The Whispering Land

a diaphanous garment – a transparent one, one through which the contours of the body are clearly seen mammary development (cf. below chest expansion) - ironical paraphrases for size of the bust a companion piece – the second of a pair, a thing that matches or complements another (here the author means a picture whose subject would match that of the one he discusses)

to be out to do something (colloq.) - to seek, to aim at doing something, taking great pains with it

much of a muchness (colloq.) - very nearly the same mate (Sp.) – an aromatic beverage prepared in South America from the leaves of the Paraguay tea plant via – by way of, through, as in 'from Exeter to York via London'; here used jocularly

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breath-taking – so striking as to take one's breath away, make one breathless with astonishment and admiration boleadoras (Sp.) - a form of weapon used by the Paraguay Indians, the Patagonians, and others in South America. It consists of a rope or thong with balls of stone or metal attached to it. When used, it is swung round the head by one end and then hurled at an animal so as to entangle its limbs.

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passing – here disappearance

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Margate – the favorite seaside resort of London holiday-makers left-overs (Amer.) - remains esto, una (Sp.) - here's one

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to pull somebody's leg – to make fun of somebody to get one's own back on somebody – to take one's revenge

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armadillo [ama'dilou] – a burrowing animal of South America, with a body encased in bony armour, and a habit of rolling itself up into a ball when in danger castanetted their beaks – made a sound like a pair of castanets with their beaks thumb-smudges of cloud – the author compares the clouds visible here and there in the sky with smudges of paint left on a canvas by a careless painter's thumb

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to shrug something off – to dismiss it with a shrug of the shoulders

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back-breaking potholes – holes in a road fit to break one's back when driving over them had played me false – had failed me, had deceived me

what I took to be the male of the herd – the animal I took for the male guanaco (a guanaco herd consists of a male, several females and some baby guanacos)

a pair of… lorgnettes (Fr.) - a pair of eye-glasses usually held by a long handle; when using them, a person generally has to tilt back his or her head

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terrier – a breed of dog, usually of small size anthropomorphic – here partly human, partly animal; the word is generally used when describing human-like traits or actions of animals, not vice versa, as in this case biscuit brown – see note to p. 32 rather a lark (colloq.) - very funny

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rocker – a curved piece of wood on which a rocking-horse (children's toy) is mounted discretion is the better part of valour – a saying which means that it is unwise to take unnecessary risks bichos (Sp.) - animals

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maternity ward – a ward in a hospital where women are taken Care of during and after childbirth elefanteria (Sp.) - a place favoured by elephant seals

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I shivered my way into a half-sleep – shivering, I tried to sleep, but succeeded in falling only into a half-sleep my cocoon of semi-warmth – my covering which protected me against the cold but did not give real warmth

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a nerve- and spine-shattering experience – an experience that racked your nerves and could easily break your back (note the literal and figurative meanings of shatter, which come into play simultaneously)

creaming waves – waves with white froth resembling whipped cream

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moving plate = moving picture: the word plate is here used in the sense of 'a thin sheet of metal upon which pictures are engraved, and from which impressions are taken', 'an impression printed from such a plate and used as an illustration in a book'

the fat was scalloped into folds – the author means that the fur seals' necks were adorned with scallops of fat, i.e. with a series of pleats or folds resembling the edge of a scallop-shell, sometimes used as ornament on the hem of a dress beery face – a puffy face, betraying the effects of beer-drinking

Humpty Dumpty – the hero of a nursery rhyme, a person with a short round figure, shaped like an egg. Lewis Carroll chose him for one of the characters of his book Through the Looking-glass (sequel to Alice in Wonderland). The world-famous illustrations for Carroll's books were made by John Tenniel (1820- 1914). In his picture of Humpty Dumpty seated on top of a wall, the artist brought out, in a most expressive manner, the conceit and arrogance with which Carroll endowed this personage.

frogman – an underwater swimmer equipped with long rubber shoes like a frog's hind feet

Balinese dancers (of the Bali Island, one of the islands lying east of Java) are famous for the grace and elegance of their performance.

rumba (Sp.) - a Cuban Negro dance; a ballroom dance imitative of this folk dance russet – reddish-brown

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was a constant state of nerves (colloq.) - was in a permanent state of anxiety

Presbyterian – a member of the Presbyterian church. Presbyterians formed the right wine of the Puritans, the English variety of Calvinists who preached love of virtue, pure living, and self-restraint.

was a wife short – missed one of his wives

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dropsical-looking – looking swollen as if they had dropsy, a disease in which watery fluids collect in the tissues of the body to feint – in box, to sham an attack to deceive the opponent by diverting his attention