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the Garden of Eden – in the Old Testament, paradise where the first man and woman lived

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Adam – in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the first man cre-ated by God on the sixth day of creation

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claret – Bordeaux wine; the city of Bordeaux was known for its wine even in the Roman times

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jugglers – persons who perform tricks to amuse people

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Reformatory – an institution for reforming young crimi-nals

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quicksand – liquid sand combined with pools of water at the mouth of large rivers or along the beach

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cambric – cotton (originally linen) cloth first made in France, used for bands, cuffs, ruffs

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Hampstead – originally a village, now an inner borough (in-corporated town or district) of London north of Westminster and the City of London

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plaguy – dangerous, annoying

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freaks – a freak is somebody or something unusual or ab-normal

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Christendom – the Christian world; cultural and religious community of Christian countries.

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boudoir – a woman’s dressing room or a private sitting room

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Satan – in Christianity and Judaism, the prince of evil forces, the enemy of God

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misalliance – unequal or unsuitable marriage

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a good Samaritan – in the Bible, the man who, with love and patience, helped every suffering person

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philanthropist – a person who helps those in need or in trou-ble

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ditto = the same thing (the word is used to avoid repetition)

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griffins – mythological creatures with bodies of lions and heads of eagles

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cupids – Cupid is a Roman god of love portrayed as a winged child with arrows and a bow

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cravat – folded linen or lace worn as a necktie

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salaams – low bows

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cheroot – a thin cigar with both ends open

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gig – a light two-wheeled carriage with one horse

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magistrate – an official, acting as judge in lower courts

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embargo – a decision that forbids trade, import, export, com-merce, etc.; also means a ban on smth.

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sal-volatile – solution of smelling salts used as a medicine when a person is unconscious

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pony-chaise – a low carriage with two or four wheels pulled by a pony

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holus-bolus – with one hit; at one gulp; at once; in a body, in bulk

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sovereign – a British gold coin with face value of one pound; the coin is out of use now.

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Solomon – the greatest king of Israel (10th century BC), son of David; Solomon was famous for his wisdom, military expan-sion and the construction of the temple in Jerusalem.

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memorandum – a written plan for future

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hieroglyphics – an ancient system of writing, in which pic-tures and symbols are used for words and sounds

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gibberish – unintelligible, meaningless sounds

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conservatory – a glass building for growing plants in cold climate

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dog-rose – Latin Rosa Canina, a sort of sweetbrier

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Heaven – the place where God and the saints live

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the metropolis – London

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the House of Commons – the elected legislative body and, formally, the lower house of the British Parliament; its origin goes back to the 13th century.

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Lambeth – an inner borough of London to the south of the River Thames; the first settlement dates back to pre-Roman times.