Лучшие рассказы О. Генри = The Best of O. Henry. О. Генри
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Kitchener – Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850–1916), a British field marshal and administrator; Kitchener became a symbol of national military victories.
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William Muldoon (1852–1933) – an American wrestling and boxing champion and trainer
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the Duchess of Marlborough – Sarah Jennings (1660–1744), the wife of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and a close friend of Queen Ann of Great Britain (1669–1714)
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oleograph – a colour lithograph, a most popular method of colour reproduction in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries
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caliph – a ruler of a Muslim country, usually powerful and rich
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Cupid – in Roman mythology, the god of love
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fauns – in Roman mythology, half-men and half-goats, gods of the woods and the fields
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hamadryads – nymphs living inside trees and dying with them
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Philomel – the brand name of a hand organ, the musical instrument generating sounds
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acres –
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Croesus (6th century BC) – the last king of Lydia, an ancient country on the Aegean Sea, known for his great wealth
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Eden – in the Old Testament, the biblical paradise on the Earth where the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, lived
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incog. = incognito – with concealed identity, under an assumed name
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bunco steerer – here: swindler
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Fortunatus – Venantius Fortunatus (540–600), a French bishop and poet, the author of Latin poems and hymns
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horologue = chronograph, a device for measuring time
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Rubberneck Auto – a tour bus for sightseers;
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Russell Sage (1816–1906) – an American financier who took part in organizing the US railroad and telegraph
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the Rialto – Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal in Venice, built in the 16th century, with a broad deck carrying two arcades of shops
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the Harlem River – a river in Harlem, the district in central New York City, with no fixed boundaries
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H. P. = horse power
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Epictetian philosophy – in Greek and Roman history, the philosophy of stoicism characterized by tranquility of mind and the mode of life based on certain moral principles
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cardiaphone – the device for listening to the work of a human heart and other most subtle sounds
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Bluebeard – a fictional character in European, Eastern and African folklore and Charles Perrault’s tale; he killed everybody who risked to enter the locked and forbidden room.
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mfg. = manufacturing
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wot = know (
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anthropology – the science which studies humanity in different aspects: biological, historical, cultural, evolutional, etc.
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harlequin – one of the main characters in the Italian comedy of arts, a witty manservant
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sacque = sack – here: a wide coat
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Patrolman – a patrol policeman
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a plain clothes man – an agent or detective (not wearing uniform)
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hall bedroom – a one-room flat
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the Flatrion Building – a famous skyscraper in Broadway, built in 1902
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the great cathedral in Milan – Cathedral of Milan, a fine example of Gothic architecture, one of the largest churches in Europe, built in the 14th–15th centuries
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regalia – emblems or decorations used at some occasions
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début – the first appearance in society
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bon vivants – people leading a merry life and enjoying it
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habitués – usual customers or visitors
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tulle – a party dress made of tulle, an extremely fine and soft fabric
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vespertine –
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cheviot – woolen fabric, slightly rough and heavy
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beau monde – the best society, the elite
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cotillions – cotillion is the 18th–19th century French court dance
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wigwams –
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the tribe of the Manhattans – a North American Indian tribe that used to inhabit the island until 1626 when Manhattan was sold to the Dutch
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the highway of Mammon and the auxiliary gods – here: the place where the rich live; Mammon is an ancient god of wealth.
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to do de Johny act – here: to chase after a woman, to misbehave
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diaphanous = semitransparent, translucent
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troubadour – a lyric poet in Italy, France and Spain in the 11th–13th centuries
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conservatory – a hot-house with glass roof and walls to protect plants from cold
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impresario – a manager or sponsor of an actor, singer, etc. or an entertainment
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calico – cotton fabric with plain designs, originated in Calicut, India, in the 11th century
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ragtime – a musical style predominant in American popular music in the late 19th – early 20th century
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lares et penates = native home (
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polychromatic = multi-coloured
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Huguenot – the French Protestant in the 16th–17th centuries
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Psyche = Soul (
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Amazonian – from
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cryptograph – a specialist in cryptography, the practice of using cipher with a secret code in messages
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the worm dieth seldom – a part of the phrase from the Bible that describes the blazing inferno
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rayjict = reject
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the blowing of Gabriel’s dinner horn – Archangel Gabriel, the messenger of the God, according to the Old Testament texts blew a trumpet (horn)
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‘Parsifal’ – opera by Richard Wagner, written in 1882 and based on the early 13th century epic poem of th