ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY
THE GREEN DOOR by O.Henry
Commentary on the text
1. table d'hote (a French borrowing which retains its French spelling and is italicized in writing): means a meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) with a limited choice of courses served at a hotel or restaurant at a fixed price in contrast to a meal a la carte which is more expensive.
2. Himmel! (Germ.): Good Heavens!
3. Iliad: a poem by Homer describing the siege of Troy
4. Dar it is, boss: There it is, boss. This and the other sentences used by the Negro, are uttered by a man who is illiterate and speaks broken English.
5. dope out v (Am. slang) to predict; to work or make by calculation.
SPEECH PATTERNS
- Suppose you should be walk ing down Broadway after dinner…
- That would be pure adventure. Would you accept it? Not you.
- “ To think of you go ing through all that,” he exclaimed.
- How did you come to knock at my door?
- What if they had fallen into other hands…?
Word Combinations and Phrases
a pair of scissors (trousers, shoes, gloves)
to flush with embarrassment (confusion,
excitement, etc.)
few were the evenings... (days, nights, hours, etc.)
by daylight (by night)
a flight of steps (a flight of stairs)
to answer a knock (bell, telephone call, etc.)
to go without smth.
to pour a cup full of milk
one of a thousand (hundred, million, etc.)
to get along
ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY
1. thrill vt/i to excite or please sb very much, to be excited or pleased, e.g.: This music fascinates and thrills me every time it is played. He thrilled at the thought of home. To be thrilled about/ at/ with sth: The instructor was thrilled at the progress they have made in a short time. Stephanie was clearly thrilled with the results.
Syn. to excite, to enrapture, to delight.
thrilling adj producing excitement in smb., e.g.: Lennox Lewis, the British heavyweight, won another thrilling victory. They said I was meant to be an actor – it was a thrilling feeling. Syn. exciting.
thrill n a sensation of excitement, e.g.: Their journey was packed with thrills and amusement. It was a thrill to see Paris again. One could trace a thrill of indignation in his voice. Syn. excitement.
thriller n an exciting, suspenseful play, story or film, esp. a mystery story; a person or thing that thrills, e.g.: Comedies continued to pull in the biggest audiences, followed by thrillers and adventure films. Most low-grade thrillers contribute to the growth of juvenile delinquency. Note: In Great Britain, the word thriller is sometimes used for all mystery novels, e.g.: One evening we went to a play — a stage production of an Agatha Christie thriller performed by a local concert group.
2. pure adj 1. free from extraneous matter, as pure gold (silk, wool, milk, etc.), e.g. I'd like to have nothing but a glass of pure water. The colour isn't pure white; 2. morally clean, without evil or sin, e.g.: Buddhists try to lead a pure life and help others; 3. absolute, sheer, as pure nonsense (accident, imagination, etc.), e.g.: They are dying from pure boredom. The girl sang for pure joy.
purely adv entirely; merely, e.g.: He did it for purely personal reasons. It was purely accidental that we met them. Syn. entirely, completely.
purity n the state or quality of being pure, e.g.: Nanny, who was spoiled and evil, could not believe in the purity of John's intentions. The committee decided to test the purity of the water. The statue is a work of remarkable purity of line.
3. fumble vt/i 1. to feel about uncertainly with the hands. To fumble for/ with sth, e.g.: He fumbled in his pocket for the key. Mrs Lomax fumbled with the ignition switch and started the car; also used figuratively: to fumble for words, e.g.: As I listened to him fumbling for words of explanation, I wished he could have said boldly what he thought. 2. to touch or hold sth awkwardly or nervously, e.g: She was fumbling with her handkerchief; to fumble smth. in one's hands, e.g.: He stood fumbling his hat in his hands.
4. abandon vt 1. to give up, as to abandon the idea (hope, beliefs, one's efforts, etc.), e.g. She abandoned hopes for a stage career. Soon they abandoned the project as it was too costly. I soon found out I was no good at acting and abandoned the profession for good; 2. to leave, to desert, as to abandon one's family (child, friends, etc.), e.g. Various non-governmental organizations try to help people abandoned by the state.
5. serene adj clear and calm; peaceful, as serene smile (air, life, temper, look, etc.), e.g. It was so pleasant to look at the serene sky after it had been covered with dark clouds for nearly a week.
serenely adv in a serene manner; calmly, peacefully, e.g. He was walking serenely through the park.
serenity n the state or quality of being serene, e.g. The serenity of her ipok confused Nick.
6. store n 1. quantity or supply of sth. kept for use as needed, e.g. There is a rich store of food in the house; in store bound to happen; saved and ready for use, e.g. Who knows what the future may hold in store. He always has a lot of amusing stories in store for his children; to set great (small, little, no) store by sth., sb. to consider of great (little, no) value or importance, e.g. She sets no great store by his promises. Old Jolyon set small store by the class to which he belonged; 2. a place, where goods are kept; a warehouse, e.g. The building fell into disuse and functioned as a store for gardening equipment; 3. pl. goods, etc., of a particular kind or for a special purpose, as naval stores, grain stores, military stores; 4. esp. US: a shop, e.g. Duncan was employed at the local grocery store as a delivery boy delivering groceries to the local customers on his bike.
store vt (oft. with up) 1. (lit. and fig.) to collect, to keep for future use, e.g. Children who store up all their bad feelings, rather than expressing them, are often ill-tempered and uncooperative. The body can not store vitamin C, so it is essential to have a fresh supply every day. Do not store clothes in plastic, which will attract dust and encourage the growth of mould; 2. (esp. passive) to fill, to supply (with), e.g. a mind well stored with facts; 3. to put in a warehouse for safe keeping, e.g. It is only used as a fine-weather car and must be stored over winter.
storehouse n (lit. and fig.), e.g. The Tower of London was used as a military storehouse. He is a storehouse of information (wisdom, etc.).
7. chatter vi 1. to talk quickly or foolishly or without a stop, e.g. The girls giggled and chattered like magpies. A flock of little boys followed us, chattering in a mixture of Arab and French; 2. to make quick indistinct sounds, e.g. The sparrows were chattering on the roof. We heard the monkeys chattering angrily; 3. to strike the lower and upper teeth together from cold or fear, e.g. Her teeth chattered, and again not with the cold.
chatter n sounds of the kinds described above, e.g. Corbett lay on the grass, listening to the birds overhead and the constant chatter of the bees and crickets.
chatterbox n a person who chatters, e.g. The parents called Matilda a noisy chatterbox and told her sharply that small girls should be seen and not heard.
chattering n, e.g. The chattering hushed as the play got under way.
8. consent vi to give agreement or permission to sth., e.g. We asked her permission and she readily consented. John consented to go; to consent to sth., e.g. When the foster parents applied to adopt Denny, his parents refused to consent to the adoption. All the patients consented to the new tests and treatments; Syn. to agree; to give permission
consent n permission; agreement, e.g. Parents gave their consent to their daughter’s marriage. A child can not be interviewed without his parents’ consent; by common consent with everyone agreeing to the choice, e.g.: It was, by common consent, our finest performance; by mutual consent
9. reduce vt/i 1. to make smaller in size, appearance, price, etc., as to reduce speed/ the savings/ the symptoms; e.g. The USA and Russia claim they are ready to reduce their military expenditure. Giving young people the facts about AIDS and encouraging them to think about their future can reduce the number of new HIV infections. The medicine will reduce your pulse rate. Ant. increase; 2. to bring to a difficult condition, way of behaving, etc., as to reduce to poverty /absurdity /extremity /tears /to a minimum, etc., e.g. The girl was reduced to tears when she had to account for her words. You must reduce your smoking to a minimum. The Great Depression reduced many to begging on street corners. Syn. to diminish.
reduction n reducing or being reduced, e.g. The reduction of prices on consumer goods will be a sign of economic recovery.
10. hand n
at hand near, within reach, e.g. Fantasia of the Unconscious by T.Eliot is a book to keep at hand and re-read;
by hand by a person, not a machine, e.g. These rugs are made by hand;
to have one's hands full to be very busy, e.g. My mother had her hands full with housework and caring for four elderly people;
to give (lend) sb a (helping) hand with sth to help with sth, to take part in sth, e.g. Why don’t you give me a hand with the rest of the work?
to have (take) a hand in sth to participate in sth, to have a share in the action, e.g. He scored a goal and two points, and had a hand in two other goals. I'm sure he had a hand in the affair;
to try one's hand at sth to test one’s skill at sth., e.g. After the war, when he was out of the army, he tried his hand at several things, and they were all pretty much a disaster;
to live from hand to mouth to satisfy only one’s present basic needs, with nothing in reserve, e.g.: They looked forward to a time when they would no longer have to live from hand to mouth;
to eat out of one's hand to be totally submissive to sb, readily controlled by sb, e.g. That spoiled brat has her parents eating out of her hand;
to catch sb red-handed to discover sb in the act of doing sth wrong; to know sth like the back of one’s hand;
Proverb: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush; acronym: HAND Have a nice day.
hand vt give, pass, e.g. Please hand me those papers. Antonio fished in his back pocket and handed him a card; to hand sth. in to submit, e.g. She handed in her term paper after the deadline;
to hand sth out to distribute, e.g. Many perfume houses gladly hand out miniature sample vials of their wares.
handy adj 1. convenient, useful, as a handy dictionary (tool, etc.), e.g. The Courier can be used by the elderly, the disabled and bedridden as a handy low-cost call device; 2. within easy reach, e.g. Do keep a dictionary handy; 3. skillful in using one's hands, e.g. David is not very handy, he can’t knock a nail in a wall;
to come in handy to become useful, e.g. I always keep a spare blanket – it comes in handy when I have guests. Take this money, it may come in quite handy.
11. rattle vt/i 1. to make short, sharp sounds quickly one after the other, e.g. The windows rattled in the strong wind. The hail rattled on the roof; 2. to move with a rattling noise, e.g. A cart full of milk bottles rattled past. The car rattled gaily along the streets; 3. to chatter incessantly and aimlessly, e.g. She rattled on for an hour. Syn. chatter; 4. to talk, to say or repeat smth. quickly in a thoughtless or lively way, e.g. The boy rattled off the poem that he had learned by heart.
rattle n 1. rattling noise, e.g. The rattle of the passing trains disturbed his sleep; 2. a baby's toy, e.g. Make the baby stop crying. Give him his rattle.
rattlesnake n a poisonous snake, e.g. Rattlesnakes are found in America.
12. wink vi/t 1. to close and open one or both eyes quickly, e.g. The bright light made her wink. The girl tried to wink her tears away; 2. to do this with one eye at sb as a private signal or hint, e.g. I was about to speak when I saw my friend wink at me and fell silent.
wink n the act of winking; the time required for a wink, e.g. Once she gave me a wink and even pinched me; not to get a wink of sleep / not to sleep a wink, e.g. Nick could barely get a wink of sleep last night. Some people find it impossible to sleep a wink on a long night journey in a train.
13. cunning adj 1. clever at deceiving people; sly, e.g. Be careful. He is as cunning as a fox. Syn. sly; 2. (of an invention, decision, etc.) clever, ingenious, e.g. Critics praised the play’s cunning structure.
cunning n skill in deceiving people, e.g. When he couldn’t get what he wanted openly and honestly, he resorted to low cunning. Setting the trap for Harry took cunning and nerve.
14. kick vt/i to strike with the foot, e.g. The boy kicked the ball back to the center-forward. As she began to choke she kicked and struggled for breath;
to kick one's shoes (slippers) off, e.g. He kicked off his shoes and put his feet on the fender;
to kick sb out to dismiss sb, e.g. I was kicked out by my landlord and put in this awful hostel;
to kick up a row (fuss, etc.) to make trouble, e.g. Miss Brown didn't like the dress in the least and kicked up a row. The poor dressmaker didn't know how to calm her; alive and kicking still living, in good health.
kick n 1. act of kicking, e.g. The dog growled when it got a kick; 2. (colloq.) thrill, pleasure, as to get a kick out of sth, e.g. He always gets a kick out of any row. That song really gives me a kick. I love it! 3. a recoil of gun when fired, e.g. The gun gave a strong kick and hurt his shoulder; 4. power to react, strength, e.g. He sank down to the floor with no kick left in him; to get the kick (slang) to be dismissed, e.g. Now that Tony Bicket had stolen a few books and was found out, he was sure he would get the kick.
15. ware n 1. (chiefly in compounds) manufactured goods, as silverware (ironware, hardware, stoneware, etc.), e.g. There is a little shop in our street that sells hardware and toilet ware; 2. (pl.) articles offered for sale, e.g. The architect displayed his wares on the drawing-board.
16. ferocious adj fierce, cruel, as a ferocious beast (look, heat, fight, etc.). The little ship was caught in a ferocious storm. Syn. fierce, cruel, violent.
ferocity n fierceness, inhuman cruelty, e.g. "When a man wants to murder a tiger, he calls it sport; when the tiger wants to murder him, he calls it ferocity" (G. B. Shaw). They hated each other with a ferocity worthy of a bigger cause.
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