The Murder at the Vicarage: Chapters 19–24

by Agatha Christie
In this classic mystery novel, the peaceful English village of St. Mary Mead is upset by the murder of a local magistrate.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–18, Chapters 19–24, Chapters 25–32
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. disarray
    untidiness, especially of clothing and appearance
    Lawrence lived in the midst of an artistic disarray that would have driven me quite mad.
  2. clandestine
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
    A clandestine meeting was arranged in the shrubbery.
  3. paragon
    model of excellence or perfection of a kind
    “I suppose,” I said, “that somebody has heard her address us as sir or m'am and has immediately wrested her from us as a paragon. All I can say is, they'll be disappointed.”
  4. diffident
    showing modest reserve
    That kind always likes the—how shall I put it—the Quaker type. Very unrestrained and diffident. The kind of women whom everybody calls cold.
  5. denizen
    a person who inhabits a particular place
    “You compare yourself to a denizen of a stagnant pond, Aunt Jane?”
  6. infallible
    incapable of failure or error
    They say all the world loves a lover—apply that saying to murder and you have an even more infallible truth.
  7. disabuse
    free somebody from an erroneous belief
    I disabused him of this notion as gently as I could.
  8. ramification
    a consequence, especially one that causes complications
    “No,” I said, “I didn't mean that. I mean that there are ramifications, under-currents, that we know nothing about. There are a whole lot of things to clear up before we get at the truth.”
  9. accost
    approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
    They accosted me with various queries to which I gave the invariable answer (we had found it the best), that, “I had nothing to say.”
  10. partisan
    an enthusiastic supporter of some person or activity
    I was amused to notice that the old animosity against Lettice persisted, but that the girl had apparently become a warm partisan of Anne's.
  11. cantankerous
    stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
    When he arrived it was in his most cantankerous mood.
  12. connoisseur
    an expert able to appreciate a field
    "I mean — it's not the value of the metal." "
    No, it's what one might can a connoisseur's value."
  13. ulterior
    lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed
    “Why should you suppose he has any ulterior motive?”
  14. incomprehensible
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
    “I never suggested that he was guilty—even when he accused himself I said it seemed most incomprehensible.”
  15. purport
    have the often misleading appearance of being or intending
    It purported to be written by an illiterate person, but several things inclined me to disbelieve that assumption.
Created on Tue Mar 03 08:40:04 EST 2026 (updated Fri Mar 06 12:09:57 EST 2026)

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