The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, List 2

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson follow a trail from a lost Christmas goose to a priceless stolen gem to uncover a clever web of theft and deceit. Read the full text here.

This list covers vocabulary from "When the commissionaire had gone..." to the end of the story.

Here is the link to List 1.
15 words 0 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. facet
    a smooth surface (as of a bone or cut gemstone)
    In the larger and older jewels every facet may stand for a bloody deed. This stone is not yet twenty years old.
  2. sinister
    wicked, evil, or dishonorable
    In spite of its youth, it has already a sinister history.
  3. geniality
    a disposition to be friendly and approachable
    “Mr. Henry Baker, I believe,” said he, rising from his armchair and greeting his visitor with the easy air of geniality which he could so readily assume.
  4. staccato
    marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds
    He spoke in a slow staccato fashion, choosing his words with care, and gave the impression generally of a man of learning and letters who had had ill-usage at the hands of fortune.
  5. indebted
    owing gratitude to another for help or favors
    “I am much indebted to you, sir, for a Scotch bonnet is fitted neither to my years nor my gravity.”
  6. cravat
    a scarf or band of cloth worn around the neck
    It was a bitter night, so we drew on our ulsters and wrapped cravats about our throats.
  7. prosperity
    the condition of having good fortune
    “Ah! I don’t know him. Well, here’s your good health landlord, and prosperity to your house. Good-night.”
  8. servitude
    the state of being required to labor for someone else
    “Remember, Watson that though we have so homely a thing as a goose at one end of this chain, we have at the other a man who will certainly get seven years’ penal servitude unless we can establish his innocence.
  9. inquiry
    a systematic investigation of a matter of public interest
    It is possible that our inquiry may but confirm his guilt; but, in any case, we have a line of investigation which has been missed by the police, and which a singular chance has placed in our hands.
  10. akimbo
    bent outward with the joint away from the body
    “Now, then, mister,” said he, with his head cocked and his arms akimbo, “what are you driving at? Let’s have it straight, now.”
  11. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    It is clear from what that surly fellow said that there are others besides ourselves who are anxious about the matter...
  12. scrupulous
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
    "Well, the temptation of sudden wealth so easily acquired was too much for you, as it has been for better men before you; but you were not very scrupulous in the means you used."
  13. confederate
    someone who assists in a plot
    What did you do, then? You made some small job in my lady’s room—you and your confederate Cusack—and you managed that he should be the man sent for.
  14. convulsive
    sudden and violent
    He burst into convulsive sobbing, with his face buried in his hands.
  15. commute
    exchange a penalty for a less severe one
    I suppose that I am commuting a felony, but it is just possible that I am saving a soul.
Created on Tue May 05 18:06:21 EDT 2026 (updated Tue May 26 12:17:46 EDT 2026)

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