The Whispering Land

a pair of… lorgnettes (Fr.) - a pair of eye-glasses usually held by a long handle; when using them, a person generally has to tilt back his or her head

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terrier – a breed of dog, usually of small size anthropomorphic – here partly human, partly animal; the word is generally used when describing human-like traits or actions of animals, not vice versa, as in this case biscuit brown – see note to p. 32 rather a lark (colloq.) - very funny

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rocker – a curved piece of wood on which a rocking-horse (children's toy) is mounted discretion is the better part of valour – a saying which means that it is unwise to take unnecessary risks bichos (Sp.) - animals

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maternity ward – a ward in a hospital where women are taken Care of during and after childbirth elefanteria (Sp.) - a place favoured by elephant seals

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I shivered my way into a half-sleep – shivering, I tried to sleep, but succeeded in falling only into a half-sleep my cocoon of semi-warmth – my covering which protected me against the cold but did not give real warmth

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a nerve- and spine-shattering experience – an experience that racked your nerves and could easily break your back (note the literal and figurative meanings of shatter, which come into play simultaneously)

creaming waves – waves with white froth resembling whipped cream

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moving plate = moving picture: the word plate is here used in the sense of 'a thin sheet of metal upon which pictures are engraved, and from which impressions are taken', 'an impression printed from such a plate and used as an illustration in a book'

the fat was scalloped into folds – the author means that the fur seals' necks were adorned with scallops of fat, i.e. with a series of pleats or folds resembling the edge of a scallop-shell, sometimes used as ornament on the hem of a dress beery face – a puffy face, betraying the effects of beer-drinking

Humpty Dumpty – the hero of a nursery rhyme, a person with a short round figure, shaped like an egg. Lewis Carroll chose him for one of the characters of his book Through the Looking-glass (sequel to Alice in Wonderland). The world-famous illustrations for Carroll's books were made by John Tenniel (1820- 1914). In his picture of Humpty Dumpty seated on top of a wall, the artist brought out, in a most expressive manner, the conceit and arrogance with which Carroll endowed this personage.

frogman – an underwater swimmer equipped with long rubber shoes like a frog's hind feet

Balinese dancers (of the Bali Island, one of the islands lying east of Java) are famous for the grace and elegance of their performance.

rumba (Sp.) - a Cuban Negro dance; a ballroom dance imitative of this folk dance russet – reddish-brown

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was a constant state of nerves (colloq.) - was in a permanent state of anxiety

Presbyterian – a member of the Presbyterian church. Presbyterians formed the right wine of the Puritans, the English variety of Calvinists who preached love of virtue, pure living, and self-restraint.

was a wife short – missed one of his wives

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dropsical-looking – looking swollen as if they had dropsy, a disease in which watery fluids collect in the tissues of the body to feint – in box, to sham an attack to deceive the opponent by diverting his attention

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one's elders and betters – persons deserving respect because of their age, experience and social standing star-gazing – being in an absent-minded and dreamy state, like a person studying the stars (from the noun star-gazer 'one studying the stars to foretell the future')

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balloon animals – toy animals made of rubber balloons filled with air crèche (Fr.) - a public nursery where children are looked after while their mothers are at work to dump (colloq.) - to deposit without ceremony, to let fall in a mass or a heap (usually applied to rubbish or coal)

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The author means that he had plenty of character and determination, which amply compensated his small size.

to lollop off – to walk off in a clumsy manner

Note the author's tendency to replace one of the words in a stock phrase, thus producing a humorous effect (cf. "as fast as his legs would carry him").

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cummerbund (Anglo-Indian) - a waist sash rumbaed towards it – moved towards it as if dancing the rumba siesta [si'esta] (Sp.) - a short sleep taken at midday or in the afternoon, especially in hot countries ploughed his way through them – forced his way, moving with difficulty among them, like a plough turning up earth anatomy – the author's usual ironical synonym for body life-giving nourishment – a humourous paraphrase for milk matching the high-flown verb to imbibe (synonym for drink)

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