100 likes | 247 Views
Amontillado. A pale, medium-dry sherry from Spain. An unlikely reason to die a horrible death. Carnival, Motley. Carnival: A celebration period that climaxes on Mardi Gras, the day before the Lenten fast.
E N D
Amontillado • A pale, medium-dry sherry from Spain. • An unlikely reason to die a horrible death.
Carnival, Motley • Carnival: A celebration period that climaxes on Mardi Gras, the day before the Lenten fast. • Motley: a garment of different colors combined; parti-colored. The traditional clothing of a jester.
Palazzo • Italian; a large splendid residence or public building, such as a palace or museum. • Some wealthy European families have lived in these palaces for generations, sometimes continuously since the Middle Ages.
Catacombs • Underground cemeteries, especially ones consisting of tunnels and rooms with recesses dug out for coffins and tombs.
More about Catacombs • The use of catacombs dates back to the Middle Ages, when most cities and churches used them to bury the dead. • Many wealthy families had their own catacombs located in the basements of their estates. • Some of these family catacombs are still in use. • When the catacombs get full, the old skeletons are removed from their resting places and piled in a separate room to make space for fresh corpses. • The foul gasses emitted by decomposing bodies can be deadly to anyone entering a sealed catacomb.
Nitre • Spelled “Niter” in Modern English • A white, gray, or colorless mineral of potassium nitrate, KNO3, used in making gunpowder. Also called saltpeter. • Often grows in damp, dark places such as caves or catacombs. • Can be toxic if inhaled in its powder form.
Cask, Puncheon, Trowel, Mortar • Cask or Puncheon: a barrel for storing liquid. • Trowel: any of various tools having a flat blade with a handle, used for depositing and working mortar, plaster, etc. • Mortar: a mixture of lime or cement or a combination of both with sand and water, used as a bonding agent between bricks, stones, etc.
More Vocab • Unredressed: adj. never having been made right; not atoned for. • Impunity: noun exemption from punishment. • Virtuoso: nouna person who has special knowledge or skill in a field. • Gesticulation: noun an animated or excited gesture. • Flambeaux: nouna lighted torch or large ornamental candlestick
Immolation • To kill or destroy by burning alive. • Obviously, I’m not going to show you a picture. • Used SYMBOLICALLY in this story; in other words, some unlucky person is about to go Down In Flames!