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Unhappy is he whose fame makes his misfortunes famous. Lucius Accius, Telephus
Detective Inspector Roy Carver’s temper was mounting. A paunchy man with a face the color of corned beef, whose shirts were usually ringed with sweat around the armpits, his short supply of patience had been exhausted hours ago.
Schadenfreude,
pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune. – origin German Schadenfreude, from Schaden ‘harm’ + Freude "joy"
Icarus
Icarus /ˈikərəs / ‹Greek Mythology› the son of Daedalus, who escaped from Crete using wings made by his father but was killed when he flew too near the sun and the wax attaching his wings melted.
For in every ill-turn of fortune the most unhappy sort of unfortunate man is the one who has been happy. Boethius, De Consolatione Philosophiae
ephemera.
ephemera /əˈfem(ə)rə/ I. plural noun 1. things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time.
propitiatory
propitiate /prəˈpiSHēˌāt/ I. verb — [with obj.] 1. win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them • the pagans thought it was important to propitiate the gods with sacrifices.
sartorial
sartorial /särˈtôrēəl/ I. adjective — [attrib.] 1. of or relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress • sartorial elegance.
peripatetic
peripatetic /ˌperēpəˈtedik/ I. adjective 1. traveling from place to place, especially working or based in various places for relatively short periods • the peripatetic nature of military life.
leporine
leporine /ˈlepərīn ˈlepərin/ I. adjective of or resembling a hare or hares. – origin mid 17th cent.: from Latin leporinus, from lepus, lepor- ‘hare.’
Suicides, in his experience, were perfectly capable of feigning an interest in a future they had no intention of inhabiting.
a pint of Doom Bar
Doom Bar is a Bitter - English style beer brewed by Sharp's Brewery in Rock, Wadebridge, Cornwall
And now Strike’s thoughts swarmed back to Charlotte, who was indubitably real; beautiful, dangerous as a cornered vixen, clever, sometimes funny, and, in the words of Strike’s very oldest friend, “fucked to the core.”
Great and unique character description. I've never heard the phrase "fucked to the core" before but I like it.
maisonette
maisonette /ˌmāzəˈnet/ I. noun a set of rooms for living in, typically on two stories of a larger building and with its own entrance from outside. – origin late 18th cent.: from French maisonnette, diminutive of maison ‘house.’
penury,
penury /ˈpenyərē/ I. noun extreme poverty; destitution • he died in a state of virtual penury. – origin late Middle English: from Latin penuria ‘need, scarcity’; perhaps related to paene ‘almost.’
mythomania,
mythomania /ˌmiTHəˈmānēə/ I. noun an abnormal or pathological tendency to exaggerate or tell lies. II. derivatives mythomaniac /ˌmiTHəˈmānēˌak / noun, adjective
condole
vituperative
vituperative /vīˈt(y)o͞opəˌrādiv vəˈt(y)o͞op(ə)rədiv/ adjective bitter and abusive • the criticism soon turned into a vituperative attack.
Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco. No stranger to trouble myself, I am learning to care for the unhappy. Virgil, Aeneid, Book 1
profligate,
profligate /ˈpräfləɡət/ I. adjective 1. recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources • profligate consumers of energy. 2. licentious; dissolute • he succumbed to drink and a profligate lifestyle.
rapacious
rapacious /rəˈpāSHəs/ I. adjective aggressively greedy or grasping • rapacious landlords. II. derivatives 1. rapaciously /rəˈpāSHəslē / adverb 2. rapaciousness /rəˈpāSHəsnəs / noun – origin mid 17th cent.: from Latin rapax, rapac- (from rapere ‘to snatch’) + -ious.
“Oh, that Fred Beastigwee?
Is this the way it's pronounced?
penultimate
penultimate /pəˈnəltəmət/ I. adjective — [attrib.] 1. last but one in a series of things; second to the last • the penultimate chapter of the book. – origin late 17th cent.: from Latin paenultimus, from paene ‘almost’ + ultimus ‘last,’ on the pattern of ultimate.
digestives,
(also digestive biscuit) —(Brit.) a round, semisweet cookie made of wholewheat flour.
