A Likely Story: "The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol

One morning, Kovalev wakes up to find that his nose has left his face to lead a successful and adventurous life of its own. Will they ever reunite? Read the full story here.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. astonishment
    the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
    After he had cut the loaf in two halves, he looked, and to his great astonishment saw something whitish sticking in it.
  2. scoundrel
    someone who does evil deliberately
    “Whose nose have you cut off, you monster?” she screamed, her face red with anger. “You scoundrel! You tippler! I myself will report you to the police! Such a rascal! Many customers have told me that while you were shaving them, you held them so tight by the nose that they could hardly sit still.”
    "Scoundrel" is one in a string of insults that Ivan Jakovlevitch's wife screams. In addition to the synonymous "rascal" she calls the barber: monster, tippler ("someone who drinks liquor repeatedly in small quantities"), vagabond ("a wanderer with no established residence or means of support"), good-for-nothing, soap-smearer, and blockhead. Some of these insults might have additional shades of humor in the original Russian story.
  3. endure
    put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    Shall I endure an amputated nose in my room?
  4. flabbergasted
    as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
    Ivan Jakovlevitch stood there flabbergasted.
    The example sentence could be rewritten as "Ivan Jakovlevitch stood there astonished." But "flabbergasted" sounds funnier.
  5. exhortation
    an earnest attempt at persuasion
    At last he finished dressing himself, and to the accompaniment of the emphatic exhortations of his spouse, he wrapped up the nose in a cloth and issued into the street.
    In Latin, "hortari" means "to encourage"--that is not the tone of the wife, not even with the addition of the adjective "emphatic" ("forceful and definite in expression"). Similarly, the word "accompaniment" suggests a musical mood, but that is the opposite of the wife's screaming insults. This is a deliberate contrast to create humor.
  6. sentry
    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
    Later on he did let the nose drop, but a sentry bore down upon him with his halberd, and said, “Look out! You have let something drop!” and Ivan Jakovlevitch was obliged to pick it up and put it in his pocket.
  7. cynic
    someone who is critical of the motives of others
    Ivan Jakovlevitch was a great cynic, and when Kovaloff, the member of the Municipal Committee, said to him, as was his custom while being shaved, “Your hands always smell, Ivan Jakovlevitch!” the latter answered, “What do they smell of?”
  8. reprisal
    a retaliatory action against an enemy
    Ivan Jakovlevitch after taking a pinch of snuff would then, by way of reprisals, set to work to soap him on the cheek, the upper lip, behind the ears, on the chin, and everywhere.
  9. gingerly
    with extreme care or delicacy
    He stepped gingerly up to a mirror and looked.
  10. infernal
    characteristic of or resembling Hell
    “What an infernal face!” he exclaimed, and spat with disgust.
  11. vexation
    anger produced by some annoying irritation
    He bit his lips with vexation, left the confectioner's, and resolved, quite contrary to his habit, neither to look nor smile at anyone on the street.
  12. recourse
    act of turning to for assistance
    In his situation it was necessary to have recourse to the police; not because the affair had anything to do with them directly but because they acted more promptly than other authorities.
  13. distinctive
    of a feature that helps to identify a person or thing
    Finally, as though visited with a heavenly inspiration, he resolved to go directly to an advertisement office, and to advertise the loss of his nose, giving all its distinctive characteristics in detail, so that anyone who found it might bring it at once to him, or at any rate inform him where it lived.
  14. perpetrator
    someone who commits wrongdoing
    I have just been swindled and cheated, and I cannot get hold of the perpetrator.
    The meanings of the verbs "swindle" and "cheat" connect to crimes that a perpetrator might commit. But the roots of the words suggest what might have actually happened to Kovaloff's nose: the Old High German "swintan" means "to vanish" and the Old French "escheoir" means "to fall out."
  15. abscond
    run away, often taking something or somebody along
    It is the nose which has absconded.
  16. prominent
    having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
    Consider; how can I live without such a prominent part of my body? It is not as if it were merely a little toe; I would only have to put my foot in my boot and no one would notice its absence.
    "Prominent" also means "conspicuous in position or importance"--both definitions fit because Kovaloff is a member of the Municipal Committee who enhances his own importance with the title "Major" and takes daily walks so that he can be seen and admired. Especially because Kovaloff aspires to more prominence, the loss of a prominent feature of his face is more upsetting than the loss of other body parts.
  17. aphorism
    a short pithy instructive saying
    The commissary accorded Kovaloff a fairly frigid reception, saying that the afternoon was not the best time to come with a case, that nature required one to rest a little after eating (this showed the committee-man that the commissary was acquainted with the aphorisms of the ancient sages), and that respectable people did not have their noses stolen.
  18. melancholy
    grave or even gloomy in character
    After all his fruitless search, his room seemed to him melancholy and even ugly.
  19. equanimity
    steadiness of mind under stress
    His servant's equanimity enraged him; he struck him on the forehead with his hat, and said, “You good-for-nothing, you are always playing the fool!”
    "Melancholy" (despite being used as an adjective in the previous example sentence) and "equanimity" are meant to be antonymous moods. The given definition for "equanimity" does not describe the servant, since he is not under any stress; rather, he takes advantage of his master's absence to lie on the couch and spit at a spot on the ceiling. This enrages Kovaloff because the servant seems so happy in accomplishing his goal when he has sadly failed in finding his nose.
  20. insupportable
    incapable of being justified or explained
    If I had lost an arm or a leg, it would be less insupportable; but a man without a nose! Devil take it!—what is he good for? He is only fit to be thrown out of the window.
    The adjective usually describes an abstract idea, but the connection to physical support is also intended here. This is supported by the mention of an arm and leg (which are needed more than a nose to support one's weight) and by the example sentence for "olfactory" (which includes "support" as a noun). This additional meaning would be lost if "insupportable' were replaced with the synonymous "inexplicable" (see the next word and example sentence).
  21. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
    If it had been taken from me in war or in a duel, or if I had lost it by my own fault! But it has disappeared inexplicably. But no! it is impossible,” he continued after reflecting a few moments, “it is incredible that a nose can disappear like that—quite incredible.
  22. distinguish
    detect with the senses
    I am shortsighted, you know, and as you stand before me I cannot distinguish your nose, your beard, or anything else. My mother-in-law can hardly see at all.
  23. reverie
    absentminded dreaming while awake
    After the commissary's departure, Kovaloff remained for some time plunged in a kind of vague reverie, and did not recover full consciousness for several moments, so great was the effect of this unexpected good news.
  24. coalesce
    fuse or cause to come together
    Joy in the second moment of its arrival is already less keen than in the first, is still fainter in the third, and finishes by coalescing with our normal mental state, just as the circles which the fall of a pebble forms on the surface of water, gradually die away.
  25. supplicate
    ask for humbly or earnestly, as in prayer
    I beg you,” continued Kovaloff in a supplicating tone, “find some way or other of replacing it; even if it is not quite firm, as long as it holds at all; I can keep it in place sometimes with my hand, whenever there is any risk.
  26. consequence
    the outcome of an event
    Its unexpected separation from the place which it occupied, its flight and its appearances sometimes in the disguise of an official, sometimes in proper person, are nothing but the consequence of unholy spells employed by you or by persons who, like you, are addicted to such honourable pursuits.
  27. reproach
    a mild rebuke or criticism
    I must confess that I had not expected such unjust reproaches on your part.
  28. snub
    reject outright and bluntly
    Again, you say something about a nose. If you intend to imply by that that I wished to snub you, i.e. to meet you with a refusal, I am very astonished because, as you well know, I was quite of the opposite mind.
    The confusion and pun connect to an act of rejection that often includes turning up one's nose. Also, "snub" is an adjective that can describe a nose ("short and turned up").
  29. disposition
    an attitude of mind that favors one alternative over others
    At that period there was a general disposition to believe in the miraculous; the public had recently been impressed by experiments in magnetism.
  30. indignation
    a feeling of righteous anger
    One gentleman asserted with great indignation that he could not understand how in our enlightened age such absurdities could spread abroad, and he was astonished that the Government did not direct their attention to the matter.
  31. copious
    large in number or quantity
    Jakovlevitch tied a napkin under his chin, and in the twinkling of an eye covered his beard and part of his cheeks with a copious creamy lather.
  32. olfactory
    of or relating to the sense of smell
    At last he began to pass the razor very lightly over the Major's chin, and although it was very difficult to shave him without using the olfactory organ as a point of support, he succeeded, however, by placing his wrinkled thumb against the Major's lower jaw and cheek, thus overcoming all obstacles and bringing his task to a safe conclusion.
    In Latin, "olere" means "to smell" and "facere" means "to do." Compare this shave to the description at the beginning of the story (which is partly shown in the example sentences for "cynic" and "reprisal"). Although the barber's attitude is slightly different, now that the olfactory organ is back where it belongs, both men go about their lives as if nothing strange had ever happened. This makes the story seem pointless (see the last word and example sentence).
  33. raillery
    light teasing
    Then he went to pay a visit to another committee-man, a very sarcastic personage, to whom he was accustomed to say in answer to his raillery, “Yes, I know, you are the funniest fellow in St Petersburg.”
  34. accustomed
    commonly used or practiced; usual
    On the way he said to himself, “If the Major does not burst into laughter at the sight of me, that is a most certain sign that everything is in its accustomed place.”
  35. surpass
    be greater in scope or size than some standard
    But the most incomprehensible thing of all is, how authors can choose such subjects for their stories. That really surpasses my understanding.
Created on Fri Apr 04 14:07:27 EDT 2014 (updated Mon Aug 06 15:06:07 EDT 2018)

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