The Lost Girl
Hello there! I continue reading ‘The Lost Girl’ by D.H. Lawrence. I should admit that at first I was not fond of it, it seemed too mundane. However, now I’m looking forward to sneaking a minute to read, because the plot started simmering and is already on the brink of (I’ll teach you this expression later!) boiling.
Alvina, the main character, is torn between her duty at her father’s house and the passion that has been evoked by an Italian street performer. He wants to leave for another country, and now Alvina is at a loss… what decision will she make and will she be happy with it? I don’t know yet! I’m zealous to find out.
Incidentally, I’d like to share a few marvelous coincidences in my life. Yesterday I was watching ‘The Prime of Miss Brodie’ and she started talking about D.H. Lawrence! I was so taken aback that I wrote about it to my friend from Italy. And it turned out he had read the novel Miss Brodie was talking about. I am reading a book by this author about Italians, and my Italian friend had read that one specific work from the movie. Everything is so connected in life, just mind-blowing!
Not it’s high time I showed you some new words and expressions.
- Lugubrious — sad and serious.
- «But his eyes looked lugubrious, as if he felt he had not deserved so much bad luck»
Synonyms: mournful, sorrowful
Antonyms: festive, cheerful
2. Spruce — tidy and clean in appearance.
- «Altogether he looked very spruce, though a little behind the fashions»
Synonyms: dapper
Antonyms: frowsy, disheveled
3. To deign to — to do something unwillingly and in a way that shows that you think you are too important to do it.
- «The policeman did not deign to answer.»
Synonyms: lower oneself, condescend, stoop, vouchsafe
Antonyms: refuse, hold head high.
4. In indignation — anger about a situation that you think is wrong or not fair
- «And the braid binding!” said Miss Pinnegar in indignation.»
Synonyms: resentment, umbrage
Antonyms: delight
5. On the brink of sth- something important, terrible, or exciting, you are just about to do it or experience it.
- «When she recovered, she felt she was on the brink of hysteria and collapse.»
Synonyms: on the edge, on the point, at the threshold, on the borderline
6. Huffy (to get huffy with someone) — angry and offended.
- «Oh, well,” said James, huffy. “She isn’t indispensable»
Synonyms: crotchety
Antonyms: delighted, cheerful
7. Deference — respect and politeness.
- «He bowed to her in his best American fashion, and treated her with admirable American deference.»
Synonyms: complaisance
Antonyms: disregard
8. Exasperated — annoyed, especially because you can do nothing to solve a problem.
- «It horrified him, it exasperated him, it made him hate the whole tribe of women: horrific two-legged cats without whiskers.»
Synonyms: infuriated, incensed
9. To snub — to insult someone by not giving them any attention or treating them as if they are not important.
- «James was properly snubbed»
Synonyms: to rebuff, to neglect
Antonyms: to praise, to pay attention
10. To coax — to persuade someone gently to do something or go somewhere, by being kind and patient, or by appearing to be.
- «I can’t believe they want nothing but pictures. I can’t believe they want everything in the flat,” he said, coaxing and miserable.»
Synonyms: to cajole, to wheedle
Antonyms: to turn off, to disenchant
