| A | B |
|---|
| el relato corto | a third way to say short story |
| un laberinto; laberíntico, -a, -os, -as | a maze; + adj. |
| un hecho | a fact |
| fluctuar | to fluctuate |
| extenderse (ie) | to be extended to, spread to |
| lo real | what is real |
| confundirse | to be mixed up with, confused with |
| la senda, el sendero | path (2) |
| bifurcar | to fork into two paths |
| una cábala | a mystical form that explains the mysteries of the Talmud or the Bible; possible links to anagrams and combinations of letters that when decifered (sp?), reveal the secret message of God |
| el tetragrámaton | four letter word (see p. 849 of Momentos) |
| sagrado, -a, -os, -as | sacred |
| el rabí or el rabino | rabbi (priest of Jewish religion) |
| el Talmud | holy book of the Jews |
| la Biblia | holy book of the Christians |
| un triángulo equilátero | triangle made up of 3 lines of the same length |
| un tetrágono | is formed when a 4th point is added to an equilateral triangle equal distant from each line? see Math teacher for this one and then explain to me |
| ad infinitum | latin for "on and on forever" |
| la perspicacia | astute intellect |
| culminar | to culminate |
| el olor | the smell |
| impedir | to stop |
| indiscutible | indisputable |
| prever | to predict (or pre"see") |
| adivinar | to guess |
| el asesino; asesinar; el asesinato | a murderer; to kill someone; the assasination |
| malvado, -a, -os, -as | evil |
| un apodo | a nickname |
| jurar; el jurado | to swear (promise); the jury |
| intimidar | to intimidate |
| un razonador | a rational thinker |
| el estuario | the estuary |
| la blancura | the whiteness |
| un sanatorio | a hospital (Argentina) |
| una cárcel | a prison |
| agradarle (gustar-like verb) | to please |
| los Cárpatos | Carpathian Mountains, Europe |
| unos pogroms | reprisals/attacks against Jewish settlement |
| una suite | a suite (hotel) |
| unas prendas | pieces of clothing |
| contiguo, -a, -os, -as | alongside (rooms for example) |
| un redactor | an editor |
| desnudo, -a, -os, -as | nude, naked |
| un corredor | a corredor |
| una puñalada | knife wound |
| profundo, -a, -os, -as | deep |
| un gendarme | French word for policeman |
| el pecho | the chest |
| un par de horas después | a couple of hours later |
| un comisario | a chief of police |
| debatir | to debate |
| hay que + infinitive | one must + verb |
| buscarle 3 pies al gato | to make something out of nothing |
| unos zafiros | some saphires |
| penetrar por error | to break-in by mistake |
| replicar | to reply |
| la hipótesis | hypothesis |
| improvisar | to improvise, make up, create |
| el azar | fate, fortune |
| un ladrón | a thief |
| apuñalar | to stab |
| un desconocido | an unknown man |
| un placard | French word for closet |
| con temor | fearfully |
| echarse + a + infinitivo | to suddenly start to + verb |
| una quinta | a country home that generally serves as a recreation home and is supported through 1/5th of its income (hence its name and the name of the hotel chain) |
| llevarse; Se lo llevó a la cárcel. | to take something/someone away |
| un ateo | an atheist |
| abstener (tener verb) | to abstain |
| los persas | the Persians (former great empire, now mostly the country of Iran) |
| Alejandro de Macedonia | Alexander the Great |
| noveno, -a, -os, -as | ninth |
| las cifras pares | even numbers |
| un hiato | a pause |
| dar con | to dome up with |
| desamparado, -a, -os, -as | abandoned |
| vacío, -a, -os, -as | empty |
| los huecos suburbios occidentales | the hollow western suburbs |
| un rostro | a face |
| el umbral | the doorway |
| la pared | the wall |
| un rombo | a rhombus; geometric form in shape of diamond |
| deletrear | to spell |
| el firmamento | sky |
| un álamo | a poplar, type of tree |
| un callejón | a narrow street, alley |
| unas tapias rosadas | adobe or mud wall |
| la puesta de sol | the sun set |
| los arrabales | distant suburbs, neighborhoods |
| un revólver | a revolver |
| un puñal | a blade, knife, dagger |
| ...la communicación se cortó... | the line was cut off |
| rechazar | to reject |
| estaban en carnaval | to be the carnaval season, Catholic celebration at the end of Lent (represents Christ's resurrection) |
| el patrón | the owner (in this story), although throughout Latin America refers to the boss, landowner and is laden with the sense of the class differences between the upper and the lower classes |
| un inquilino | a renter |
| acababa de salir | HAD just left |
| en seguida | at once |
| una pieza | an apartment |
| rasgos afilados | sharp features (facial description) |
| el alquiler | the rent, fee charged |
| apenas | scarcely, barely |
| telefonear | to call on phone |
| el despacho | office |
| un cupé | a coupe, type of car |
| el cochero | the car driver |
| el pescante | the driver's seat |
| "...algunos parroquianos recordaron que tenía máscara de oso." | Who said this in regards to whom? How does it fit into the plot of the story (be specific as to the part of the plot's development)? Why are masks involved? How could this setting for the story be interpreted? |
| un arlequín | Harlequin, type of old clown costume with diamonds, purple/yellow |
| estar borracho | to be drunk |
| con frialdad | coldly (adv) |
| el yiddish | Yiddish, language of the Jews |
| al fondo, del fondo | to the back, to the bottom; of the... |
| tropezar (ie) | to stumble |
| sujetar | to grab (L.Am.) |
| rumbo a | towards |
| "La última de las letras del Nombre ha sido articulada." | Who said this in regards to what? How does it fit into the plot of the story (be specific as to the part of the plot's development)? Explain the puzzles found in this detective story. |
| una historia/un cuento detective | detective story |
| restos de cigarillos | cigarette butts |
| ponerse a leer | to start to read |
| un secuestro | a kidnapping |
| "En la torcida Rue de Toulon, cuando pisaban las serpentinas muertas del alba, Treviranus dijo: ¿Y si la historia de esta noche fuera un simulacro?" | Who says this to whom, when and why? What is a literal translation of the quote? What could the metaphor represent? |
| subrayar; un subrayador | to underline; a highlighter pen |
| trigésima tercera | 33rd |
| el amanecer, el atardecer, el anochecer | dawn, late afternoon, dusk |
| un diario | a daily paper |
| descuidar | to neglect (transitive verb); to not worry (intransitive verb) |
| las demoras; demorar | delays; to delay |
| un sobre sellado | a stamped envelope |
| un plano de la ciudad | a map of the city |
| descifrar el misterio | to figure out the mystery |
| un compás vs una brújula | compass (device used for making circles); compass (used for finding locations/directions) |
| Triste-le-Roy | name of the final "Quinta"; possible significance? |
| un riachuelo | a stream (water) |
| trámites judiciales y carcelarios | crimes and imprisonments |
| el polvo; polvoriento, -a, -os, -as | dust; dusty |
| la llanura | the plain, flat land |
| una vía muerta | a dead-end |
| una verja | wall |
| dar toda la vuelta | to turn completely around |
| los barrotes | the bars (of an iron fence) |
| el chirrido del hierro | the creaking of the iron |
| los eucaliptos | Eucaliptus tree; Did this tree have significance in Jesus' time? |
| dobles escalinatas | double stair cases |
| un sótano | a basement level |
| mármol | marble (stone type) |
| alzar las manos | to raise one's hands |
| "La casa no es tan grande, pensó. La agrandan la penumbra, la simetría, los espejos, los muchos años, mi desconocimiento, la soledad." | Who says this with regards to what? Explain fully also any interpretations of this location and this character's reaction to it. |
| el vientre | the belly, abdomen |
| "De noche, mi delirio se alimentaba de esa metáfora: yo sentía que el mundo es un laberinto, del cual era imposible huir, pues todos los caminos, aunque fingieran ir al norte o al sur, iban realmente a roma, que era también la cárcel cuadrangular donde agonizaba mi hermano y la quinta de Triste-le Roy." | Who says this, who is the brother, who does he say it to, What are the 3 parallel places, universes referred to here? |
| todopoderoso | all powerful |
| un simulacro | a coincidence |
| "Para la otra vez que lo mate--replicó Scharlach-le prometo ese laberinto, que consta de una sola línea recta y que es invisible, incesante." | Who, to whom, with reference to what? |
| hacer fuego | to fire (upon someone with a gun) |
| una pista falsa | false clue |
| un cuento policiaco | detective story |
