obliged
to be required to, to feel forced to do
pedantic
very precise, nit-pickingly
flyleaf
cover sheet, front page
Cantate Domino
Latin for "Sing to the Lord"
Shakespeare sonnet
William Shakespeare, English playwright and poet
especially famous in terms of verse for inventing a certain type of poem, the "Shakespearean Sonnet", a 14-line poem in iambic pentameter that follows a certain rhyme scheme
Perrier
a brand of mineral water from France
Scotch
a type of whisky, made in Scotland
convivial
sociable, festive, hearty
Waterloo Bridge
a bridge over the river Thames in London