "women".
Mah Jong
A strategy game played with a set of 144 tiles. "East Wind", "Pung", "Unpung", "Bamboos", "Circles", "Passing", and all the rest of the terms used in Chapter 16 are all terms related to Mah Jong play.
Mais Oui
French for "that's right".
Mauretania
Formerly a Berber Kingdom in North Africa, roughly where Morocco is currently located.
Melisande
A character from the opera Pelleas and Melisande, about forbidden lovers.
Methuselah
A figure from the Old Testament known for having lived longer than anyone else.
Metier
French for "business" or "trade".
Mill on the Floss
A novel by George Eliot first published in 1860 about siblings growing up on a river near Lincolnshire, England.
Mr. Kipling
Refers to Rudyard Kipling (1835-1936), an English poet, short story writer, and novelist. His works of fiction include The Jungle Book.
Pas De Blagues
French for "no tears".
Plover
A small wading bird.
Precisement
French for "precisely".
Prostrated
Reduced to extreme physical weakness.
Rubicund
Red-faced.
Sanguine
Optimistic or positive.
Sapient
With great wisdom and discernment.
Shanghai Club
A lavish Men's Club in Shanghai for British residents. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was the most exclusive club in Shanghai.
Squire
A landowner or gentleman.
Summerhouse
A small, rustic building in a garden or park, used for sitting in during the summer months.
Sundry
Of various kinds; several.
Tartar
A person who is often angry and unkind.
Tous Les Deux
French for "both of them".
Une Belle Propriete
French for "a beautiful property".
Vegetable Marrow
A squash, like a summer squash.
Veronal
The brand name for the drug Barbital, a barbiturate used from 1903 to the 1950s as a sleeping aid.
Village Green
A common open area in a village or settlement.
Whiting
A white fish found in the North Sea.
