The Whispering Land

parakeet ['paereki:t] – a long-tailed bird of the parrot family, of small size and slender form

sloe-coloured – the color of the sloe, small, blue-black, plumlike fruit of blackthorn

bloom – the grayish powdery coating on various fruits, as the plum, grape, etc. and on some leaves; this word, applied as it is to sloe-colored human eyes, is highly appropriate here

nave – the part of a church from the inner door to the choir; it rises higher than the aisles flanking it and is often separated from them by an arcade

riot – here abundance, profusion, great quantity

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gin-and-tonic – the usual mixture of gin (a strong alcoholic drink made from grain) with some tonic, i.e. stimulating beverage (e. g. Coca-Cola)

the usual run – the usual collection

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Que lindo… que bicho mas lindo! (Sp.) - How beautiful… what a beautiful animal!

humming-birds – a group of very small, brightly colored birds with a long, slender bill and narrow wings that vibrate rapidly and make a humming sound in flight

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station-wagon – a motor-car with folding or removable rear seats and a back end that opens for easy loading of the luggage, etc.

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exuding good-will and personality – trying his best to look friendly but stern (the noun personality here is used in a combined meaning of 'personal charm' and 'strength of character')

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a red-fronted Tucuman Amazon – a red-breasted parrot of central and South America

acquisitive – greedy, betraying the wish to acquire the parrot

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to play one's trump card – to make use of one's best weapon (or argument) for gaining one's end

Como te va, Blanco? (Sp.) - How are you, Blanco?

Madre de Dios (Sp.) - Mother of God, the Virgin Mary

hijo de puta (Sp.) - son of a whore

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Como te va, como te va, que tal? (Sp.) - How are you, how are you, how are you getting on?

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estupido, muy estupido (Sp.) - stupid, very stupid

to run to earth – to hunt down, to find by search

guan [gwa:.n] (Sp.) - a large game-bird of Central and South America

onomatopoeic – imitative in sound (in linguistics the term is used to indicate a word formed in approximate imitation of some sound, e. g. tinkle, buzz, etc.)

to go – here to assume

Lorito – the common Spanish name for a parrot, the same as Polly in English

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gringo (Sp.) - a foreigner, especially an Englishman or an American: a term current in South America

coral snake – a small, poisonous snake with coral-red yellow and black bands around its body, found in the south-eastern United States and in subtropical America

Old School tie – a necktie with a special pattern worn by former pupils of some particular English public school. The habit of wearing this kind of tie is to the author an indication of an excessive respect for one's social position, a sort of snobbery which he finds (together with the tie itself) revolting: see also p. 165.

a dewy-eyed expression – a very innocent and gentle one (dewy is a poetical word for eyes wet with tears)

Geoffroy's cat – a variety of wild cat discovered by Estienne-Louis Geoffroy (1725-1810), a famous French zoologist

seraphic – angelic

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to leave somebody to his own devices – to allow him to do as he likes

tyro ['taierou] – a beginner, an inexperienced person

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gato (Sp.) - a cat

chico gato montes (Sp.) - a small mountain cat

conundrum – puzzling question or problem; a mystery

with fourteen Martians in tow – followed by fourteen imaginary inhabitants of the planet Mars

loco (Sp.) – mad, crazy

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tabby – the common type of domestic cat, grey with dark stripes (the name is usually applied to a female cat)

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takes the edge off his potential viciousness – makes him less vicious. Literally, the expression means 'to make blunt': e. g. to take the edge off a knife; but it is also widely used figuratively, meaning 'to make less sharp or keen: e. g. to take the edge off an argument.

Lifemanship – the art of living, of coexistence (a word coined by analogy with penmanship 'the art of, or skill in, writing')

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outboard engine (or motor) – a small internal-combustion engine with a propeller, fastened to the stern of a small boat and producing a loud noise

debauched (from debauch, v.) - dissipated, given to intemperance (as excessive eating or drinking)

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by virtue of your grasshopper-like activities – owing to the way you keep rushing from one place to another (again Durrell chooses an elaborate, scientific-sounding mode of expression, with by virtue of and activities)

frond – the usual name for a palm leaf (or that of a fern)

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you could do worse than go and investigate – you might just as well go and investigate

the time off – here a leave of absence

to get into one's stride – literally, to begin walking with long and measured steps; figuratively, to be carried away in some process (e. g. of talking)

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