Ada, or Ador: A Family Chronicle

p.277. Künstlerpostkarte: Germ., art picture postcards.

p.278. la gosse: the little girl.

p.279. subsidunt etc.: mountains subside and heights deteriorate.

p.281. smorchiama: let us snuff out the candle.

p.283. Marmlad in Dickens: or rather Marmeladov in Dostoevsky, whom Dickens (in translation) greatly influenced.

p.284. frôlements: light touchings.

p.286. sturb: pun on Germ. sterben, to die.

p.288. qui prend etc.: that takes wing.

p.288. all our old etc.: Swinburne.

p.288. Larousse: pun: rousse, ‘redhair’ in French.

p.289. pourtant: yet.

p.289. cesse: cease.

p.289. Glanz: Germ., luster.

p.290. Mädel: Germ., girl.

p.290. vsyo sdelali: Russ., had done everything.

p.292. relanced: from Fr. relancer, to go after.

p.294. coigner etc.: pun (‘to coin a phrase’).

p.294. fraise: strawberry red.

p.295. krestik: Anglo-Russian, little crest.

p.295. vanouissements: ‘Swooning in Van’s arms’.

p.297. I have not art etc.: Hamlet.

p.298. si je puis etc.: if I may put it that way.

p.298. la plus laide etc.: the ugliest girl in the world can give more than she has.

p.299. Wattebausch: Germ., piece of cottonwool.

p.299. à la queue etc.: in Indian file.

p.301. making follies: Fr. ‘faire des folies’, living it up.

p.301. komondi: Russian French: ‘comme on dit’, as they say.

p.302. Vieux-Rose etc..: Ségur-Rostopchin’s books in the Bibliothèque Rose edition.

p.304. l’ivresse etc.: the intoxication of speed, conceptions on Sundays.

p.304. un baiser etc.: one single kiss.

p.307. shuba: Russ., furcoat.

p.311. ébats: frolics.

p.311. mossio etc.: monsieur your cousin.

p.311. jolies: pretty.

p.312. n’aurait etc.: should never have received that scoundrel.

p.312. Ashettes: Cinderellas.

p.314. Sumerechnikov: His name comes from Russ., sumerki, twilight; see also p.37.

p.314. zdraste: abbrev. form of zdravstvuyte, the ordinary Russian greeting.

p.315. lit etc.: pun on ‘eider-down bed’.

p.316. d’ailleurs: anyhow.

p.316. petard: Mr Ben Wright, a poet in his own right, is associated throughout with pets (farts).

p.316. bayronka: from Bayron, Russ., Byron.

p.317. réjouissants: hilarious.

p.317. Beckstein: transposed syllables.

p.317. Love under the Lindens: O’Neil, Thomas Mann, and his translator tangle in this paragraph.

p.317. vanishing etc.: allusion to ‘vanishing cream’.

p.318. auch: Germ., also.

p.319. éventail: fan.

p.319. fotochki: Russ., little photos.

p.320. foute: French swear word made to sound ‘foot’.

p.320. ars: Lat., art.

p.320. Carte du Tendre: ‘Map of Tender Love’, sentimental allegory of the seventeenth century.

p.321. Knabenkräuter: Germ., orchids (and testicles).

p.321. perron: porch.

p.323. romances, tsiganshchina: Russ., pseudo-Tsigan ballads.

p.325. vinocherpiy: Russ., the ‘wine-pourer’.

p.325. zernistaya ikra: ‘large-grained’ caviar (Russ.).

p.325. uzh gasli etc.: Russ., the lights were already going out in the rooms.

p.327. Nikak-s net: Russ., certainly not.

p.328. famous fly: see p.109, Serromyia.

p.328. Vorschmacks: Germ., hors-d’oeuvres.

p.330. et pour cause: and no wonder.

p.330. karavanchik: small caravan of camels (Russ.).

p.331. oberart etc.: Germ., superspecies; subspecies.

p.332. spazmochka: Russ., little spasm.

p.333. bretteur: duelling bravo.

p.333. au fond: actually.

p.335. fokus-pokus: Russ., bogus magic.

p.336. au dire etc.: according to the reviewers.

p.336. finestra, sestra: Ital., window, sister.

p.337. Arinushka: Russ., folksy diminutive of ‘Irina’.

p.337. oh qui me rendra etc.: Oh, who’ll give me back

my hill and the big oak.

p.338. sekundant: Russ., second.

p.338. puerulus: Lat., little lad.

p.338. matovaya: Russ., dull-toned.

p.339. en robe etc.: in a pink and green dress.

p.341. R4: ‘rook four’, a chess indication of position (pun on the woman’s name).

p.343. c’est le mot: that’s the right word.

p.344. pleureuses: widow’s weeds.

p.345. Bozhe moy: Russ., good Heavens.

p.349. ridge: money.

p.351. secondes pensées etc.: second thoughts are the good ones.

p.351. bonne: housemaid.

p.354. dyakon: deacon.

p.355. désolé etc.: distressed at being unable to be with you.

p.356. So you are married, etc.: see Eugene Onegin, Eight: XVIII: 1-4.

p.357 za tvoyo etc.: Russ., your health.

p.358. guvernantka etc.: Russ., governess-novelist.

p.359. moue: little grimace.

p.361. affalés etc.: sprawling in their armchairs.

p.362. bouffant: puffed up.

p.362. gueule etc.: simian facial angle.