Behind me, the sun was setting behind Stortfold Cstle, its dark shadow sliding down the hill like melting wax to overtake me.
overtake: (especially of misfortune) come suddenly or unexpectedly upon.
- "to overtake me": 그 그림자가 화자에게 다가와 마침내 덮어버리는 장면입니다.
On a different sort of day, I could have told you all the things that had happened to me on this route: where Dad taught me to ride a bike without stabilizers; where Mrs. Doherty with the lopsided wig used to make us Welsh cakes; the hedge where Treena knocked a wasp's nest and we ran screaming all the way back to the castle.
lopsided: with one side lower or smaller than the other.
hedge: a fence or boundary formed by closely growing bushes or shrubs.
- Lopsided는 "한쪽이 기울어진" 또는 "불균형적인"을 의미합니다. 일반적으로 물건이나 형태가 비정상적으로 한쪽으로 기울어져 있거나 불균형이 있을 때 사용됩니다.
- hedge는 정원이나 길가에서 볼 수 있는 식물 울타리입니다.
- Wasp는 말벌을 의미합니다.
Thomas's tricycle was upturned on the path and, closing the gate behind me, I dragged it under the porch and opened the door.
upturn: turn (something) upward or upside down.
porch: a covered shelter projecting in front of the entrance of a building.
- Upturned는 물건이나 표면이 뒤집혀서 위쪽이 아래로 향하거나, 원래의 위치에서 방향이 바뀐 상태를 의미합니다.
- Porch는 주로 집이나 건물의 입구에 붙어 있는 앞마당 또는 현관을 의미합니다.
Mum is a martyr to the cold and keeps the heating on all year round.
martyr: a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs.
be a martyr to something: to often suffer because of an illness or problem
- Martyr는 원래 신념 때문에 고통을 감내하는 사람을 의미하지만, 여기서는 고통받는 사람이라는 의미로 사용됩니다. 문장에서 Mum is a martyr to the cold는 엄마는 추위에 매우 민감하고 고통받는다는 뜻입니다.
I hung my jacket on the peg, where it fought for pace among the others.
- Peg는 걸이 또는 고정핀을 의미합니다. 주로 벽에 걸린 작은 고리나 돌출된 부분으로, 옷이나 가방 등을 걸어둘 수 있는 물건입니다.
I peered around the living-room door.
peer: look keenly or with difficulty at someone or something.
- Peered는 자세히 들여다보다 또는 유심히 살펴보다를 뜻하며, 무언가를 주의 깊게 보거나 엿볼 때 사용됩니다.
Dad was facedown on the sofa, his arm thrust deep between the cushions, as if they had swallowed his limb whole.
thrust: push (something or someone) suddenly or violently in the specified direction.
limb: an arm or leg of a person or four-legged animal, or a bird's wing.
- Thrust는 강하게 밀다 또는 세게 밀어 넣다라는 의미입니다.
- As if they had swallowed his limb whole는 마치 쿠션들이 그의 팔을 통째로 삼켜버린 것처럼이라는 비유로, 팔이 완전히 쿠션 속에 파묻힌 모습을 강조한 표현입니다.
Thomas, my five-year-old nephew, was on his haunches, watching him intently.
If you get down on your haunches, you lower yourself towards the ground so that your legs are bent under you and you are balancing on your feet.
- On his haunches는 웅크리고 앉아 있는 상태를 뜻합니다. 즉, 무릎을 굽혀 몸을 낮춘 자세입니다.
Dad turned his face toward me, puce from exertion.
"puce from exertion" means that the person's face was red after all the effort they had been making.
puce: of a dark red or purple-brown color.
exertion: physical or mental effort.
- Puce는 보통 짙은 갈색이 섞인 보라색이나 붉은색을 나타내며, 여기서는 아버지가 힘을 너무 많이 써서 얼굴이 붉거나 보라색으로 변한 상태를 묘사합니다.
- From exertion은 심한 노력 때문에 그런 상태가 되었다는 뜻입니다.
He extracted his arm from the cushions and squinted at his watch.
squint: look at someone or something with one or both eyes partly closed in an attempt to see more clearly or as a reaction to strong light.
- Squinted는 눈을 가늘게 뜨고 보다라는 의미로, 잘 보이지 않거나 집중해서 무언가를 볼 때 눈을 찡그리는 동작을 나타냅니다.
She brandished a pair of socks.
brandish: wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement.
- Brandished는 (무엇인가를) 위협적으로 또는 과시하듯 휘두르다를 의미합니다. 일반적으로 무기나 물건을 흔드는 동작을 묘사할 때 사용됩니다. 이 문장에서는 그녀가 양말을 눈에 띄게 들고 흔드는 모습을 나타냅니다.
My mother's hand stilled.
still: make or become still; quieten.
- Stilled는 "정지하다"를 의미합니다. 여기서 어머니의 손이 갑자기 움직임을 멈추었다는 것을 표현하고 있습니다.
The words hung there, searing themselves on the little room long after the sound had died away.
sear: burn or scorch the surface of (something) with a sudden, intense heat.
- Searing themselves on the little room는 작은 방에 깊이 새겨지다는 비유적인 표현으로, 말이 방에 강한 인상을 남겼다는 것을 나타냅니다. Searing은 원래 태우다를 의미하며, 여기서는 말이 방에 깊은 영향을 미쳤다는 의미로 사용됩니다.
I liked arriving early at the Buttered Bun, firing up the huge tea urn in the corner, bringing in the crates of milk and bread from the backyard, and chatting to Frank as we prepared to open.
urn: a large metal container with a tap, in which tea or coffee is made and kept hot, or water for making hot drinks is boiled.
tea urn: an urn in which tea is brewed and from which it is served
- Firing up the huge tea urn은 큰 차 주전자를 켜다라는 뜻입니다.
Frank's radio singing tinnily to itself in the corner.
tinnily: with a sound that is of low quality or like metal being hit
- Singing tinnily는 금속성의 작은 소리로 노래하다는 뜻입니다. 여기서 tinnily는 "금속성의" 또는 "빈약한" 소리를 나타냅니다.
It wasn't a fashionable place-its walls were covered in scenes from the castle up on the hill, the tables still sported Formica tops, and the menu hadn't altered since I started, apart from the addition of chocolate brownies to the iced-bun tray.
sport: wear or display (a distinctive or noticeable item).
- The tables still sported Formica tops는 테이블은 여전히 포르미카 상판을 사용하고 있었다는 뜻입니다.
I liked the tourists, who stopped on their walk up to and down from the castle, the shrieking schoolchildren, who stopped by after school, the regulars from the offices across the road, and Nina and Cherie, the hairdressers, who knew the calorie count of every single item the Buttered Bun had to offer.
shrieking: making a high-pitched piercing cry or sound.
- The shrieking schoolchildren는 시끄러운 아이들이라는 뜻입니다.
Even the annoying customers, like the red-haired woman who ran the toy shop and disputed her change at least once a week, didn't trouble me.
dispute: argue about (something); discuss heatedly.
- disputed her change at least once a week는 매주 최소한 한 번은 잔돈에 대해 불평하는이라는 뜻입니다.
I watched relationships begin and end across those tables, children transferred between ex-spouses, the guilty relief of those parents who couldn't face cooking, and the secret pleasure of pensioners at a fried breakfast.
can't face doing something: to not want to do or deal with something unpleasant
pensioner: a person who receives a pension.
- The guilty relief of those parents who couldn't face cooking는 요리를 할 수 없는 부모들의 죄책감이 섞인 안도감을 뜻합니다.
- The secret pleasure of pensioners at a fried breakfast는 프라이드 브렉퍼스트를 즐기는 노인들의 비밀스러운 기쁨을 의미합니다.
It was a bit like being a barmaid, but without the hassle of drunks.
barmaid: a woman bartender.
Something that is bothersome or annoying can be called a hassle.
- It was a bit like being a barmaid는 바텐더가 되는 것과 조금 비슷했다는 뜻입니다.
- But without the hassle of drunks는 술 취한 사람들의 귀찮음이 없었다는 의미입니다.
Well, that's big of him, given she's worked like a ruddy Trojan in that place for the last six years.
If an action is big of someone, it is kind, good, or helpful.
ruddy: used as a euphemism for “bloody.”.
'Trojan' refers to the famous Trojan horse, which was pushed by men. In this saying, it is saying she worked as hard as one of the men pushing the horse.
- that's big of him는 그가 그렇게 행동하는 것은 대단한 일이다라는 뜻입니다.
- worked like a ruddy Trojan은 매우 열심히 일했다는 비유적 표현입니다. Ruddy는 여기서 강조의 의미로 사용되며, Trojan은 고대 트로이의 전사로서 매우 열심히 일하는 사람을 의미합니다.
Mum shut her eyes for a moment, as if compposing herself before she spoke.
compose yourself: to make yourself calm again after being angry or upset
- As if composing herself는 마치 마음을 가다듬는 것처럼이라는 뜻입니다. Composing herself는 긴장이나 감정을 다스리는 것을 의미합니다.
Louisa Clark is very good at buttering toast, and a dab hand with the old teapot.
dab hand: a person who is an expert at a particular activity.
- a dab hand는 특정 작업을 잘하는 사람을 의미합니다.
His boss had been muttering about possible redundancies for months.
mutter: say something in a low or barely audible voice, especially in dissatisfaction or irritation.
redundancy: the state of being no longer employed because there is no more work available.
- muttering: 낮고 불명확하게 말하는 것을 의미하며, 주로 불만이나 불확실성을 표현할 때 사용됩니다.
- possible redundancies: "정리해고 가능성"을 뜻합니다. redundancies는 경제 상황이나 구조 조정 등으로 인해 직장에서 불필요한 인원이 감축될 때 발생하는 일입니다.
Dad had had his car written off by an uninsured driver two years previously, and somehow this had been enough for the whole teetering edifice that was my parents' finanaces to finally collapse.
write off car: It's a term commonly used when the insurance industry determines your vehicle to be a total loss. In other words, the cost to repair your vehicle after a collision is more than its value after subtracting the recycle or salvage value.
teeter: move or balance unsteadily; sway back and forth.
edifice:a building, especially a large, imposing one.
"Teetering edifice" means the author's parents' complex and unstable finances.
- "had had": 과거 완료형으로, "차가 폐차되었다"는 의미를 전달합니다. "Dad had had his car written off"는 과거의 사건을 더 이전의 시점에서 회상하는 표현입니다.
- "written off": 차가 손상되어 수리할 가치가 없다고 판단되었을 때 사용됩니다. 즉, 차가 폐차되었음을 의미합니다.
- "teetering edifice": 불안정하게 서 있는 건축물을 의미하는 비유적 표현으로, 여기서는 부모님의 재정 상태가 이미 매우 불안정했음을 나타냅니다.
My modest wages had been a little bedrock of housekeeping money, enough to help see the family through from week to week.
bedrock: the fundamental principles on which something is based.
- "bedrock of housekeeping money": 가사비용을 지탱하는 기본적인 자금이라는 뜻으로, 가족이 주간 생활비를 유지하는 데 필수적인 역할을 했음을 의미합니다.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
"Don't get ahead" of yourself is used to tell a someone not to be too confident too early before they know what they are doing.
- Let's not get ahead of ourselves는 무언가가 일어나기 전에는 지나치게 낙관하거나 예상하지 말고 현재의 상황에 집중하자는 의미로 사용됩니다. 상황이 아직 발전하지 않았으므로, 섣부른 결론이나 행동을 하지 말고 현재의 단계에서 신중하게 행동하자는 경고를 담고 있습니다.
Mondays to Thursdays, regular as a station timetable, Patrick was there in the gym or running in circles around the floodlit track.
floodlight: illuminate (a building or outdoor area) with floodlights.
- "in the gym or running in circles around the floodlit track": 체육관에 있거나 조명이 비추는 트랙을 돌며 뛰는 모습을 나타냅니다.
I'm guessing it was about an hour before I started to get under my mother's feet.
get under someone's feet: If you say that someone is under your feet, you are annoyed because they are with you or near you, and are bothering you.
- 대략 1시간 정도 후에 화자가 엄마에게 방해가 되기 시작했음을 나타냅니다.
Am I allowed to just be a bit miserable and floppy?
floppy: tending to hang or move in a limp, loose, or ungainly way.
- "floppy": "늘어진" 또는 "힘이 없는"이라는 의미로, 에너지가 없거나 의욕이 없는 상태를 나타냅니다.
He had since acquired a business partner, Ginger Pete, offering personal training to clients over a forty-mile area, and two liveried vans on credit.
Vehicle liveries are the graphics or designs that are applied to the exterior of a vehicle, typically for advertising or branding purposes. They can include logos, slogans, images, and other elements that help to promote a business or convey a message.
- 두 대의 로고가 붙은 밴을 신용으로 구입한 상황을 설명합니다.
I'm sure they do a grant for people like you.
A grant is an amount of money that a government or other institution gives to an individual or to an organization for a particular purpose such as education or home improvements.
- 특정 사람들(예: 직업 재교육이 필요한 사람들)을 위한 보조금이 존재할 것이라는 믿음을 표현합니다.
He nudged me as we ran, as if I should be grateful for the compliment.
nudge: prod (someone) gently, typically with one's elbow, in order to draw their attention to something.
- "He nudged me": 그가 나를 쿡쿡 찔렀다는 의미입니다. 여기서 nudged는 가볍게 밀거나 자극하는 동작을 의미합니다.
Patrick was beginning to look exasperated.
exasperated: intensely irritated and frustrated.
- Patrick이 점점 더 짜증나거나 불만족스러운 표정을 짓기 시작하고 있다는 것을 표현합니다.
You can't mope around, babe.
to move from one place to another without any particular purpose or energy, because you are unhappy or disappointed
- 슬퍼하거나 우울하게 행동하지 말고, 더 긍정적으로 행동하라는 조언을 하고 있습니다.
Sleep on it, put on a smart suit, and head down to the Job Center.
to think more about something overnight and make a decision about it later.
- "Sleep on it": 중요한 결정을 내리기 전에 하루 정도 숙고해 보라는 의미입니다.
You can pay me back when you're back on your feet.
be/get back on your feetbe/get back on your feet: to have enough money again, or to be successful again after having problems
- "네가 다시 일어설 수 있을 때 나중에 갚으면 돼." 이 표현은 상대방이 현재 경제적으로 어려운 상황에 있거나 다른 어려움을 겪고 있을 때, 그들이 상황이 나아져서 안정될 때까지 기다리라는 의미입니다.
I attended a forty-five-minute interview, and a group interview, where I sat with a group of twenty or so mismatched men and women, half of whom wore the same slightly stunned expression I suspected I did, and the other half the blank, uninterested faces of people who had been here too many tiems before.
stunned: so shocked that one is temporarily unable to react
- "Slightly stunned expression": 면접 상황에 약간 놀라거나 당황한 표정.
As a result of these efforts, I endured a brief stint filling in on a night shift at a chicken processing factory (it gave me nightmares for weeks), and two days at a training session as a "home energy adviser."
stint: a person's fixed or allotted period of work.
- "Endured a brief stint": 짧은 기간 동안 참았다, 견뎠다.
- "Filling in on a night shift": 야간 근무를 대신 하다.
I realized pretty quickly that I was essentially being instructed to befuddle old people into switching energy suppliers, and told Syed, my personal "adviser," that I couldn't do it.
befuddle: make (someone) unable to think clearly.
- "Befuddle old people": 노인들을 혼란스럽게 하다.
The hours were okay, I could cope with the fact that the uniform made my hair static, but I found it impossible to stick to the "appropriate responses" script, with its "How can I help you today?" and its "Would you like large fries with that?"
cope with something: to deal with and attempt to overcome problems and difficulties. often used with with.
Staticky hair happens when your hair builds up an electrical charge.
I was let go after one of the doughnut girls caught me debating the varying merits of the free toys with a four-year-old.
let go: When an employer uses the term "let go" to describe a job termination, it means you are losing your position because of company needs, not because of your personal job performance.
merit: the quality of being particularly good or worthy, especially so as to deserve praise or reward.
- "I was let go": 해고되었다.
- "Caught me debating the varying merits of the free toys with a four-year-old": 네 살짜리 아이와 무료 장난감의 장단점에 대해 논의하는 모습을 잡혔다.
I also thought the Sleeping Beautys were sappy.
sappy: excessively sentimental; mawkish.
- "Sappy": '유치하다', '진부하다', '감정적으로 지나치게 달콤하다'는 의미를 가지고 있습니다.
Even Syed, who wore the grimly cheerful demeanor of someone who had shoehorned the most unlikely candidates into a job, was starting to sound a little weary.
grimly: in a very serious, gloomy, or depressing manner.
Your demeanor is your outward behavior. It includes the way you stand, the way you talk, your facial expressions, and more.
shoehorn: force into an inadequate space.
weary: feeling or showing tiredness, especially as a result of excessive exertion or lack of sleep.
- "grimly cheerful demeanor": '우울하게도 쾌활한 태도'로, 외부적으로 긍정적이지만 내면적으로는 피로하거나 우울할 수 있는 상태를 의미합니다.
- "shoehorned": '끼워 맞추다'는 의미로, 비좁거나 부적합한 상황에 억지로 적합한 것을 넣는 것을 나타냅니다.
- "weary": '지친'이라는 의미로, 피로하거나 지치면서도 계속해야 하는 상태를 설명합니다.
This appeared to stump him.
stump: (of a question or problem) be too hard for; baffle.
- stump는 어떤 질문이나 문제를 해결하기 어려워하는 상태를 뜻하며, 이 문맥에서는 그가 답을 찾거나 해결책을 제시하는 데 어려움을 겪었다는 것을 나타냅니다.
I gazed at the doors, where two burly security men stood.
burly: (of a person) large and strong; heavily built.
- burly는 건장한이라는 뜻으로, 체격이 크고 강건한 사람을 묘사합니다.
Well, then perhaps we'll have to look farther afield.
afield: to or at a distance.
- Farther afield는 "좀 더 넓은 범위에서" 또는 더 멀리서라는 뜻으로, 현재의 범위나 지역을 넘어 다른 곳에서 찾거나 조사해야 한다는 것을 나타냅니다.
I really need to make the point that as a fit and able person, in order to continue qualifying for your allowance, you need-
An allowance is money that is given to someone, usually on a regular basis, in order to help them pay for the things that they need.
- "Qualifying for your allowance": 수당 자격을 유지하는 것
Unemployment had been a concept, something droningly referred to on the news in relation to shipyards or car factories.
If someone has a droning voice, they speak in a boring way, often for a long time
shipyard: a place where ships are built and repaired.
- "Droningly referred to on the news": 뉴스에서 지루하게 반복적으로 언급되었다는 의미입니다.
- "In relation to shipyards or car factories": 조선소나 자동차 공장과 관련하여 언급되었다는 뜻입니다.
I hadn't thought that as well as the obvious fears about money, and your future, losing your job would make you feel inadequate, and a bit useless.
inadequate: lacking the quality or quantity required; insufficient for a purpose.
- "Losing your job would make you feel inadequate, and a bit useless": 직장을 잃으면 자신이 부족하고 쓸모없다는 느낌이 들 수 있다는 것을 의미합니다.
That it would be harder to get up in the morning than where you were rudely shocked into consciousness by the alarm.
- "That it would be harder"는 "그것이 더 어려울 것이라는 것"을 설명하는 부분입니다.
- 여기서 "that"은 문장의 나머지 부분이 설명하는 내용을 소개하는 역할을 하고, "it"은 그 내용의 주체를 지칭합니다.
Syed's voice broke into my reverie.
reverie: a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream.
- "my reverie" (나의 몽상, 꿈)은 깊이 생각에 잠긴 상태를 의미합니다.
He's a quadriplegic.
quadriplegic: a person affected by paralysis of all four limbs.
- 사지마비
If it wasn't punishment enough ending up in a ruddy wheelchair, then you get our Lou turning up to keep you company.
turn up: put in an appearance; arrive.
- "Turn up"은 여러 가지 의미를 가질 수 있습니다. 여기서 "turn up"은 "도착하다" 또는 "방문하다"의 의미로 사용됩니다. 문장에서 "Then you get our Lou turning up to keep you company"은 "그럼 이제 우리 루가 당신 곁에 찾아오는군요"라는 뜻입니다.
Lou lost her job unexpectedly, and it seems like the unemployment rates are rising where she lives. I can relate to how she feels. Since her family relies on her salary, she needs to find a job. She finds it challenging to find the perfect position. At the end, her advisor suggested a role as a care assistant for a quadriplegic individual, who I suspect might become someone she grows close to. I can’t wait to read the next chapter.
