So I just finished “The Final Problem“, by Arthur Conan Doyle, and there were a number of words I learned or re-learned. Before stating them, let me say, it is so much fun to read these books/short stories after seeing the BBC version of Sherlock. Too. Much. Fun.
- petrel – one who brings discord or appears at the onset of trouble
- asperity – harshness of tone or manner.
- coup-de-maitre – a master stroke
- equanimity – mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, esp. in a difficult situation.
- devolve – transfer or delegate (power) to a lower level, esp. from central government to local or regional administration.
And a quote – can’t leave without a quote from this lovely work: “Any attempt at recovering the bodies was absolutely hopeless, and there, deep down in that dreadful cauldron of swirling water and seething foam, will lie for all time the most dangerous criminal and the foremost champion of the law of their generation… him whom I shall ever regard as the best and the wisest man whom I have ever known.”
Musings 