VOCABULARY

Chapter 1

Vocabulary:

Bear: (verb) to accept, tolerate or endure especially something unpleasant.

In “...There are many who will still bear in mind the singular….

Rather: (adverb) quite; to a slight degree.

In “…if attracted perhaps rather more attention…”

Whimsical: (adjective) unusual and strange in a way that might be funny or annoying.

In “…it offered to the public that mixture of the whimsical and the tragic...”

 

Stimulating: (adjective) if something is stimulating, it encourages new ideas.

In “…. which is most stimulating to the popular imagination.

 

Fruitless: (adjective) if an action or attempt to do something is fruitless, it is unsuccessful or produces nothing of value.

In”...however, when after weeks of fruitless investigation…..”

Forthcoming: (adjective) happening soon.

In”….that no final explanation of the facts was forthcoming, and the tragedy seemed from that time …..”

Throw (verb) to send something through the air with force, especially by a sudden movement of the arm.

In” … however, throw some new and clear light upon the matter...”

Blemish: (noun) a mark on something that spoils is appearance.

In …” a man who had worked for twenty two years without a blemish or complaint...”.

Customary: (adjective) usual.

In”… and the guard was about to give the customary signal to the engine driver..

 

Chapter 2

Handle: (noun) a part of an object designed for holding, moving or carrying the object easily.

In   ”…..the guard turned the handle of the nearest door...”

Appearance: (noun) an occasion when someone appears in public.

In “…his appearance seems to have impressed itself upon the guards memory…”

Afterwards: (adverb) after the time mentioned; later.

In….” he was prepared, afterwards, to describe or to identify him...”

Glanced: (verb) to give a quick short look.

In “…he glanced up as the door was opened...”

 

Slammed: (verb) to (cause to) move against a hard surface with force and usually a loud noise.

In”… slammed the door of the smoking carriage...”

Thrust: (verb) to push suddenly and strongly.

In” …opened that of the next one, which was empty, and thrust the tow travelers...”

Bustle: (verb) to do things in a hurried and busy way.

In”…but the words were lost in the bustle of the departure…” 

Certain: (adjective) having no doubt or knowing exactly that something is true, or known to be true,correct, exact or effective. 

In”…an examination of the tickets has made it certain that no one joined or left it at this time...”

Disclosed: (verb) to make something known publicly or to show something that was hidden.

In” …An examination of that compartment, and of its neighbor, disclosed a remarkable state of affairs. 

CHAPTER 3

 

Property: (noun) an object or objects that belong to someone.

In” ….I have said that there was no personal property which might help to identify him. 

Peculiarity :( noun) the quality of being strange or unfamiliar, or an unusual characteristic or habit.

In”… is true that there was one peculiarity about this unknown young man..”

Valuable :( adjective) worth a lot of money.

In”... in his pockets were found no fewer than six valuable gold watches...” 

Leather: (noun) the skin of animal, used to made things like shoes, gloves.

In”. And one small one set in a leather strap and fastened round his left wrist. 

Bore: (verb) to talk or act in a way that makes someone lose interest and become tired.

In “…three of them bore the mark of the Rochester Matchmaking Company

Slip: (verb) when you do not mean to move away quickly and quietly.

In “….a small, circular mirror, one inch in diameter, a readmission slips to Lyceum Theatre...” 

Scorching (adjective adverb) very hot.

In “….to have come from a small pistol of revolver, had been fired from some title distance, as there was no scorching of the clothes”. 

 

CHAPTER 4

 

Inquest: (noun) an official process to discover the cause of someone's death.

In “…the guard was able at the inquest give some evidence which threw a little light..”

Injury: (noun) physical harm or damage to someone's body caused by an accident or an attack.

In “…be possible for aman, or even for an exceptionally active woman, to have left the train without serious injury.”

Favour: (verb) to support or prefer one particular possibility.

In “….that the man with the black beard had done so at Willesden and the half smoked cigar upon the floor seemed to favour the supposition…”

 

Conceivable: (adjective) possible to imagine or to believe.

In “…door was upon the far side, so that it was conceivable that someone might have alighted unseen...”

Gang: (noun) group of people working together a band of robbers or thieves.

In “…it was true that a gang of platelayers was there and that they had seen nothing …”

 

Stage: (noun) a part of an activity or a period of development.

 

In “…The first stage of the affair might be surmised without any great breach of probability.”

CHAPTER 5

.

Guilty: (adjective) feeling guilt.

In “….he was for some reason, possibly because he had overheard their guilty secrets, put to death by his fellow passengers”.

Cunning: (adjective) crafty, clever in an unpleasant way. 

In “…when coupled with generalities as to the ferocity and cunning of anarchical and other secret societies...”

Approach: (verb) to come near or nearer to something or someone in space, time, quality or amount.

In “…we must abandon the analytic or scientific method of investigation, and must approach it in the synthetic fashion”.

Deceased: (adjective) dead.

In “…some peculiarities in connection with the gold stopping of his front tooth, appeared to indicate that the deceased was a citizen of the United States…”

Being: (noun) a person or thing that exists or the state of existing.

In “… that he was concealed under the seat, and that being discovered, he was for some reason, possibly because he had overheard their guilty...”

 

Whatever: (adverb, pronoun, determiner) › or something similar, anything or everything, used to say that what happens is not important because it does not change a situation.

 

In “whatever may be the truth, “said he” it must depend upon some bizarre...”

Bizarre: (adjective) very strange and surprising.

In “…it must depend upon some bizarre and rare combination of events, so we need have no...”

 

CHAPTER 6

 

Remarkable: (adjective) Unusual or special and therefore surprising and worth mentioning.

In “Now, there is one most remarkable and suggestive fact which has not met with the attention…”

Deserve: (verb) to have earned or to be given something because of the way you have behaved or the qualities you have.

In”…with the attention which it deserves...”

Rate: (noun) the speed at which something happens or changes, or the amount number of times it happens or changes in a particular period.

In”…the two trains would at that time be travelling in the same direction at a similar rate of speed and upon parallel lines.”

Within (preposition) inside or not further than an area or period of time.

In “It is within every one´s experience how, under such circumstances...”

Plainly:  (adverb) clearly or obviously.

In”…of each carriage can see very plainly the passengers in the other carriages opposite to him.”

Feat: (noun) something difficult needing a lot of skill, strength, brave, ET. To achieve it.

In “the feat is by no means so perilous as it might appear.”

Quarrel: (noun) an argument.

In “As the upshot of the quarrel the elder man shot the intruder...”

 

CHAPTER 7

 

Fellow: (adjective) describes someone who has the same job or interests as you, or is in the same situation as you.

In “…this man saw the young fellow cross from one train to the other saw him oven the door...”

Murder: (noun) the crime of intentionally killing a person.

In “saw the two fugitive’s spring out on to the line, realized that murder had been done, and sprang…”

Aware: (adjective) Knowing that something exists, or having knowledge or experience of a particular thing.

In “My answer is that he was well aware that if the bag were found his identity would be established

Inquiry: (noun) the process of asking a question.

In “My theory stands or falls upon one point, and I call upon the railway company to make strict inquiry as to whether a ticket was found …”

Unclaimed: (adjective) if something is unclaimed, no one has said that it belongs to them or that they should have it.

In “…whether a ticket was found unclaimed in the local train through Harrow and King´s Langley upon the 18^th of March.”

Conceivable: (adjective) Possible to imagine or to believe.

In “If not, my theory may still be the correct one, for it is conceivable either that he travelled without a ticket or that his ticket was lost.”

Plausible: (adjective) seeming likely to be true, or able to be believed.

In “To this elaborate and plausible hypothesis the answer of the police and of the company was, first, that no…”

Perished: (adjective) extremely cold

In “So perished the only satisfying explanation, and five years have elapsed without supplying a new one.”

 

CHAPTER 8

 

Track: (noun) a path or rough road which is made of soil rather than having a surface covered with stone or other material.

In “But for all that, I had rather cover up our tracks all I can.”

Owe: (verb) to need to pay or give something to someone because they have lent money to you, or in exchange for something they have done for you.

In “But owe you an explanation, for it your ideas of it was wrong...”

Mighty: (adjective) Very large, powerful or important.

In “...It was a mighty ingenious one all the same. I ´ll have to go back a little so as you may understand all about it.

Sort: (noun) Used to describe a situation approximately.

I was ten years older than my brother, and after my father died I sort of took the place of a father to him, as an elder brother would.”

Refuse: (verb) to say that you will not do or accept something.

In “My mother saw  it just as clearly as I did, but she went on spoiling him all the same, for he had such a way with him that you could refuse him nothing.”

Crooks: (noun) a very dishonest person, especially a criminal or a cheat.

In “…he was one of the most notorious young crooks in the city.”

Afterward: (adverb) after the time mentioned; later.

In “... and himself such a valuable decoy, that it was their favorite game afterwards.

Pull: (verb) to move something towards yourself, sometimes with great physical effort.

In “...so it seemed as if nothing could ever stop them, for those were in the days before the Lexow Commission, and if you only had a pull, you could do pretty nearly everything you wanted.

 

CHAPTER 9

 

Card: ( noun) a small rectangular piece of card or plastic, often with your  signature, photograph or other information proving who you are, which allows you to do something, such as made a payment, get money from a bank, or enter a particular place.

In “And nothing would have stopped them if they had only suck to cards and New You’re, but the must needs come up…”

Forge: (verb) to make an illegal copy of something in order to deceive.

In “…and forge a name upon a cheque.”

Prosecute: (verb) to officially accuse someone of committing a crime in a court of law, or (of a lawyer) to try to prove that a person accused of committing a crime is guilty of that crime.

In “Then I went to my brother, laid it before him on the table, and swore to him that I would prosecute if he did not clear out of the country.”

Being: (noun) A person or thing that exists or the state of existing.

In “I made him understand, however, that our mother´s heart was being broken in any case...”

Gaol: (noun) Jail.

In “… and that I had set firm on the point that I would rather see him in Rochester gaol than in a New York hotel.”

Trade: (noun) the activity of buying and selling or exchanging, goods and/or services between people or countries.

In “…and that he would turn his hand to any honest trade that I helped him to get... 

Sample: (noun) a small amount of something that shows you what the rest is or should be like.

In “ His manner and appearance were so good that he won the old man over ant once and within a week he was sent off to London With a case full of samples.”

Pit: (noun) something that is of extremely low quality.

In “…In an instant I had resolved to go also, and to pit my influence against  McCoy’s.”

Duty: (noun) something that you gave to do because it is part of your job, or something that you feel is the right thing to do.

In “...I knew it was a losing fight but I thought, and my mother thought, that it was my duty.

 

CHAPTER 10

 

Fellow: (noun) a man, used especially in the past by people in a higher social class.

In “I was a fellow – traveller, on the steamship, with Sparrow McCoy, and at least I had the satisfaction of spoiling his little game for the voyage.”

Skull: (noun) the bones of the head, which surround the brain and give the head its shape.

In “…who were carrying their full purses and their empty skulls over to Europe?”

Harvest: (noun) the time of year when crops are cut and collected from the fields, or the activity of cutting and collecting them, or the crops which are cut and collected.

In “He was settling down for his harvest, and a rich one it would have been.”

Aware: (adjective) Knowing that something exists, or having knowledge or experience of a particular thing.

In “But I soon changed all that. “ Gentlemen, said I, are you aware whom you are playing with?”

Gallows: (noun) A wooden structure used, especially in the past, to hang criminals from as a form of execution 8= killing as a punishment).

In “Gaol and the gallows wait for violence and murder, and there´s no slipping out  by the back door on board an ocean liner.

Slip= (verb) to slide without intending to.

In “…and there’s no slipping out by the back door on board an ocean liner.

Sleeve: (noun) the part of a piece of clothing that covers some or all of the arm

In “If you will turn up your right shirt –sleeve to the shoulder...”

Chapter 11

 

Glance: (verb) at/round/towards/over/through.

In “A glance at the time –table showed me that the most likely train… they might have caught”. 

Depot: (noun) a place where trains, trucks, or buses are kept. A small bus or train station.

In “I had only time to get the later one, but found no sign of them either at the depot or in the train.”  

Appeal: (noun) when a lot of people are asked to give money, information, or help.

In “One last appeal to my brother by all that he owed to my mother might even now be the salvation of him. 

Steady: (verb) to make something stop shaking or moving.

In My nerves were over strung, and I lit a cigar to steady them.” 

Disguise: (verb) to change your appearance/voice, etc. son that people cannot recognize you

In “They were both disguised, and with good reason, for they knew that the London police were after them. 

Astrakhan: ( noun) a type of cloth which looks like the skin of very young sheep from astrakhan in southern  Russia which is covered in usually grey or black wool that is tightly curled and looks like fur. 

Deceive: (verb) to make someone believe something that is not true.

In “My brother was dressed like a woman, with a black veil half down his face, but of course it did not deceive me for an instant, nor would it have done so even if  I had no…” 

Slam :( verb) to close with great force, or to make something close with great force. 

In “He said something the conductor slammed the door, and they were shown into the next compartment”.

Harden: (verb) to stop feeling emotions about someone or something, so that you see less kind, gentle, or weak.

In “… he had spent the time between Euston and Willesden in saying all he could to harden my brother´s heart en set him against me” 

Picture: (verb) to imagine something in a particular way.

In “I tried this way and I tried that; I pictured his future in an English gaol “ 

Throw: (verb) to put something somewhere quickly and without thinking about it. 

In: “…now and then Sparrow MacCoy would throw in a taunt at me, or some word of...”

 

Chapter 12 

Assurance: (nouns) a promise, confidence.

In” A man ! said I. “well, I´m glad to have your friend´s assurance or it, for no one would…” 

Suspect: (noun) someone who may have committed a crime.

In “…for no one would suspect it to see you like a boarding…” 

Contemptible: (adjective) deserving contempt.

In “I don´t suppose in all this country there is a more contemptible-looking creature...” 

Pinafore: (noun) a loose dress with no sleeves that is worn over other clothe such as a shirt.

In “…than you are as you sit there with that Dolly pinafore upon you”. 

Vain: (adjective) without any success.

In “He coloured up at that, for he was a vain man...” 

Wince: (verb) to suddenly look as if you are suffering because you feel pain or because you see or think about something unpleasant.

In” He coloured up at that, for he was a vain man, and he winced from ridicule” 

Slipped: (verb) to slide by accident and fall or almost fall.

In “it´s only a dust-cloak , said he, and he slipped it off”. 

Veil : (noun) a thing piece of material that covers a woman´s face.

In” he took his toque off with the veil attached…” 

Cloak: (noun) a loose coat without sleeves that hangs down from your shoulders.

In “…and he put both it and the cloak into his brown bag”.

 

Chapter 13

 

Squeal: (verb) to make a loud, high sound, often because of fear or excitement.

In “Oh, you would squeal, would you? He cried…”

Whipped: (verb) to move or make something move in a fast, sudden way.

In “…and in an instant he whipped out his revolver.

 Fire: (verb) to shoot a bullet from a gun.

In “At the same instant he fired, and the bullet which …” 

Bullet: (noun) a small, metal object that is fired from a gum.

In “… and the bullet which would have struck me passed through the heart of my unfortunate brother.

Groan: (verb) to make a long, low sound such as when expressing pain, unhappiness.

In “He dropped without a groan upon the floor of the compartment…”

Loaded: (adjective) a loaded gun, or similar weapon, has a bullet in it.

In “ MacCoy still held the loaded revolver in his hand…”

Anger: (noun) a strong feeling against someone who has behaved badly, making you wants to shout at them or hurt them.

In “…but his anger against me and my resentment towards him had both for the moment been…”

 

Chapter 14 

Unless: (conjunction) except if.

In “I soon realized from what he said that unless there were some papers of which we knew nothing in my brother´s pockets…”

 

Baggage: (noun) all the cases and bags that you take with you when you travel.

In “…and so was the ticket for some baggage which they had left at the depot. 

Outfit: (noun) a set of clothes for a particular event or activity.

In “… he had found it cheaper and easier to buy an outfit in London that to bring one from New York...” 

Unmarked:  (adjective) having no signs or words that show what something is.

In “…so that all his linen and clothes were new and unmarked”.

Cloak: (noun) a loose coat without sleeves that hangs down from your shoulders.

In “The bag, containing the bust-cloak, which I had thrown out of the window…” 

Bramble: (noun): blackberry

In “may have fallen among some bramble patch where it is still …” 

Conceal:  (verb) when something is hidden.

In “some bramble patch where it is still concealed or may have been …” 

Tramp: (noun) someone who has no home, job, or money and who lives outside.

In “may have been carried off by some tramp, or may have come into the possession of the police…”

 

Chapter 15

 

Picked: (noun) a group of people who stand outside a building in order to show their anger about something and to try to stop people going inside.

In “You remember that testament that was picked up”. 

Value: (noun) how useful or important something is.

In “I value it very highly, for it was the family book with my birth and my brother´s marked…” 

Highly: (adverb) to admire/say admiring things about someone.

In” I value it very highly…”

Apply: (verb) to ask officially for something, often by writing.

In “I wish you would apply at the proper place …” 

Proper: ( adjective) referring to the main or most important part of something.

In “I wish you would apply at the proper place and have it sent to me”.