Some Important note from The devoted friend

Some Important note from The devoted friend

Some Important note from The devoted friend

1. beady : like a bead, i.e.  something that is small, round and bright.  

2. Indiarubber: flexible or elastic like 'indiarubber' which is an old name for raw rubber or an eraser made of rubber.  Rubber is the elastic product made from the milky juice of the rubber plant.  

3. Canaries: A canary is a small yellow singing bird.  

4. Best society: group of rich, powerful or fashionable people, whom other people admire.  

5. Parents cannot be too patient: This term can be commonly misunderstood.  It does not mean 'should not be too patient'.  

6. The actual meaning is: 'There should not be any limit to the patience (of parents).  

6. a family man : a man who loves to be at home with his wife and children. 

7. Devoted : showing great love and loyalty (towards somebody or something). 

8. Pray: old-fashioned term, meaning 'please', used while asking a question. 

9. Linnet: a small brown and gray bird. 

10. Willow tree: a kind of tree with long thin branches and leaves, usually found close to water.

11. Spray: a small branch of a tree or plant.  

12. Fiction: a made-up or imaginary story.  Wilde hints that most people do not want to hear the truth about themselves, for truth is almost always unpleasant;  they would much rather hear something that is untrue, but pleasant or flattering.  

13. Alighting: flying down and landing.  

14. Distinguished: very important and admired by people.  

15. Sweet-williams: biennial to perennial plants, with fragrant red, white or pink flowers.  

16. Shepherds' - purses: a weed with white flowers and pouches 

17. Containing seeds: the latter characteristic gives the plant its name.  

18. Fair-maids of France: Also known as 'meadow saxifrage', it is a perennial plant that bears loose branching clusters of rounded, white flowers in late spring.  

19. damask rose (s): a large and fragrant pink rose.  

20.  gilly-flowers: sweet-scented flowers, also known as 'garden stock'. The flowers grow in spikes. 

21. lilac crocuses: crocuses that have a similar color to that of the lilac, i.e. a pale pinkish violet colour. (Lilac'  is also the name of a flower). A crocus is a small plant that produces bright yellow, white or purple flowers. Obviously, the last variety is being referred to here. 

22. Violets: a small wild or garden plant which bears purple or  white flowers with a sweet smell in spring. 

23. Columbine: plants of the buttercup family, bearing showy flowers. 

24. ladysmock: (or cuckoo flower) a perennial plant with lilac colored flowers that later turn white. 

25. wild basil: a  kind of sweet-smelling plant with shiny green leaves, used as a cooking herb. 

26. cowslip: the common primrose with long-stemmed fragrant yellow flowers (see 37 below). 

27. flower-de-luce: (or fleur-de  -lis - the French word for 'flower of the lily') another n  ame for the iris, a perennial plant with large showy flowers.  

28. daffodil: a yellow trumpet-shaped flower that blooms in spring 

29. Marjoram: one of a number of fragrant, mint-colored plants often used in cooking.

29. clove-pink: the original 'carnation', a kind of plant, usually found in double-flowered varieties- the flowers originally were flesh colored.  

30. Miller: a person who owns, or works in a 'mill' (a place where grains are ground into flour).  

31. Nosegay: (an old-fashioned term for) a small bunch of flowers.  

32. Herbs: plants whose leaves or flowers are used in medicines or to add flavor to food.  

33. Cherries: small, round, red or black fruits, with a single seed or 'stone' inside each.  

34. the snow lasts: the snow continues to fall.  

35. primrose (s): a family of plants with showy five-lobed flowers.  

36. a treat: something which is very enjoyable.  

37. clergyman: a priest.  

38. Milch : producing great quantities of milk.  

39. Ried pears: A 'pear' is a greenish-yellow fruit with a longish narrow body and a wide bottom.  

40. Little finger : the smallest finger on a person's hand.  It is also called the 'pinkie'.  

41. Porridge: thick, soft, whitish food prepared by boiling oats (a kind of grain) in water or milk.  

42. Supper: the last meal of the day, eaten before going to bed. 

43. Cask: a small wooden barrel, usually used for storing wine.  

44. Warm ale: 'ale' = beer, a kind of alcoholic drink;  warm = In winter, the chill is taken out by warming the ale by plunging a red-hot iron rod in it.    

45. It is just like being in church: The miller's speech reminds his wife of the sermons of the clergyman in church.  Usually such a sermon is so long and dull that it makes a listener feel extremely sleepy!  

46. sternly: without smiling, with a serious (and sometimes angry) look.  

47. Scarlet: bright red.  The meaning here is that the boy's face became red with shame.  

48. Pooh : an expression or exclamation to indicate disgust or disbelief.  

49. Sympathy: an understanding shared by people having the same interests.  However, the water-rat mentions having the same

50. Stars: the primroses began to bloom and grow, so that their pale petals began to spread out in star-like shapes.  

51. ails of the windmill: a windmill is a mill (a place for grinding wheat into flour) the machinery of which works when the wind blows and turns the long arms or 'sails' fitted on the outside of the building.  

52. Poetry of life: the beauty of life that gives us emotional satisfaction as opposed to its common and materialistic aspects.  

53. Burgomaster ('s): mayor or chief magistrate (in some North European towns).  

54. wheelbarrow: a small cart made of metal or wood, having one wheel and two handles, used for carrying loads for work in gardens, etc.  

55. Sunday coat: one's best coat, worn on special occasions such as the church service on Sundays.  'sentiments', suggesting common feelings rather than shared intellectual pursuits, so the more correct term would be 'empathy'.  But then the water-rat is not a learned creature, and does not know the difference!  

56. good repair: good condition, fit for use.  

57. Wheel-spokes: the rods, each of which connects the center or hub of a wheel to its outer part or rim.  

58. Generosity is the essence of friendship: The capacity to give freely without any thought of getting something in return is the most important quality ('essence') of friendship.  The irony lies in the fact that the miller is talking about giving away an unusable wheelbarrow, and as the story shows, he never gives it away.  In contrast, he is always taking things from Hans.  

59. A plank of wood: a narrow flat piece of wood.  

60. Barn: a large building where grain is stored or farm animals are kept.  

61. breeds : produces : gives rise to .  

62. Good opinion: a view or idea that somebody or something is good.  For little Hans, it was important just to know that Hugh the miller thought him to be a true friend.  

63. nailing up some honeysuckle: Ahoneysuckle is a climbing shrub with fragrant yellow and pink flowers and is, therefore, used as a decorative plant for entrances to houses.  But being a creeper, it.

64.  needs some support to climb up something vertical and solid like a wall.  So, Hans was hammering some nails into the wall of his porch to help the creeper climb up and cover the wall.  

65. Porch: a covered and sheltered area at the entrance of a building.  

66. to roll: to cut grass by using a machine called a lawn-mower, which is rolled from one side of a field to the other side.  

67. trudged: walked slowly and tiredly. 

68. Milestone: a stone by the side of a road, showing the distance (originally in miles) between the place where the stone is and the nearest important town or city.  

69. ravely: with courage and determination.  Idleness is a great sin: It is very wrong to be idle or lazy.  In Christianity, 'sloth' or laziness is one of the 'Seven Deadly Sins'.  

70. Sluggish : slow to move or act.  

71. Nightcap: a soft cap worn while a person was sleeping- this habit was very common even as late as the nineteenth century, because it was believed that the air at night was not good for one's health and one needed to be protected from it.  

72. Clapping on the back: slapping somebody on the back, usually to express friendship or to congratulate or encourage somebody.  

73. Timid: nervous, meek, not bold.   

74. no account: never, not for any reason, not at all.  

75. Privilege: a special pleasure or honor.  practice of friendship, some day you will have the 

76. theory: Usually, we progress from knowing and understanding something (theory) to actually doing it (practice), for then we know what we are doing and why we are doing it, and there is  Little chance of making a mistake.  The point that Wilde makes is that the miller follows this principle in his own case, although he never progresses from theory to practice.  (He knows that generosity is the essence of friendship, but he never practices generosity.) But in the case of Hans, the miller recommends the 

77. opposite course: let Hans practice 'friendship' and be generous, the theory will come to him later.  This will make it easier for him to deceive Hans with empty words, i.e.  theory without practice.  He will only talk about friendship without really being a friend.

78. errands: small tasks.  

79. distressed: worried or agitated.  reflection: thought or idea. 

80. Rap: knock.  

81. a compliment: a spoken or written expression of praise or admiration.  

82. itch: a channel by the side of a field or road for drainage.  

83. ordered: ordered the servants to bring his horse from the stable.  

84. Rain fell in torrents: a great downpour of rain (torrent = a violent or copious flow).  

85. Moor: open area of ​​grassy land.   

86. goatherd (s): someone who looks after the goats as they graze in the field.  (A related term is 'shepherd'- one who looks after sheep.)  

87.  chief mourner: a friend or relative of the dead person who leads all the others at the funeral (the burying or burning of the dead).  spiced wine: wine that is warmed with spices in it for flavor or (sometimes) to aid digestion.  

88. in my way: makes it difficult for me to move about easily.  

89. Moral: a moral lesson.  The story that the dinnet has narrated is, therefore, not to be dismissed as one meant to give pleasure only, it has a purpose.  Note that (i) Wilde does not make it clear what the moral is, and (ii) the 'art for art's sake' movement believed that art should not have any moral or political purpose.  One can only guess what the moral of 

90. the story might be: Is it (i) Try your friend before you trust, or (ii) Real friendship does not freeze in winter, or (iii) Doing is better than saying?  It is also not clear whether Wilde approves of Hans' behavior or not.  Is Hans to be taken as the ideal example of a 'devoted friend' who does not ask questions or make any demands, but only serves and finally dies?  

91. a whisk: a sudden and quick movement.  

92. paddling: using the webbed feet as paddles for swimming.  

93. Confirmed bachelor: a man who has decided or is determined never to marry.