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St. Eloi – the Battle of St. Eloi Craters (Belgium), fought from 27 March to 16 April 1916. The Canadian troops were defeated by the Germans.

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ventriloquilly – ventriloquism is an act in which a person changes his or her voice so that it sounds as if is coming from elsewhere (speaking from the stomach)

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Mesmerism – the so-called ‘animal magnetism,’ named after German doctor Franz Mesmer. In the 18th century it was believed to be an invisible natural force exerted by animals (hypnotism).

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in articulo mortis – at the moment of death (Latin)

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nom de plume — a pen name (pseudonym)

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John Randolph – perhaps, American ‘Old Republican’ politician (1773–1833)

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clairvoyance – from French ‘clear’ and ‘vision’; it means the ability to get information by means other than the known senses, i.e., a form of extrasensory perception.

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phthisis – an archaic name of tuberculosis

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verbatim – word for word (Latin)

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rapport – close relationship, in which people understand each other very well

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baroques – relating to a dramatic style of art common in the 17th and early 18th centuries; having too many details.

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Fiend Intemperance – the phrase refers to the narrator’s alcoholism. Intemperance is a lack of self-control in drinking alcohol.

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faro table – Faro, or Pharaoh is a late 17th century French gambling card game

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Pausanias – a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD

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theAmerican War (1775–1783), or War of Independence; the rebellion of thirteen of the North American colonies of Great Britain who declared themselves independent.

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bizarrerie — extremely strange and unusual, amusing thing

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fag – a junior boy who acted as a servant to a senior boy at a British public school

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sacque (or sack-back gown) – a women’s fashion of the 18th century

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Roundhead – the name given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War who fought against absolute power of King Charles I. Some of them wore their hair closely cropped round the head in contrast to the long ringlets of Royalists.

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William at the Revolution – William III of Orange (1650–1702) in the so-called ‘Glorious Revolution’; on 5 November 1688, William invaded England and deposed King James II.

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Whig and Tory – members of two opposing political parties in Britain. Originally, ‘Whig’ and ‘Tory’ were terms of abuse. Whig (from Scottish Gaelic) was a horse thief. The Whigs fought for excluding the heir from the throne. Tory (an Irish term) meant a papist outlaw; they supported the hereditary right of the king.

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against the stomach of his sense – ‘You cram these words into mine ears against / The stomach of my sense.’ William Shakespeare, ‘The Tempest,’ Act 2, Scene 1.

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out at elbows – ragged or impoverished

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auld lang syne – a Scottish song originating from the poem by Robert Burns (1788), sung to the tune of a traditional folk song. Means ‘long, long ago,’ ‘For auld lang syne’ can be translated as ‘for (the sake of) old times.’