Vocabulary ladder

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

STORY OF THE DOOR

False friends15 entries

You know these words. In this book they mean something else.

mortify
to deny himself
hail
welcome
excursions
these walks
quarter
district
the passenger
the passer-by on foot, not a traveller
the former
the first of the two named
remark
notice
carried us
took us
presently came back
came back shortly after
drew
wrote and signed
celebrated
famous
about the court
round the yard
want of memory
lack of memory
I declare
I swear
party
person involved

Idioms61 entries

Fixed expressions with a settled meaning of their own. Worth learning once.

when the wine was to his taste
when he liked the wine he was drinking
in any extremity
in any crisis
I incline to
I agree with
go to the devil in his own way
ruin himself however he likes
came about
visited
a nut to crack for many
a puzzle to many
For all that×2
even so
put the greatest store by
valued most highly
drove a thriving trade
did good business
caught and pleased the eye
drew people’s attention and pleased them
on the left hand
on the left
kept shop
played at running a shop
close on a generation
nearly thirty years
drive away
chase them off
came abreast of
came level with
in the affirmative
yes
Indeed?
is that so?
long for
want badly
All at once
Suddenly
at a good walk
walking fast
ran into one another
crashed into each other in the street
took to my heels
ran after him
made no resistance
did nothing to stop them
so ugly
so full of hate
put in his appearance
arrived
not much the worse
not badly hurt
taken a loathing to
been disgusted by
the usual cut and dry apothecary
the ordinary, plain doctor
turn sick and white
go pale and sick-looking
out of the question
impossible
make his name stink
destroy his reputation
pitching it in red hot
attacking him hard with words
make capital out of
make money out of
Name your figure
say how much money you want
meant mischief
meant trouble for him
often printed
often in the newspapers
The figure was stiff
the amount of money was high
good for more than that
worth more than that
I took the liberty of
I allowed myself to
close upon
almost
Set your mind at rest
do not worry
in a body
all together
gave in the cheque
handed the cheque over
Not a bit of it
not at all
nobody could have to do with
nobody could deal with
the very pink of the proprieties
the perfect model of respectable behaviour
paying through the nose
paying far too much
in consequence
as a result
fell into a vein of musing
drifted into his own thoughts
putting questions
asking questions
the last you would have thought of
the person you would never have expected
knocked on the head
killed
once in a great while
very occasionally
out of the way
unusual
I can make no hand of it
I cannot understand it at all
surprised out of himself
so surprised that he spoke without thinking
your tale has gone home
your story has hit me hard
what’s more
and beyond that
said never a word
said nothing at all
make a bargain
agree
With all my heart
gladly

Phrasal verbs10 entries

A verb and a small word that together mean something the two words do not.

set aside occasions of pleasure
refused other invitations
shone out
was bright and easy to notice
stumping along
walking along with heavy steps
brought out the sweat on me
made me sweat
had turned out
had come out of their houses
carrying it off
behaving as if nothing were wrong
screwed him up to
pushed him until he agreed to pay
stick out
refuse to pay
whipped out
pulled out
set off
started out

Noun phrases10 entries

A group of words naming a person or a thing, explained together.

high pressure of spirits
sheer energy
the calls of business
the demands of work
any credit
any standing or reputation
the matter of
about
the balance
the rest of the sum
capers of his youth
the wild, probably shady things he did when he was young
bland old bird
mild old fellow
Queer Street
an old expression for being in money trouble
My dear sir
a polite way of speaking to a man you know
my long tongue
my talking too much

Old word forms6 entries

Old forms of words you know. Learn them once.

Hence
So
It chanced
it happened
of a black winter morning
on a dark winter morning
gave a few halloa
shouted out
Tut-tut
an old expression of disapproval
scarce
hardly

Words89 entries

In the order you will meet them.

rugged countenance
a rough, hard face
lighted×2
made warm and friendly
lean
thin
long
tall and thin
dusty
without life or colour
dreary
dull and sad
lovable
easy to like
friendly
among friends
eminently human
clearly human
austere
harsh and self-denying
gin
a cheap, harsh spirit: the point is that he denies himself good winean object or practice the period took for granted
envy
wishing to have what others have
misdeeds
wrongdoing
quaintly
oddly, in his old-fashioned way
reputable acquaintance
respectable friend
downgoing men
men who were ruining themselves
his chambers
his officesthe working vocabulary of a trade or field
the feat
the trick of never showing what he thought
founded
built
catholicity
a wide readiness to like all sorts of people
modest
not thinking himself important
distant kinsman
distant relative
singularly dull
unusually boring
relief
the glad feeling when something hard is over
resisted
fought against
uninterrupted
without being disturbed
rambles
walks
by-street
small side street
emulously
competing with one another
shop fronts
shop windows
thoroughfare
street
dingy
dark and dirty
neighbourhood
the streets around it
well-polished brasses
the door handles and plates of shining yellow metal, rubbed brightan object or practice the period took for granted
cleanliness
how clean everything was
instantly
with no delay
sinister
threatening
storeys
floors
lower storey
lower floor
equipped
fitted
blistered and distained
with the paint coming off, and stained
Tramps
homeless men
schoolboy
boy at school
ravages
damage
cane
walking stickan object or practice the period took for granted
odd
strange
literally
really, exactly as said
listens
keeps listening
policeman
police officer
eastward
towards the east
cross street
side street crossing his
damned
a swear word
collared
seized him by the neck of his coat
perfectly cool
completely calm
frightened
scared
the Sawbones
a rough nickname for a doctor: it pictures him sawing through bonethe working vocabulary of a trade or field
my prisoner
the man I had caught
that Sawbones
that same rough nickname for the doctor, from the picture of a man sawing through bonethe working vocabulary of a trade or field
scandal
public talk about something shameful
we undertook
we promised
hateful
full of hate
a hundred pounds
perhaps two years’ wages for a clerkmoney
he struck
he agreed
cheque×2
a written order to a bank to pay money
drawn payable to bearer
written with no name on it, so whoever holds it can collect the moneythe working vocabulary of a trade or field
genuine
real and not false
looked apocryphal
looked highly doubtful
cellar door
basement door
my chambers
my roomsthe working vocabulary of a trade or field
breakfasted
eaten breakfast
a forgery
a fake, signed with a name that was not his
damnable
hateful
Blackmail
demanding money by threatening to reveal a secret
the drawer of the cheque
the man who signed the chequethe working vocabulary of a trade or field
presently
soon
scarcely
hardly
chimney
the pipe that carries smoke up from a fire
generally smoking
usually with smoke coming from it
packed
pressed close
Hm
a thinking sound
something displeasing
something unpleasant
down-right detestable
thoroughly hateful
disliked
did not like
deformed somewhere
wrongly shaped somewhere
extraordinary looking
strikingly odd-looking
inquired
asked
pedantically exact
exact down to the smallest detail
sighed deeply
breathed out long and heavily
presently resumed
soon went on

Words inside the phrases38 entries

These were explained above as part of a longer phrase. Here is what each one means on its own.

abreast
side by side
affirmative
saying yes
apocryphal
probably not true
apothecary
an old word for a chemist who made and sold medicines
bagpipe
a musical instrument made of a bag of air and pipes
bland
gentle and mild
capers
wild or foolish acts
cellar
a room under a building, used for storing things
circumstance
a fact or detail about a situation
coolness
calmness, showing no feeling
deformed
not the right shape
deformity
a part of the body that is not the right shape
delicacy
care not to give offence
detestable
deserving to be hated
forgery
something copied so as to cheat people
halloa
an old shout used to call to someone
harpies
monsters in old Greek stories with a woman’s head and a bird’s body
hellish
so cruel and terrible that it seems to come from hell
inexact
not correct in every detail
mouldings
shaped strips of wood or stone that decorate an edge
musing
quiet thinking
partakes
shares in
payable
that must be paid to someone
pedantically
fussing over the smallest details
procession
a line of people moving forward together for a ceremony
proprieties
the rules of polite behaviour
recess
a small space set back into a wall
sighed
breathed out slowly, showing sadness or relief
slouched
moved with a bent back and drooping shoulders
sneering
showing that you think someone is worthless
specify
say exactly which
stiff
higher than you would expect
stink
to smell very bad
storey
one level of a building
stumping
walking with heavy noisy steps
sullenness
quiet bad temper
trampled
walked heavily on something and crushed it
undertook
agreed to do something