LITMIR.BIZ

1

Seringapatam – a town in southern India; the town got its name for the 12th century temple to the Hindu god Vishnu. In the 15th century it became the capital of the rajahs and sultans

2

Mohammedan – Muslim

3

Mahmud of Ghizni (998–1030) – sultan of Ghazna, the king-dom comprising the territory of present-day Afghanistan, most of Iran and northern India

4

Somnauth – Somnath, an ancient city in west-central India, now ruined; it is known for its temple of Shiva (Lord of the Moon)

5

Brahmins – members of the caste of Hindu priests

6

Benares – Varanasi, a sacred city of the Hindus in northern India on the left bank of the Ganges River

7

Vishnu – one of the main Hindu gods; Vishnu is associated with the Sun

8

Aurungzebe – Aurangzeb (1618–1707), emperor of India in 1658–1707, the last of the Mogul emperors

9

the Moguls – a Muslim dynasty that ruled India in the 16th–18th centuries

10

Brahma(h) – one of the major gods in Hinduism who created the earth and everything on it

11

Tippoo – Tippu (1750–1799), sultan of Mysore; he died in 1799 when his capital, Seringapatam, was stormed by the Brit-ish forces.

12

Yorkshire – a large historic county in the north-central part of England

13

the Garden of Eden – in the Old Testament, paradise where the first man and woman lived

14

Adam – in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the first man cre-ated by God on the sixth day of creation

15

claret – Bordeaux wine; the city of Bordeaux was known for its wine even in the Roman times

16

jugglers – persons who perform tricks to amuse people

17

Reformatory – an institution for reforming young crimi-nals

18

quicksand – liquid sand combined with pools of water at the mouth of large rivers or along the beach

19

cambric – cotton (originally linen) cloth first made in France, used for bands, cuffs, ruffs

20

Hampstead – originally a village, now an inner borough (in-corporated town or district) of London north of Westminster and the City of London

21

plaguy – dangerous, annoying

22

freaks – a freak is somebody or something unusual or ab-normal

23

Christendom – the Christian world; cultural and religious community of Christian countries.

24

boudoir – a woman’s dressing room or a private sitting room

25

Satan – in Christianity and Judaism, the prince of evil forces, the enemy of God

26

misalliance – unequal or unsuitable marriage

27

a good Samaritan – in the Bible, the man who, with love and patience, helped every suffering person

28

philanthropist – a person who helps those in need or in trou-ble

29

ditto = the same thing (the word is used to avoid repetition)

30

griffins – mythological creatures with bodies of lions and heads of eagles

31

cupids – Cupid is a Roman god of love portrayed as a winged child with arrows and a bow

32

cravat – folded linen or lace worn as a necktie

33

salaams – low bows

34

cheroot – a thin cigar with both ends open

35

gig – a light two-wheeled carriage with one horse

36

magistrate – an official, acting as judge in lower courts

37

embargo – a decision that forbids trade, import, export, com-merce, etc.; also means a ban on smth.

38

sal-volatile – solution of smelling salts used as a medicine when a person is unconscious

39

pony-chaise – a low carriage with two or four wheels pulled by a pony

40

holus-bolus – with one hit; at one gulp; at once; in a body, in bulk

41

sovereign – a British gold coin with face value of one pound; the coin is out of use now.

42

Solomon – the greatest king of Israel (10th century BC), son of David; Solomon was famous for his wisdom, military expan-sion and the construction of the temple in Jerusalem.

43

memorandum – a written plan for future

44

hieroglyphics – an ancient system of writing, in which pic-tures and symbols are used for words and sounds

45

gibberish – unintelligible, meaningless sounds

46

conservatory – a glass building for growing plants in cold climate

47

dog-rose – Latin Rosa Canina, a sort of sweetbrier

48

Heaven – the place where God and the saints live

49

the metropolis – London

50

the House of Commons – the elected legislative body and, formally, the lower house of the British Parliament; its origin goes back to the 13th century.

51

Lambeth – an inner borough of London to the south of the River Thames; the first settlement dates back to pre-Roman times.

52

intagli – pl. from intaglio – figure or ornament cut deep into the surface of stone

53

tankard – a large mug for drinking beer

54

ale – a kind of beer

55

Brittany – a regio

Скачать книгу