All About Literature

1.       alpenglow : a reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summits of mountains. In the soft alpenglow, we watch copper turn pink on the peaks above. -- Brian Payton, "A river of dreams", Boston Globe, July 25, 1999 2.       subfusc : dark or dull in color. Her inscrutable figure -- imposing in designer subfusc, slightly donnish, reminiscent of Vita Sackville-West, to whom she was distantly related -- baffled and intrigued some. -- Yvonne Whiteman, "Obituary: Frances Lincoln", Independent, March 6, 2001 3.       mores : customs; habits; ways. In much the same bold spirit, I rapidly absorbed the other gestures, turns of phrase and exclamations popular among my peers, as well as grasping the deeper mores and etiquettes prevailing in my new surroundings. -- Kazuo Ishiguro, When We Were Orphans 4.       dapple : a small contrasting blotch;  also , to ...

1.       alfresco : outdoors; outdoor. Turner escaped from the entangled politics of London's art world, where the Royal Academy was marooned in petty disputes, to paint alfresco on the riverbanks. -- Siri Huntoon, "Down by the Riverside", New York Times, November 7, 1993 2.       redivivus : living again; revived; restored. She is the young Magda redivivus to the last degree, including the way she arches her eyebrow when she speaks. -- Judith Dunford, "Exit Laughing", Newsday, May 8, 1994 3.       chagrin : acute vexation or embarrassment. He noted with chagrin how little hair clung to his head. -- John Marks, The Wall 4.       gaucherie : a socially awkward or tactless act;  also , lack of tact. Here we see the insecure, unattractive woman who at long last has found someone even more insecure and unattractive than herself, calling attention to her compani...