Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) Vocabulary

Question 1

lithotype (lithograph ?)

Answer 1

a picture printed by lithography

Question 2

slate (verb)

Answer 2

1. to criticise somebody/something, especially in a newspaper
2. to plan that something will happen at a particular time in the future
3. to suggest or choose somebody for a job, position, etc.

Question 3

slather (verb)

Answer 3

to cover something with a thick layer of a substance

Question 4

cork (noun)

Answer 4

a light, soft material that is the thick bark of a type of Mediterranean oak tree

Question 5

cork (verb)

Answer 5

cork something to close a bottle with a cork

OPPOSITE uncork

Question 6

weary (verb)

Answer 6

1. weary somebody (formal) to make somebody feel tired
   SYNONYM tire
   2.weary of something/of doing something to lose your interest in or enthusiasm for something
   SYNONYM tire

Question 7

antecedent (noun)

Answer 7

1. a thing or an event that exists or comes before another, and may have influenced it
   2.antecedents [plural] (formal) the people in somebody’s family who lived a long time ago
   SYNONYM ancestor, forebear
   3.a word or phrase to which the following word, especially a pronoun, refers

Question 8

mould (noun)

Answer 8

1. a container that you pour a liquid or soft substance into, which then becomes solid in the same shape as the container, for example when it is cooled or cooked
2. a particular style showing the characteristics, attitudes or behaviour that are typical of somebody/something
3. a fine soft green, grey or black substance like fur that is a type of fungus and that grows on old food or on objects that are left in warm wet air

Question 9

break the mould (of something) (idiom)

Answer 9

to change what people expect from a situation, especially by acting in a dramatic and original way

Question 10

mould (verb)

Answer 10

1. to strongly influence the way somebody’s character, opinions, etc. develop
2. mould (something) to something to fit or make something fit tightly around the shape of something

Question 11

crestfallen (adj)

Answer 11

​sad and disappointed because you have failed and you did not expect to

Question 12

crest (verb)

Answer 12

1. crest something (formal) to reach the top of a hill, mountain or wave
2. (of a flood, wave, etc.) to reach its highest level before it falls again

Question 13

brass (noun)

Answer 13

1. a bright yellow metal made by mixing copper and zinc; objects made of brass
2. the musical instruments made of metal, such as trumpets or French horns, that form a band or section of an orchestra; the people who play them
3. a decorated piece of brass used as an attractive object, especially a round flat piece attached to a horse’s harness
4. the people who are in the most important positions in a company, an organization, etc.

Question 14

salver (noun)

Answer 14

a large plate, usually made of metal, on which drinks or food are served at a formal event

Question 15

salve (verb)

Answer 15

salve your conscience to do something that makes you feel less guilty