My Fine Fellow: Chapters 4–7

by Jennieke Cohen
In this twist on the musical My Fair Lady that was inspired by George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, Helena Higgins and Penelope Pickering, students at 19th-century London's Royal Academy of Culinaria Artisticus, disagree on whether transforming street vendor Elijah Little into a gentleman chef is a worthwhile project.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–7, Chapters 8–11, Chapters 12–15, Chapter 16–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. respite
    a relief from harm or discomfort
    As you made no mention of his behavior in your letter, I do hope that Roland has not hampered your enjoyment with his annoying habits. I, for one, have found the last month a welcome respite from his company, although I must confess that the house occasionally felt quiet.
  2. ensconce
    fix firmly
    As I hope you know from my last letter, l am safely ensconced in Cavendish Square with Helena.
  3. gentry
    the most powerful members of a society
    To turn a pasty hawker into a respectable fellow capable of running his own shop, where he will have to court the favor and patronage of the best circles in the gentry and nobility, seems an extraordinarily massive undertaking.
  4. missive
    a written message addressed to a person or organization
    But she wrote them a letter in any case. My own missive is already on its way.
  5. propriety
    correct behavior
    Even if that is so, Helena, have you considered the propriety of having a strange boy in your home?
  6. outmoded
    no longer in fashion
    “Lady Rutland, there must be a way. Surely such outmoded notions of propriety have all but disappeared in the last fifteen years. A lady can hold a profession now! She should not be bound to the old ideas of having a chaperone present for every encounter with someone of the opposite sex.”
  7. chattel
    personal property, as opposed to real estate
    In Helena’s opinion, the days of women being their husband or father’s chattel could not disappear soon enough.
  8. acquiesce
    agree or express agreement
    You may find many of them employ Culinarians in a roundabout way, and you will be expected to acquiesce to their demands.
  9. discretion
    knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress
    “Our servants at Cavendish Square are extremely loyal, Lady Rutland, and not at all prone to gossip.” Her father paid his staff well, and they were aware that their employment hinged, in no small measure, on their discretion.
  10. trappings
    ornaments; embellishments to or characteristic signs of
    Earlier in the day, Penelope had told Elijah that Lady Rutland was a rare member of the aristocracy who cared little for the trappings of her rank.
  11. unprepossessing
    creating an unfavorable or neutral first impression
    All these facts swirled in Elijah’s mind, but as Lady Rutland assessed him from the top of his head to the toes of his quite dull boots, he couldn’t help wondering how this smallish, unprepossessing person held the key to his future.
  12. preclude
    keep from happening or arising
    I don’t see how sleeping in the servants’ quarters will preclude you from teaching him everything he needs to learn, Helena.
  13. sublime
    worthy of adoration or reverence
    Now, to my mind, how one elevates ingredients into something sublime is the single most important measure of a Culinarian, so we shall begin there.
  14. ubiquitous
    being present everywhere at once
    Purple carrots—both light and dark—white, yellow, green, varying shades of red, and finally the ubiquitous orange all stared back at Elijah.
  15. larder
    a small storeroom for storing foods or wines
    Your first task is to make something fantastic with the carrots of your choice and the ingredients available in the larder.
  16. dither
    be undecided or uncertain
    Slightly irked that she hadn’t even let him answer, he hesitated, then walked into the larder, trying to disregard the thump of his heart and the inescapable truth that he had no idea what to make. He reminded himself that he wanted to succeed at this, and he knew one thing for sure: dithering wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
  17. melange
    a varied mixture or assortment of things
    Helena bit into the motley mélange of carrots, predicting mushy mediocrity to meet her palate.
  18. patently
    unmistakably
    Penelope was the kindest creature in the world, but surely if she gave the boy more praise than necessary, he would feel he had little to learn—which was patently not the case.
  19. expound
    add details to clarify an idea
    “But your presentation is abysmal, the technique nonexistent, and if I start analyzing your knife skills, I will expound for the rest of the day,” Helena said with a shake of her head.
  20. daft
    foolish or mentally irregular
    When she put it like that, the idea sounded a bit daft.
  21. approbation
    official recognition or commendation
    For those amateur cooks starting with nothing, the exhibitions are the surest way of creating a reputation for oneself that can lead to financial backing and, of course, a seal of approbation from the nobility or landed gentry.
  22. myriad
    a large indefinite number
    “Pen, there’s nothing much more basic than holding a strawberry correctly! Besides, he will need to understand this technique for a myriad of other tasks. What good will he be if he cannot even master the basics?”
  23. parse
    analyze in detail in order to discover essential features
    “Indeed, I can always work on my project. The cuisine of the Americas covers a vast deal of territory, so Lady Rutland wants me to focus my study. I still have many notes and recipes from my travels to parse through, but I did think I could help—”
  24. instill
    fill, as with a certain quality
    Penelope didn’t know if that was true—traveling with her parents had instilled a passion for food in her at a very young age.
  25. disabuse
    free somebody from an erroneous belief
    “We’ll have to disabuse you of winking at ladies, that’s for certain,” Helena cut in.
  26. de rigueur
    required by etiquette, custom, or fashion
    Culinarians also wore a variety of dresses in patterns and colors that hid stains, had much more practical, tight-fitting sleeves, and slimmer skirts. Pretty aprons of durable material were also de rigueur.
  27. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    She raised both eyebrows dramatically, pulled a box the size of her hand from her pocket, and brandished it in the air.
  28. balk
    show unwillingness towards
    “Next, you lay your hand flat against the top of the onion and make one or two horizontal cuts through—again stopping short of slicing the root end.” She caught Elijah’s gaze. “This is where many people balk, but if you pay attention to what you are doing, you should not cut yourself.”
  29. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
    When Penelope stepped into the kitchen after an hour perusing the ceviche recipes she’d brought back with her and deciding which ones she wished to attempt that day, she caught sight of Elijah’s face and gasped.
  30. tout
    show off
    The box Helena had touted earlier in the day sat forgotten on the workbench.
  31. denigrate
    attack the good name and reputation of someone
    “Do you remember our first week? Not a one of us could hold our tears, but I must say Mabel Pilkington looked the most ridiculous of us all.”
    “Helena—” Penelope began, not at all sure that Helena should be denigrating a classmate in front of Elijah.
  32. truss
    secure with or as if with ropes
    Within weeks, Elijah could cut, clean, and filet a fish properly, debone a duck or pheasant, truss a rack of ribs into a crown roast, and boil a lobster.
  33. accost
    approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
    Penelope had the dubious privilege of being the person they accosted to discuss their resentment when Helena flew off the handle or acted like they were slow-witted for not grasping a concept as quickly as she had.
  34. compunction
    a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed
    “I imagine you’d have little compunction killing a cockroach,” she ventured.
  35. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
    The marquess’s frock coat also drooped on Elijah’s slimmer shoulders, and despite the state of his own ratty clothes, which Helena had refused to let him wear—“No one would ever believe we’d allow you to accompany us in such attire!”—he felt far more conspicuous in the marquess’s ill-fitting garments than he ever had in his own.
  36. diffuse
    spread through
    The creaminess coupled with the earthy, bitter notes coated his tongue, and he wished for a piece of bread to diffuse the flavor.
  37. bemused
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    He looked at her and opened his mouth to speak, both bemused and charmed by her excitement for the ingredients.
  38. procure
    get by special effort
    Perhaps we might split up the list? Could you procure the rest of the produce?
  39. ambient
    completely enveloping
    “How long have you had them out?” Sevilles grew tougher and drier the longer they were kept in the ambient temperature, and he doubted Penelope would be happy with tough oranges.
  40. derisive
    expressing contempt or ridicule
    Elijah had quit selling them soon after his mother died to avoid the derisive looks and comments.
Created on Wed May 03 12:56:48 EDT 2023 (updated Mon May 08 09:25:25 EDT 2023)

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