Analysis of Pages 2-4 from 'The Plague' by Albert Camus

Vocabulary terms and definitions extracted from the analysis of pages 2-4 of Albert Camus' 'The Plague', including formal literary terms, British English variations, and narrative vocabulary.

to make a town's acquaintance

to get to know a town; to become familiar with it

to ascertain

to find out; to discover (formal word)

on much the same lines

in a very similar way; following the same pattern

feverish

very active, full of nervous energy; like having a fever

casual

relaxed, not showing much interest or effort

bored

feeling tired and impatient because you have nothing interesting to do

to devote oneself to

to give all your time and energy to something

habits

things you do regularly without thinking

solely

only; exclusively

with the object of

with the purpose of; in order to

commerce

business; trade; buying and selling

aim

goal; purpose; what you want to achieve

doing business

making deals; buying and selling for profit

to eschew

to avoid; to stay away from (formal word)

love-making

flirting; romantic/sexual activity

sea-bathing

swimming in the sea

going to the pictures

going to the cinema (British informal)

sensibly

in a reasonable, practical way

to reserve

to save for a particular time or purpose

pastimes

hobbies; activities done for enjoyment

to forgather

to gather together; to meet (old-fashioned word)

varies

changes; is different (from to vary)

to stroll

to walk slowly and relaxed

to take the air

to go outside to breathe fresh air

violent

strong, intense; full of energy

short-lived

lasting only a short time

vices

bad habits; immoral behaviour

range beyond

go further than; extend past

addiction

a strong need to do something; habit you can't stop

banquets

large formal meals with many people

socials

social gatherings; parties (informal)

change hands

be passed from one person to another (about money)

on the fall of a card

as a result of a card being played (i.e., by gambling)

no doubt

certainly; without question

peculiar to

special to; only found in (a person or place)

contemporaries

people living at the same time; people of the same generation

from morn till night

from morning until night (poetic/old-fashioned)

proceeding to

moving on to; starting to do next

to fritter away

to waste (time or money) on unimportant things

small-talk

polite conversation about unimportant things

exceptional

unusual; not typical

discomfort

slight pain; lack of comfort

to stand by you

to support you; to be there for you

so to speak

as one might say (used when you say something not literal)

after a fashion

to some extent; in some way; not perfectly

to let yourself go

to relax completely; to stop controlling yourself

invalid

a person who is seriously ill (noun)

to rely on

to trust; to depend on

extremes of temperature

very hot and very cold temperatures

exigencies

demands; needs (formal)

uninspiring

dull; not interesting; not giving you energy

surroundings

the area around you; environment

call for

require; need

trapped

caught; unable to escape

sizzling

very hot; making a hissing sound like frying food

hanging on the telephone

waiting or speaking on the phone

shipments

goods sent to be delivered

bills of lading

documents for shipping goods (business term)

discounts

price reductions

attends

accompanies; goes together with

waylays

catches by surprise; attacks suddenly

somewhat

a little; to some degree

haphazard

random; not planned or organized

observations

comments; remarks; things noticed

fair idea

a reasonably good understanding

to exaggerate

to make something seem bigger/worse than it is

to be conveyed

to be communicated; to be expressed

banality

ordinariness; lack of originality

appearance

how something looks; outward look

to get through the days

to live through the days; to pass the time

once

as soon as; when (conjunction)

encourages

promotes; supports; helps to develop

all is for the best

everything happens for the best; everything will be fine

Treeless

without trees

Glamourless

without charm or excitement

Soulless

without spirit; lacking humanity

ends by seeming

finally appears; in the end feels (like)

restful

peaceful; calm; relaxing

complacently

in a self-satisfied way; feeling content without worry

It is only fair to add

It's honest/right to also say

is grafted on to

is attached to; is part of (like a plant grafted to a tree)

unique

one of a kind; very special

landscape

the visible features of an area of land

bare

empty; without plants

plateau

a flat area of land high above sea level

ringed with

surrounded by (like a ring)

luminous

shining; bright

shaped

formed in a particular way

is disposed

is arranged; is positioned

turns its back on

ignores; faces away from

with the result that

as a consequence; therefore

Such being

Since this is; Because it is (formal)

fellow citizens

people of the same town/country

not the faintest reason

absolutely no reason at all

to apprehend

to fear; to be worried about (formal)

incidents

events; things that happened

in question

being discussed; this particular

subsequently

later; afterwards

premonitory signs

warnings; signs that something bad will happen

grave

serious; very important and worrying