1. Flemish horse — [nautical] extra footrope along yardarm
As he clutched to the foremast yardarm with his fearsome thighs, his feet comfortably standing on the Flemish horse, Logan spied the telltale spume of their prey.
2. darbies — [British slang] handcuffs
Somers had somehow slipped his darbies, and now he held a pistol in either hand and demanded we unlock the door.
3. lout — [archaic] to bow, to stoop
And as he louted so, his eyes fixed upon the stones, I made a sign to Lance to prepare for action.
4. intarsia — elaborate Italian form of marquetry; decorative yarnwork using multiple colors of yarn
X-rays revealed the device hidden beneath the intarsia panel of the cabinet.
5. ophthalmia — eye inflammation, esp. conjunctivitis
Morning spit used to be thought beneficial for relief of ophthalmia, though nowadays you’re more likely to be prescribed eyedrops.
6. bilboquet — child’s toy consisting of stick with cup and attached string; game using such toy where player attempts to catch the ball in the cup of the toy
Beneath the eaves of the restaurant were painted scenes of mysterious women engaged in nonsensical activities: a milkmaid changing a tire, a medieval lady retrieving a cellphone from her maunches, an Asian beauty reading the newspaper while playing with a bilboquet with her other hand, and a jogger shooting bolts from her mirrored sunglasses at hexawinged insects.
7. vair — [heraldry] regular tesselated cup-shaped design in alternating colors, usu. blue and white (‘argent’); fur of a white-bellied squirrel used often in medieval times for trimmings of coats, etc.
I stared jealously at the gorgeous vair lining of his riding cloak, coveting its warmth even as I resented its owner.
8. inenarrable — inexpressible, unable to be described, not narratable
I retain a memory of the weather, the setting sun and the slight breeze through the trees, and seem even to recall a slow cicada’s cry and my own pulsing heartbeat, but only the sense of the experience remains to me, profound and life changing (as you shall see), though the inenarrable details and even so obvious a fact as just how I ended up sitting in the wet grass with the bird in my trembling hand elude me now and I think eluded me even at that long ago moment of piercing significance.
9. transpicuous — transparent, easily understood
Welton stood in the transpicuous shade of the elms, the dappled light making his knowing smile more friendly, if that were possible.
10. fard — to apply makeup, to paint one’s face
She had so farded herself as to resemble no woman ever I saw, and I could scarcely recognize my lovely Jessie beneath the deep slathered layers of clownlike colors.
Bonus Vocabulary
(British & Australian slang)
play silly beggars (euphemistic form of play silly buggers) — to fool around, to engage in stupid or rash behavior
“Okay, now, man,” the constable said, not unkindly, “but that’s no reason to play silly beggars and end up in gaol for disturbing the peace.”