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THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY
Page
Term
Definition
The Front
Captain Hastings fought

and suffered injury on
the Western Front (a
trench between France,
Belgium, Luxembourg,
and Germany). Styles is
set during World War I
(1914-1918). The British
fought alongside the
French on the Western
Front, while Germany,
Austria-Hungary, and the
Ottoman Empire fought
Russia on the Eastern
Front, and Italy on the
Southern Front.
Essex
The name of an English

county.
[es-iks]
Mater
MAY-ter in
Eton and
Oxbridge
British
pronunciation.
Otherwise, MAHter for
classicists.
Image (If applicable)
Mother in latin and

used by the British.

2
Factotum
[fak-toh-tuh m]
A person whose job

involves doing many
different types of work
in Latin. Also, a general
servant.
Cottoned
To take a liking used

with to.
Societies
An organization or club
formed for a particular
purpose or activity.
Bare-faced
fortune
Completely obvious or
unmasked.
Red Cross
Hospital
In July 1870, following

the outbreak of war
between France and
Prussia, Colonel LoydLindsay (later Lord
Wantage of Lockinge)
wrote a letter to The
Times calling for a
National Society to be
formed in Britain
following the example of
other European nations.
On 4 August 1870 a
public meeting was held
in London and a
resolution passed that "a
National Society be
formed in this country
for aiding sick and
wounded soldiers in time
of war and that the said
Society be formed upon
the Rules laid down by
the Geneva Convention
of 1864.
Tadminster
A fictional village in
England.
Labourer is
Anyone who works for
worthy of his
hire
someone deserves
remuneration for their
labor.
1 Timothy 5:18, also
Luke 10:1-7
Lady Tadminster
A fictional member of
the British peerage.
Tonic
A medicine that brings

you back to a normal
physical or mental
condition.
Pince-nez
A pair of old-fashioned
eyeglasses that do not
have pieces that fit over
the ears and that are
worn by being clipped
onto the nose.
[pans-ney, pins-;
French pans-ney]
Lloyds
From those beginnings

in a coffee house in
1688, Lloyds has been a
pioneer in insurance and
has grown over 325
years to become the
worlds leading market
for specialist insurance.

Scotland Yard
Sherlock Holmes
The London police force

was created in 1829 by
an act introduced in
Parliament by the home
secretary, Sir Robert
Peel (hence the
nicknamesbobbies and
peelers for policemen).
This police force
replaced the old system
of watchmen and
eventually supplanted
the River (Thames)
Police and the Bow
Street patrols, the latter
a small body of police in
London who had been
organized in the mid18th century by the
novelist and magistrate
Henry Fielding and his
half brother, Sir John
Fielding.
Scotland Yard, 1911
Fictional character
created by the Scottish
writer Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle. The prototype for
the modern mastermind
detective, Holmes first
appeared in Conan
Doyles A Study in
Scarlet, published in
Beetons Christmas
Annual of 1887. As the
worlds first and only
consulting detective,
he pursued criminals
throughout Victorian and
Edwardian London, the
south of England, and
continental Europe.

Belgium
A country of
northwestern Europe. It
is one of the smallest
and most densely
populated European
countries, and it has
been, since its
independence in 1830, a
representative
democracy headed by a
hereditary constitutional
monarch.
Hoodwink
A concealment from
view; a blind.
V.A.D.
V.A.D. stands for

Voluntary Aid
Detachments. All
members trained in first
aide and nursing in order
to provide supplemental
aide.
Penknife
Originally: a small knife

for use in making and
mending quill pens (now
rare). Now usually: a
pocket knife with one or
more blades (and occas.
other tools) designed to
fold back into the handle
when not in use.
Sisters
Name for British

nurses-mostly of a
senior status in the
wards. They lived lives
similar to nuns, which
explains the humor of
dealing with them
between Hastings and
Cynthia.

6
Dispensary
[dih-spen-suhree]
Sent away in
scraps
a room (sometimes a
clinic provided by
charitable funds) where
medicines are prepared
and provided.
Recycling was
encouraged as an aide
to the war effort.
This propaganda poster

shows how important
economy was on the
home front.
7
Deuce of a mess
[doos, dyoos]
Row
[rou]
Wicked
calumnies
[obsolete English
deuce bad luck] : devil,
dickens used chiefly
as a mild oath.
A noisy
disturbance or quarrel.
[kal-uh m-nee]
A
misrepresentation
intended to harm
another's reputation.
Stauncher
[stawnch-er,
stahnch-er]
Firm and steadfast;

loyal or true. See
Synonyms at faithful.
Wits end
The idiom at wits

end means to be very
upset, or at the limits of
ones emotional or
mental limitations.
8
Impecunious
[im-pi-kyoo-neeuh s-ly]
Having very little or no

money usually
habitually.
Bust-up
British : a very bad

argument or
disagreement : quarrel
or fight They had a
bust-up over money.
10
Drawing room
A room in a large
private house in which
guests can be received
and entertained.
10
Plastered
Very drunk.
n.b. the ah
sound for the
American flat
a.
11
Plight
11
Botanist
11
Ravine
A small, deep, narrow

valley.
11
Ignominiously
Marked with or
characterized by
disgrace or shame.
[kuh n-vuhl-shuh
n-ly]
An unfortunate,
difficult, or precarious
situation.
A person specializing in
botany (the study of
plant life).

11
Despatch-case
The UK spelling
of dispatch
11
latch-key
12
Convulsions
[kuh n-vuhl-shuh
n]
a case for carrying

papers
A key to an
outside and especially a
front door.
Medical : a sudden
violent shaking of the
muscles in your body
that you are unable to
control.
12
Brandy
An alcoholic drink
made from wine that
acts as a cardiac
stimulant and useful as
a sedative for medicinal
purposes.
13
Autopsy
An examination of a
dead body to find out
the cause of death
[aw-top-see, awtuh p-]

13
Inquest
Law : an official
investigation to find the

[in-kwest]
reason for something

(such as a person's
death).
14
Post-mortem
After death.
14
Rubbish
Words or ideas
that are foolish or
untrue
: something that
is worthless,
unimportant, or of poor
quality.
[ruhb-ish]
14
Mares nest
A false discovery,
illusion, or deliberate
hoax. OR
A place, condition, or
situation of great
disorder or confusion.
14
Bee in his
bonnet
To keep talking about

something again and
again because you think
it is important,
especially something
that other people do not
think is important
(often + about ).
14
Baffling
To confuse (someone)
completely.
[baf-uh l-ing]
15
Mon ami
My friend.
15
Voyons!
Come on!
15
Paltry
ery small or too

small in amount or
having little meaning or
worth.
[pawl-tree]
15
Tally
A recorded count of
scores, votes, etc.
15
Facet
A part or element of

[fas-it]
something.
15
Ca y est!
Literally: It there is.

Idiomatic: This is it. or
Thats it!
15
Blood tie
The relationships that

exist by birth rather
than through marriage.
15
Strychnine
A poisonous alkaloid
that is obtained from
seeds of the nux vomica
tree (S. nux-vomica)
and related plants of
the genus Strychnos. It
was discovered by the
French chemists
Joseph-Bienaim
Caventou and PierreJoseph Pelletier in 1818
in Saint-Ignatius-beans
(S. ignatii),in of the
Philippines. It is soluble
only with difficulty in
alcohol and other
common organic
solvents. It has an
exceptionally bitter
taste.
[strik-neen]
Strychnine has been

used in rodent poisons
and in smaller doses as
a stimulant in
veterinary practice. It
increases the reflex
irritability of the spinal
cord, which results in a
loss of normal inhibition
of the bodys motor
cells, causing severe
contractions of the
muscles; arching of the
back is a common
10

symptom of poisoning.
Strychnine rapidly
enters the blood,
whether taken orally or
by injection, and
symptoms of poisoning
usually appear within
20 minutes.
16
Manifest
Readily perceived
by the senses and
especially by the sense
of sight. OR
Easily understood
or recognized by the
mind.
16
Retard
To slow down the

development or progress
of (something).
17
Obliterating
To destroy (something)
completely so that
nothing is left.
[uh-blit-uh-reyting]
17
Spirit lamp
A lamp that burns

alcohol or other liquid
fuel.
11

19
Bromide
powders
[broh-mahyd]
19
Draughts
A binary compound of
bromine with another
element or a radical
including some (as
potassium bromide)
used as sedatives (in the
form of a salt).
British checkers
[draft, drahft]
19
Parlourmaid
A maid in a private
home whose chief duties
are to attend to the
parlor, the table, and the
door.
20
Boudoir
A woman's bedroom or
private room for
dressing or resting.
[boo-dwahr,
-dwawr]
21
Swing door
A door that has doublesided hinges which allow

people to pass through
in either direction.
23
Voila
Here [it] is!
[vwah-lah; French
vwa-la]
12

23
Roll top
A desk which allows for

contents to be secured
and locked via a rolling
cover.
23
Buoy
To cause (someone) to
feel happy or confident
usually used as(be)
buoyed.
[boo-ee, boi]
24
24
Gorge
[gawrj]
Throat often used

with rise to indicate
revulsion accompanied
by a sensation of
constriction.
Mal de tete
A headache.
[Mal] [duh] [teht]

24
Coroner
[kawr-uh-ner,
kor-]
25
Toxicology
[tok-si-kol-uh-jee]
26
Null and void
A public official whose

job is to find out the
cause of death when
people die in ways that
are violent, sudden.
The study of
poisonous chemicals,
drugs, etc., and how a
person or other living
thing reacts to them.
Having no force,
binding power, or
validity.
13

26
Hein
[ehn]
What? or Huh?
28
Drawn and
Quartered
Part of the grisly

penalty anciently
ordained in England
(1283) for the crime of
treason. First he was
drawn, that is, tied to a
horse and dragged to
the gallows. The
remainder of the
punishment might
include hanging (usually
not to the death),
usually live
disemboweling, burning
of the entrails,
beheading, and
quartering. This last step
was sometimes
accomplished by tying
each of the four limbs to
a different horse and
spurring them in
different directions.
28
Hey presto!
Suddenly as if by
magic.
28
Glib-tongued
Artfully persuasive in
speech.
29
En voila une
affaire
What an affair!
[Eh] [vwa-la]
[oon] [uh-fare]
31
Suphonal
[Su-phuhn-al]
31
Veronal
(Med.) A crystalline
substance containing
sulphor and employed as
a hypnotic.
A preparation of the
sodium salt
14

[ver-uhn-al]
C8H11N2NaO3 of
barbital formerly used in
medicine as a sedative
and hypnotic.
35
Bury the hatchet
Make peace.
35
Plain as a
pikestaff
Very obvious.
35
Tomfoolery
Playful or silly
behavior.
35
Chemist
British A drugstore.
35
Indiscriminately
Affecting or harming
many people or things in
a careless or unfair way.
[in-di-skrim-uhnit-ly]
38
Mesdames
Ladies
[May-dam]
38
Messieurs
Gentlemen
[Meh-syoor]
41
Vehemence
[vee-uh-muh ns]
The quality or state of :

showing strong and
often angry feelings :
very emotional.
43
Double Dutch
Unintelligible language
43
Gadding
To be on the go without
a specific aim or purpose
usually used with
about.
15

44
Madame
Tussauds
[Muh-dam]
[Too-sew-dz]
A museum of wax
figurines in central
London founded in 1884
by the French-born
Marie Tussaud.
Madame tussauds after a

fire 1930: Wax Museum,
Madame Tussauds,
52
Bon jour, mon

ami!
Hello, my friend!
[Buh] [joo-er],
[mohn] [ah-mee]
53
Espionage
[es-pee-uh-nahzh,
-nij, es-pee-uhnahzh]
53
Torch
The things that are

done to find out secrets
from enemies or
competitors : the activity
of spying.
The British word for
flashlight. There were
special torches used for
signalling in morse code
during WWI and WWII.
Above: 1920s British Ever

Ready Bull Nosed Morse
Code by BiminiCricket
16
53
Morse code
Either of two systems

for representing letters
of the alphabet,
numerals, and
punctuation marks by an
arrangement of dots,
dashes, and spaces. The
codes are transmitted as
electrical pulses of
varied lengths or
analogous mechanical or
visual signals, such as
flashing lights.
53
Blackguard
[blak-gahrd]
A rude or dishonest
man or someone who
deserves to be hated.
Un moment, sil
vous plait!
One moment, if you

please!
55
[Uh] [Moe-mohn],
[see-voo-play]
55
56
[The spirit is
willing, but] the
flesh is weak
From Matthew 26:41
Mad as a hatter
Completely mad. This is

now commonly
understood to mean
crazy, although the
Our physical being

restricts our intentions.
17

original meaning is
unclear and may have
meant annoyed.
Mens hats used to be
made with mercury. The
exposure to mercury
caused aggression,
mood swing, and other
neurological conditions
that contributed to the
appearance of madness.
56
Father confessor
A priest who hears

confessions;
specifically.
56
Consular
Services
Organized body of
public officers
maintained by a
government in the
important ports and
trade centers of foreign
countries to protect the
persons and interests of
its nationals and to aid
them in every possible
way.
57
Rash
Done or made quickly

and without thought
about what will happen
as a result.
59
Hydro-chloride
of strychnine
Glycine antagonist/
convulsant.
[hahy-druh-klawr- A salt of hydrochloric

ahyd, -id, -klohr-] acid with an organic
base (e.g. strychnine, an
alkaloid) used especially
of
as a vehicle for the
administration of a drug
[strik-neen]
and makes this organic
base water-soluble.
60
Second cousin
The child of one's

parent's first cousin.
18

60
Protge
[proh-tuh-zhey,
proh-tuh-zhey]
A young person who is

taught and helped by
someone who has a lot
of knowledge and
experience.
In this case a female
because of the
additional e.
63
Bien!
Good!
[Bee-uhn]
63
Nest pas?
Is it not?
[Nes-pah]
64
Paroxysm
[par-uh k-siz-uh
m]
65
Mais, oui!
Medical : a sudden
attack or increase of
symptoms of a disease
(such as pain,
coughing, shaking, etc.)
that often occurs again
and again.
But, yes!
[May], [we]
65
Feigned
[feynd]
65
Narcotic
[nahr-kot-ik]
Not genuine or
real.
Medical : a drug
that is given to people
in small amounts to
make them sleep or feel
less pain.
67
Ward
A person or thing under

guard, protection, or
surveillance, or
wardship.
68
Herr
Used among Germanspeaking people as a

title equivalent to Mr.
19

70
Insinuations
[in-sin-yoo-eyshuh nz]
73
Solicitor
[suh-lis-i-ter]
73
Spills
A usually bad or
insulting remark that is
said in an indirect way
: the act of saying
something bad or
insulting in an indirect
way.
A British lawyer who
advises clients,
represents them in the
lower courts, and
prepares cases for
barristers to try in
higher courts.
A small roll or
twist of paper or slip of
wood for lighting a fire.
Not the best picture, but

for the idea.
74
Alibi
A claim that you cannot

be guilty of a crime
because you were
somewhere else when
the crime was
committed; also :
evidence which shows
that such a claim is
true.
75
Chap
Briticism for friend or

fellow or lad.
76
Countenance
[koun-tn-uh ns]
The appearance of a
person's face : a
person's expression
Enfin
In this context, the
76
20

[ahn-fan]
French is best used as

an interjection and
translated as well.
Other translations are
finally, in a word, I
mean, In conclusion.
76
Coots
Refers to the pharmacy

that dispensed Emilys
medicine.
76
Nil
None at all
A contraction of the Latin
word nihil which
means nothing.
Sources: Merriam-Webster, Idioms.freedictionary.com, Lectures on Materia

Medica and Therapeutics, Encyclopedia Britannica, the Bible, Cambridge
Dictionary, redcross.org.uk, Lloyds.com, BBC History archives, National
Womens History Museum, Free Dictionary, Lectures on Materia Medica and
Therapeutics, Learners Dictionary, US National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health.
21

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THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

Captain Hastings fought

The name of an English

Image (If applicable)

Mother in latin and

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

A person whose job

To take a liking used

In July 1870, following

Anyone who works for

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

A medicine that brings

From those beginnings

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

The London police force

Scotland Yard, 1911

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

V.A.D. stands for

Originally: a small knife

Name for British

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

This propaganda poster

Firm and steadfast;

The idiom at wits

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

Having very little or no

British : a very bad

A small, deep, narrow

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

a case for carrying

[aw-top-see, awtuh p-]

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

reason for something

To keep talking about

ery small or too

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

Literally: It there is.

The relationships that

Strychnine has been

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

To slow down the

A lamp that burns

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

A door that has doublesided hinges which allow

Here [it] is!

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

A desk which allows for

Throat often used

[Mal] [duh] [teht]

Null and void

A public official whose

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

Part of the grisly

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

Bury the hatchet

The quality or state of :

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY

Madame tussauds after a

Bon jour, mon

The things that are

Above: 1920s British Ever

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: A GLOSSARY