The secret history

babble

болтовня, лепет to talk or say something in a quick, confused, excited, or silly way: The baby babbled happily.

bilious

желчный, раздражительный relating to an illness, caused by too much bile, that can cause vomiting: She suffered from bilious attacks.

privy

осведомлённый, тайный to be told information that is not known to many people: He was privy to the company's secret plans.

parenthetical

вставной, пояснительный put in parentheses (round brackets), or given as extra information: She added a parenthetical remark to clarify the point.

primordial

изначальный, первобытный existing from the beginning of time: The primordial forest stretched for miles.

disheveled

растрёпанный, неопрятный (of people or their appearance) messy and not neat: He arrived looking disheveled after the long journey.

bludgeoning

избиение (тяжёлым предметом) to hit someone or something hard and repeatedly, often with a heavy object: The victim was bludgeoned to death.

stealth

скрытность, незаметность movement that is quiet and careful in order not to be seen or heard: The cat moved with stealth towards the bird.

clavicle

ключица the technical word for the collarbone: She fractured her clavicle in the accident.

sternum

грудина the technical word for the breastbone: The sternum protects the heart and lungs.

ribcage

грудная клетка the structure of ribs that protects the chest organs: He felt a sharp pain in his ribcage.

crudely

грубо, примитивно in a rough or basic way, without skill or care: The tools were crudely made from stone.

brusque

резкий, отрывистый quick and direct in manner or speech, often to the point of rudeness: His brusque reply offended her.

rowdy

шумный, буйный noisy and likely to cause trouble: The pub was full of rowdy young men.

dismal

мрачный, унылый sad and without hope, or very bad: The weather was dismal all week.

guttural

горловой, хриплый (of speech sounds) produced at the back of the throat: He spoke in a deep guttural voice.

sepulchre

гробница, склеп a stone structure where someone is buried: The ancient sepulchre was uncovered by archaeologists.

gasolier

газовая люстра a large, decorative light that uses gas: The old mansion had a gasolier in the hall.

volumes

тома, книги books, especially as a set: The library housed thousands of volumes.

calfhide

телячья кожа leather made from the skin of a calf: The book was bound in calfhide.

rag

тряпка

издеваться (над кем-то)

1. a torn piece of cloth:    He cleaned the window with a rag.

2. to laugh at someone or say unkind things about them:    They ragged him for his mistake.

stilted

неестественный, напыщенный (of speech or writing) too formal and not flowing naturally: The dialogue in the play felt stilted.

elm

вяз a large tree with broad leaves: The elm tree shaded the entire yard.

tamarack

лиственница (американская) a North American larch tree with needle-like leaves: The tamarack trees turned golden in autumn.

quince

айва a fruit that looks like a yellow apple and is used for making jam: She made delicious quince jelly.

rowboat

гребная лодка a small boat that you move through water with oars: They crossed the lake in a rowboat.

mallards

кряквы (дикие утки) a common type of wild duck: Mallards swam peacefully on the pond.

starch

крахмал

чопорность

1. a white substance found in foods such as potatoes and rice:    Corn starch is used as a thickener.

2. stiffness of manner:    He spoke with an old-fashioned starch in his voice.

discomfiture

замешательство, смущение a feeling of embarrassment or confusion: He tried to hide his discomfiture.

veer

резко менять направление to suddenly change direction: The car veered off the road to avoid a deer.

intact

нетронутый, целый complete and not damaged: The package arrived intact despite the rough handling.

mundane

обыденный, приземлённый very ordinary and not exciting: She found housework mundane.

ostensible

кажущийся, мнимый appearing or claimed to be true, but possibly false: His ostensible reason for leaving was illness.

woozy

ошеломлённый, дурной feeling weak or dizzy: She felt woozy after standing in the sun.

strung

напряжённый (в составе highly strung) (nervous and easily upset): He was highly strung before the exam.

grueling

изнурительный extremely tiring and difficult: It was a grueling marathon.

rambles

прогулки

бессвязная речь

1. long walks for pleasure:    She went for rambles in the countryside.

2. confused and lengthy speech:    His rambles were hard to follow.

logging

лесозаготовка the activity of cutting down trees for wood: Logging is damaging the rainforest.

petulant

капризный, раздражительный easily annoyed and complaining in a rude way: He gave a petulant sigh.

unflagging

неутомимый never becoming weaker or stopping: She worked with unflagging energy.

vacillated

колебался, не решался to be uncertain what to do, or to change often between two opinions: He vacillated between two choices for days.

nagging

назойливый, донимающий complaining or criticizing continuously: She had a nagging headache all day.

rumpled

мятый, помятый creased and untidy: His suit was rumpled after the journey.

craning

вытягивание шеи (чтобы увидеть) to stretch out your neck in order to see better: She was craning to see over the crowd.

bluster

шумная болтовня

реветь (о ветре)

1. loud, aggressive talk that is not sincere:    His speech was full of bluster.

2. (of wind) to blow strongly:    The wind blustered outside.

volley

залп

град (ударов, вопросов) a sudden lot of things that come at the same time, often with force: A volley of questions followed his speech.

torpor

оцепенение, вялость the state of not being active and having no energy: He lay in a state of torpor.

nearsighted

близорукий not able to see clearly things that are far away: He is nearsighted and wears glasses.

trudge

идти с трудом to walk slowly with heavy steps, because you are tired or carrying something heavy: They trudged through the mud.

straggle

отставать, разбредаться to move along slowly and widely apart: The children straggled behind their parents.

unflaggingly

неутомимо in a way that never becomes weaker or stops: She supported him unflaggingly.

dissimulation

притворство, скрытие чувств the act of hiding real feelings or intentions: His dissimulation fooled no one.

slouched

сутулый, сгорбленный bending or leaning forward in a relaxed way: He sat slouched in the chair.

simmering

кипящий на медленном огне

закипающий (о чувствах)

1. to cook something slowly in liquid that is almost boiling:    She simmered the soup for an hour.

2. to be full of strong emotion that you do not show:    She felt simmering anger inside.

chafing dishes

блюда-подогреватели a dish with a small heater underneath that is used to keep food warm at the table: They served the food from chafing dishes.

sabres

сабли a heavy sword with a curved blade: The officers carried sabres.

discrepancies

расхождения, несоответствия a difference between two things that should be the same: There were discrepancies in the financial accounts.

rehashing

пересказ без изменений to repeat something that has already been said or written: He kept rehashing old arguments.

impeded

затруднённый, задержанный to slow down or block the progress of something: The work was impeded by bad weather.

sandbank

песчаная отмель a raised area of sand under the water in a river or the sea: The boat got stuck on a sandbank.

pungent

резкий (запах), едкий having a very strong, sharp smell or taste: The cheese had a pungent smell.

limp

хромать

вялый

1. to walk with difficulty because one leg is injured:    He walked with a limp.

2. soft and not firm or strong:    Her handshake was limp.

brink

грань, край the point or stage at which something is about to happen: He was on the brink of tears.

languishing

томящийся, слабеющий to exist in a unpleasant or weak condition for a long time: She lay languishing in the heat.

whim

прихоть, каприз a sudden wish or idea, especially one that is not reasonable: She bought it on a whim.

wade

брести (по воде или через толпу) to walk through water or mud, or through a crowd: They waded through the river.

pouncing

набрасывание, прыжок to jump on or attack suddenly: The cat was pouncing on the toy.

blotchy

пятнистый with spots or patches on the surface: Her skin turned blotchy with cold.

chrysanthemum

хризантема a garden plant with large, brightly coloured flowers: She received a bouquet of chrysanthemums.

reverie

грёза, мечтательность a state of pleasant thinking: He fell into a reverie.

undulating

волнистый having a wave-like shape or movement: The fields were undulating.

crimson

малиновый, багровый having a very deep red colour: Her face turned crimson with embarrassment.

scalded

ошпаренный to burn someone with hot liquid or steam: He scalded his hand with steam.

jaunty

бодрый, беззаботный showing that you are happy and confident: She wore a jaunty hat.

seeped

просачиваться to flow slowly through small holes: Water seeped through the ceiling.

lapis

лазурит (камень) a bright blue stone, used in jewellery: The statue had lapis eyes.

traitorous

предательский showing that someone is not loyal to their country or friends: His traitorous actions were exposed.

gabby

болтливый talking too much: She is too gabby for her own good.

hindrance

помеха, препятствие something that makes it difficult to do something: The noise was a hindrance to work.

beerily

пьяно, по-пивному in a way that shows the effects of drinking beer: He laughed beerily.

goading

подстрекательство to make someone do something by irritating them: He kept goading her into a fight.

insinuating

намекающий, вкрадчивый suggesting something unpleasant in an indirect way: She made an insinuating remark.

gallivanting

развлечения, гулянки to go around to different places enjoying yourself: They spent the weekend gallivanting.

subletting

сдача в поднаём to rent a property that you rent from someone else to another person: He was subletting his apartment.

spurning

отвержение, презрение to refuse to accept something or someone because you are too proud: She was spurning his advances.

sodden

пропитанный, насквозь мокрый completely wet: His clothes were sodden with rain.

befuddled

сбитый с толку confused or puzzled: The instructions left me befuddled.