CAST OF CHARACTERS 9 страница

place of worship: literary, formal for ‘church’.

Shakespear [ˊʃeikspiə]: other spellings — Shakespeare, Shakespere, Shakspere — the great English poet and playwright (1564—1616). The spelling used by G.B. Shaw is that adopted by some 19th century scholars. The most commonly used spelling is ‘Shakespeare’.

John Milton [miltn]: (1608—1674) an English poet, famous for his epic poems Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained.

crooning [ˊkru:niŋ]: 'to croon' = to hum or sing in a low soft voice.

bilious [ˊbiliəs]: желчный. The adjective also means ‘bad-tem pered’.

ah-ah-ah-ow-ow-ow-oo!: a spelling representation of the cockney pronunciation of the interjection ‘Oh!’ [əu].

whip: зд. выхватить.

Heavens! [hevnz]: an exclamation, also ‘by Heaven’, ‘Good Heavens!’.

tickled by: amused, diverted, agreeably excited by..

kerbstone English: the kind of English one can expect from people who must stand off the kerb. Those who keep off the kerb naturally have to stand in the gutter, the channel at the side of the roadway to drain off drain-water. Gutter is also used figuratively as a suggestion of low life; thus, a gutter child; to take a child etc. out of the gutter; a guttersnipe is a child; brought up in the gutter.

garden party: a reception held out of doors on the grass, especially in a large house. Every year the Queen holds several garden parties at Buckingham Palace and it is considered great honour to be invited.

lady's maid: in former times a female servant, especially at a large house.

pass (smb/smth) off: present falsely. Used intransitively ‘to pass off’ means: ‘to take place and be completed’, as, the party passed off very pleasantly, my headache soon passed off.

the Queen of Sheba [ˊkwi:n əvˊʃi:bə]: the queen who visited King Solomon, known to the Arabs as Balkis, Queen of Saba. Now means a person who is very rich.

student: this word means not only a person who is studying at a place of education or training (a college/University student), but also a person who is studying some specific subject – a student of human nature.

the Carlton: a gentleman's club which has a strong association with the Conservative Party.

jaw: informal for ‘a talk’.

right you are: here used as expression of acceptance or agreement. Nowadays it is more often used as an emphatic form of ‘you are right’.

short for etc .: contraction of ‘short of money for something’, ‘hard up’.

Pharisaic [ˏfæriˊseiik]: making a show of being good and religious, hypocritical. ‘Pharisee’ [ˊfærisi:] a member of an ancient Jewish sect who were very careful in obeying religious law, and considered themselves very holy because of this. Now this word means a person who in a self-satisfied way values too highly the outward form of something, rather than its true meaning.

want of: deficiency, lack or absence of something.

handful: a quantity that fills the hand, also a small number of people etc.

got one etc.: in colloquial speech the omission of the pronoun-subject and the auxiliary verb is very common. Thus, 'Been there?', 'Going home?', 'Raining', can be used instead of the full 'Have you been there?', 'Are you going home?', 'It is raining'.

on my hands: resting on me as a burden, charge or responsibility. The opposite is ‘off my hands’.

damnation: also damn a slang interjection expressing annoyance of dissappointment.

sails: here means: to walk in a very dignified, stately manner.

no object: not a difficulty. Money no object = I don't care what it costs.

Charlie: a name very common in Britain and here used as kind of appellation.

here: variant of 'look here', an expression attracting attention or making protest.

tuppence extra: an additional charge of twopence.

Bucknam Palis the flower-girl's pronunciation of Buckingham Palace [ˊbʌkiŋəm ˊpælis]: Букингемский дворец — the official home of the British royal family. The Palace occupies the site of Buckingham House, erected by John Sheffield, Duke Buckingham, in 1703.

Green Park: is situated north of Buckingham Palace.

Angel Court [ˊeindƷel ˊkɔ:t]: in London 'court' is often used to name a short street with buildings of three sides.

Drury Lane [ˏdruəri ˊlein]: about a quarter mile north and north-west of St. Paul's Church is Drury Lane. This street, once of ill repute, is famous for its theatre. The first theatre on the present site was opened in 1663 as the ‘Theatre Royal’. The present building, the fourth on the site, was opened in 1812. Many famous names are associated with Drury Lane; these include Nell Gwynn, Garrick, the celebrated Shakespearian actor (1717); Sheridan, the orator and dramatist (1787-1833); and Macready, the tragedian (1793-1873). Byron was at one time a member of the Theatre Committee.

Meiklejohn: a surname, pronounced [ˊmikldƷən].

Judy [ˊdƷu:di]: a woman's name; used in cockney to designate a woman of ridiculous appearance.

oil shop: a shop where oil, brushes and various household goods are sold.

taximeter [ˊtæksimi:tə]: Note that in British English a 'meter' is a measuring instrument, while 'metre' is the spelling for the unit of length.

with best love from all at home: a common expression introducing the complimentary close used in personal letters, e.g.: with best love from all at home, I remain, Yours affectionately (signature).

impidence: a vulgar pronunciation of ‘impudence’.

it costs.

Act Two

Wimpole street [ˊwimpəul stri:t]: is situated in the West End about half a mile north-east of Hyde Park. It runs parallel with Harley street, which is noted as the centre of the medical quarter of London, where the leading specialists have their consulting rooms.

double door: a door consisting of two halves.

file: is derived from the latin filum ‘thread’. The primary meaning is a wire on which documents etc. are run for keeping. Now it means a collection of papers concerning one subject stored in a folder or a box, or information for a computer stored under one name. A file/filing cabinet is a piece of furniture with drawers or shelves for storing files.

Piranesi Giovanni Batista (1720—1778): Italian architect an engraver. The author of some remarkable engravings of buildings of classical and post-classical Rome.

mezzotint [ˊmedzəutint]: also ‘mezzotinto’. A picture engraved on a roughened copper or steel plate.

a baby “taking notice etc.”: a baby ‘takes notice’ when it begins to show signs of intelligence.

genial [ˊdƷi:niəl]: here, ‘cheering’, ‘enlivening’, ‘jovial’, ‘kindly’, ‘sociable’.

thats the whole show: that is all. 'Show' can mean ‘undertaking’, ‘organisation’, ‘event’.

take in: — to understand, digest mentally.

done up [ˊdʌn ˊʌp]: colloquial for ‘tired out’, ‘exhausted’.

I rather fancied myself: I had a favourable opinion of myself.

beat me: are too much for me. The verb 'to beat 'is often used in the sense of ‘surpass’, but may have a number of other meanings.

common: rough in manner or appearance, low class, vulgar.

it's for you to say: you must make the decision.

Bell's Visible Speech: the phonetic transcription invented by Alexander Melville Bell, the well-known phonetician of the second half of the last century.

broad Romic: a ‘broad’ phonetic transcription based on Latin alphabet. The phonetic transcription used in this book is a kind of Broad Romic.

in state: with formal dignity or great pomp.

pathos [ˊpeiƟɔs]: that quality of speech, writing, event or appearance that evokes pity, sympathy, or sadness.

consequential [ˏkɔnsiˊkwenʃl]: an air of self-importance.

exclaim to the heavens: address the world at large and nobody in particular — взывать к небесам.

feather-weight cross: just like in Russian, the noun ‘cross’ is used in the sense of a trial, annoyance, or burden. A featherweight cross is some trifling, trivial annoyance, not worthy of notice.

brusquely [ˊbruskli] or [ˊbrʌskli]: note the two possible pronunciations of this word, which means ‘rough’, ‘abrupt’ (in manner or speech).

lingo [ˊlingəu] (pi. lingos): a word of Italian origin, slang for a foreign language, or a dialect.

be off with you (colloq.): get out! go away!

saucy nowadays this word means ‘producing sexual interest in an amusing way’, in the past it used to mean ‘disrespectful’.

we are proud: just as in Russian, the first person plural ‘we’ is sometimes used in informal English instead of ‘you’.

above giving lessons: too good or too great to give lessons.

compliment here the word is used not in the usual meaning of expression of admiration or praise, but in the old-fashioned way as ‘a present’.

уә-оо [jəu:]: the cockney pronunciation of ‘you’. Note also the similar pronunciation of ‘too’.

stupent [ˊstju:pEnt]: stunned, dumbfounded. A rare word. The modern word would be ‘stupefied’.

don't I tell you, etc.: ungrammatical version of: ‘am I not telling you that I'm bringing you business’.

baggage [ˊbægidƷ]: the word used to mean ‘a good for nothing young woman’, now in informal speech it means ‘an unpleasant old woman’.

turns at bay: mainly used in expressions to hold/keep at bay and means the state or position of a person trying to keep an enemy or difficulty some distance away.

ah-ah-oh-ow-ow-oo: a spelling representation of the cockney pronunciation of the interjection ‘Oh!’ [au]. (See Act I.)

stead of: colloquial abbreviation of 'instead of.

sellin: in cockney [ŋ] sound is often pronounced as [n].

Tottenham Court Road [ˊtɔtnəm kɔ:t ˊrəud]: this street runs north-west from Oxford St., the busiest shopping street in London.

genteel [dƷenˊti:l]: nowadays used only in ironic speech, meaning ‘showing unnaturally polite manners so as to appear socially important’. Used seriously it is a vulgarism.

zif: colloquial for ‘as if’.

come off it: an informal expression meaning ‘stop lying/pretending’ or here ‘drop your high-handed manner’, ‘don't put on airs’.

had a drop in: you were (slightly) drunk. Note also the colloquial expressions: to take a drop; he has taken (had) a drop too much = he is drunk.

dont mind if I do: a colloquialism used in accepting an offer. It means roughly: ‘I have no objection’.

one apiece: one each.

somewhere about: note the collocation ‘somewhere about’ in the meaning of ‘approximately’.

handsome: generous

gev [gev]: cockney for ‘gave’

serve you right: variant of ‘it serve(s) you (him, etc.) right’, expressing satisfaction at the sight of someone getting what he deserves. (Так Вам и надо!)

low: here ‘degraded’, ‘coarse’, ‘vulgar’.

afore: vulgar for ‘before’.

turn one's head: to make somebody too proud or conceited, also to make somebody fall in love. (Cf. with Russian: "вскружить голову")

draggletailed: dirty, slovenly.

guttersnipe: used contemptuously for a child of the poorest parts of a town, dressed on torn, dirty clothes.

Monkey Brand [ˊmʌnki ˊbrænd]: a kind of patented cleaning powder.

Whiteley [ˊwaitli]: one of the big department stores in London. Closed in 1981.

brown paper: a coarse kind of paper used in shops etc. to wrap up parcels; wrapping paper.

I am... I do: it is a characteristic feature of vulgar English speech to use a kind of reiterative in the end for the sake of emphasis, e.g. I am going home, I am.

wallop [ˊwɔləp]: (informal) to give a thrashing, to beat. The derivative adjective ‘walloping’ has the meaning of ‘very big’.

walk over somebody: to offend a person's feeling

whood: who'd = who would.

elocutionary: ораторский, красноречивый

square oneself: to assume a determined attitude, like that of a boxer preparing to attack his opponent.

off his chump: mad, crazy. This phrase an elaboration of the well established colloquialism, ‘off one's head’ (heard since the mid — 19th century) (Note also: to be off one's block/crust/nut/onion).

balmies [ˊba:miz]: plural of ‘balmy’, a cockney noun or adjective meaning ‘mentally unbalanced’, ‘mad’. In literary English ‘balmy’, means ‘fragrant’, ‘soft’, ‘aromatic’, ‘soothing’, ‘healing’.

nah-ow [na:au]: spelling transliteration of the cockney pronunciation of ‘no’.

return: reward

but I done, etc.: another feature of cockney speech is the omission of the auxiliary verb in the Present Perfect Tense; e.g.,I never been there,! never done it.

on earth: used as an intensive. (Cf. Russian "черт побери!")

housekeeping book: a book in which expenditures connected with running a house are written down.

turn on (upon) smb: to attack somebody without warning.

to keep to the point: to follow the subject of a discussion without the least digression.

the like of you: also the likes of smb. an informal expression meaning people of the stated type. The noun 'like' hasthe meaning of ‘the same kind’, ‘equal’. Note the expressions: and the like = something of the same kind.

pledge of good faith: something given or received as a sign of trust.

dispose of [ disˊpəuz əv]: to get rid of.

the Tower of London: this fortress situated on the bank of the Thames, is historically one of the most interesting spots in England. Once a royal palace, a state prison, and a mint, it is still an armoury and a treasury. It dates to the times of William the Conqueror (1027—1087). Professor Higgins’ threat, made of course as a joke, is a reference to the period when it was a prison.

presumptious: самонадеянный, слишком самоуверенный

take charge of: to take under one's care.

answer back: argue.

let oneself in for something: to get involved in something difficult or unpleasant.

I wont be put upon: I won't let myself be treated unfairly, imposed upon.

Gawd [gɔ:d]: cockney pronunciation of ‘God’.

copper: (no longer in use) a boiler made of copper or iron, installed in the back-kitchens, and used for cooking or laundry.

dursnt: 'durst' isan old-fashioned past form of ‘dare’.

slut here used in the meaning ‘untidy, lazy woman’, but nowadays the word more often means ‘a sexually immoral woman’.

hot water bottle: Russian learners of English often mistake it for ‘a bottle with hot water’, but it's simply “грелка”.

off with you [ˊɔf wið ju:]: here ‘be’ is omitted, the full sentence would be; be off with you! = go! leave! quit!

well off [ˊwel ˊɔf]: rich, happy.

reely: in cockney the diphthong [iə] is often pronounced as [i:] before [l].

have it out: to speak one's mind out freely.

track: one of the meanings of this word is that of ‘road’, ‘path’, ‘course’. Figuratively, the noun means ‘course of life’, ‘direction’.

I'm seasoned: I have much experience in this matter.

in the way: not welcome.

particular зд. осторожный, тщательный.

blasting [ˊbla:stiŋ]: used as a curse.

a certain word: the word 'bloody', which in that time was a taboo word, and now is considered quite rude, is implied.

alliteration: аллитерация (повторение одного или нескольких сходных звуков)

take care of the pence and the pounds will take care of themselves: (a proverb) "копейка рубль бережет".

come to anchor: used figuratively in the sense of coming to a standstill on reaching one's destination.

benzine [benˊzi:n]: used only to designate the liquid used to remove grease-stains from clothes. The liquid used in the engines of cars is called ‘petrol’ or ‘gas’.

arbitrary [ˊa:bitrəri]: in the present sense ‘unrestrained’, ‘despotic’, ‘capricious’. ‘Arbitrary’ may be used in a positive sense in the meaning of "произвольный, условный", but the bad sense is the prevailing one.

bossing: playing the boss’.

if you please: an old-fashioned form of polite address, used by juniors or subordinates in approaching their seniors or employers. Besides it may be used ironically with the implication that nothing could be more unreasonable, e. g., And now, if you please, he expects me to pay for it! (cf. "изволите видеть")

dustman: one employed to remove garbage or other waste.

blackguard [ˊblæga:d]: a man of coarse and offensive manners; a fellow of low character; a scoundrel.

costume: used only for clothes typical of a certain period, country or profession — e.g. national costume, 18th — century costume. Don't mix up with ‘suit’.

which is his man: which is the person he is looking for.

governor [ˊgʌvənə]: (or guvnor) slang used for an employer or one's father. In vulgar speech it was used as a form of addressing someone of higher position.

Hounslow [ˊhaunzləu]: a district in the S.W. London.

fairity: vulgar form for the noun ‘fairness’.

Where do I come in? = How are my interests advanced?

take up: Higgins means that Doolittle will be arrested by the police.

plant: in slang the meaning is a scheme to trick or swindle.

brass farthing: the least possible amount of mmoney, from the coin in circulation in the time of King James II in England (1685-88). Note the expression I don't care a brass farthing = I care nothing about the matter.

" most... melancholy": a line from Milton's poem "Il Penseroso."

woodnotes wild: (поэт.) голос леса, пение птиц, лесная песня

I'm west country myself = I come from the west of England myself.

jaunt [dGC:nt]: an excursion or jouney of pleasure.

Long Acre [ˊloŋ ˊeikə]: a street in the vicinity of Drury Lane and Covent Garden. Oliver Cromwell lived there in 1637–43 and John Dryden, the poet and dramatist, in 1682–86.

public house [ˊpʌblik ˊhaus]: abbreviated ‘pub’: a building where alcohol may be bought and drunk.

what was up: what was going on.

just to oblige you like: in vulgar speech ‘like’ is used adverbially in the final position in the sense of ‘so to speak’.

worse than death: an idiom meaning ‘disgrace’.

double quick: immediately.

to stand in my girl's light: to spoil my daughter's chances.

washing his hands of the whole affair: declining responsibility for the whole. (From the action of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, under whom, according to Christian legend, Christ was crucified).

like a blooming monkey: 'blooming' is, used as a substitute for ‘bloody’. (See also Act I.)

missus [ˊmisis]: here the equivalent of ‘wife’.

men of the world: people with plenty of experience of life.

the floor is yours: ‘the floor’ is the part of the House of Parliament where the members sit and speak. Therefore to have or get the floor means ‘to have or get the right to address the house’. To take the floor means ‘to take part in a debate’. The floor is yours therefore means ‘it is your turn to speak’.

set on...: to be set on (upon) something is ‘to be determined to get that something’, ‘to be absorbed in that something’. The use of 'but what' in this sentence is a vulgarism. The literary version would be: ‘I am not so set on having her home again that I should not be open to an arrangement.’

keep: as a noun ‘keep’ has the meaning of the money needed for a person’s maintenance.

course they are: = ‘of course they are’.

undeserving poor: недостойные бедняки

up agen: vulgar for ‘up against’ = confronted with something that has to be overcome.

put in: here means ‘to make a request or an application’

by the sweat of his brow: by hard labour (from the Bible, Genesis III, 19) — "в поте лица своего."

take in hand: to take under one’s consideration or care.

a popular pulpit in Wales: a pulpit is the place in a church where the clergyman stands while conducting the service. The word also indicates the post of clergyman in the charge of a parish. The people of Wales are supposed to be very musical, fond of poetry and religious. To hold a popular pulpit in Wales would therefore require a high degree of eloquence.

thank you kindly: the adverb in this collocation is characteristic of uneducated speech.

game for: this adjective is derived from the sport of cock-fighting, a game-cock is a cock bred for this sport. To be game for something means ‘ready for action’, ‘willing’.

line: often used informally in the sense of an area of interest or activity. Thus not in my line = does not interest me.

ginger [ˊdƷindƷə]: informal for ‘excitement’.

fiver: colloquial for ‘a five-pound banknote’.

spree: a period of wild, irresponsible fun.

draw the line at something: to fix a limit beyond which one will not do something.

a hold (on a person): influence over somebody.

I got: short for ‘I’ve got to’ = I must.

something sinful: informal for ‘to an alarming degree’.

booty: (used mainly in literature or formal style) goods taken from an enemy in war or stolen by thieves.

Jove! [dƷauv]: Jupiter, especially in the interjection by Jove! "клянусь Юпитером!"

I never thought she'd clean up as good looking as that: note the intransitive use of the verb ‘to clean up’. The meaning is: ‘I never thought she would turn out so good looking when she got cleaned up’.

she's a credit to me: she is a cause of honour to me.

towel horse [ˊtauəl ˊhɔ:s]: a frame for hanging towels on to dry.

I had a good mind to...: I intended to...’.

a lick of a strap: a 'lick' is a blow of a stick, etc. Note also the noun ‘a licking’ = beating.

don't put on me: = don't blame me.

free-and-easy: used by the father the expression means ‘unconstrained’, ‘natural’; Liza uses the expression in another sense ‘not quite decent’.

touch: in informal speech this verb, followed by ‘for’, means ‘to try to get money from somebody’.

the plate in church: the reference is to the collection made in churches.

lip: slang for ‘rude talk, arguing’.

mug: informal for a ‘foolish person who is easily deceived’; also slang for ‘face’ or ‘mouth’.

put up to: to give the idea of, to prompt.

in a hurry: colloquial for ‘very soon’: also ‘easily’, ‘willingly’.

navvy: a labourer doing a heavy unskilled work in digging or building. The word is abbreviation of ‘navigator’ humorously applied to workmen employed on dykes, canals, etc.

slip of the tongue: оговорка

cut: refuse to recognise socially.

snobbery [ˊsnɔbəri]: the attitude and behaviour of a snob. A ‘snob’ is a person who pays too much attention to social class and snubs people of a lower class.

take out of: make fun of

get a bit of my own back: have revenge on.

inside [inˊsaid]: colloquial for ‘stomach’.

put out of step: in the direct sense, one is in step when one marches in time with others, or with music. Put out of step is a figurative use, meaning ‘upset’, ‘disorganised’.

hospital out-patient: a person who goes to a hospital for treatment while continuing to live at home. Compare ‘in-patient’ which means ‘a person staying in hospital while under treatment’.

run for her life = run for dear life: to run to save oneself.

аəуее,...: the first letters of the English alphabet. An attempt to represent cockney pronunciation.

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