Life and Times of Michael K

Life and Times of Michael K Glossary

surreptitious

done something in a secretive, low-key fashion

idleness

laziness or indolence

sacred

holy

alluring

mysteriously attractive

allegory

a story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning

agapanthus

any of several African plants (genus Agapanthus) of the lily family cultivated for their umbels of showy blue, purple, or white flowers (m-w.com)

paraffin

kerosene

perambulator

a baby carriage

loath

reluctant

palpably

conspicuously

mortified

highly embarrassed

askew

off to the side, crooked

diminutive

very small

exultation

a feeling of intense happiness

borehole

a well

sluice

a channel or stream for water

seeping

liquid slowly leaking out of something

proboscis

nose

surmounted

on top of, or climbed on top of something

frowzy

uncared for, dull