The Virgin and the Gipsy の二人姉妹の内 Yvette がこの小説の主人公であることがはっきりしてきました。 そして題名にも入っているジプシーの男が主要な役割を果たしているはずです。 最初にジプシー達と遭遇するのは友人達とドライプに出かけた時ですが、その後日 Yvette は自転車で一人でジプシーの所に行きました。 Yvette はジプシーの男の誘いで手を洗うために小屋の中に入ろうとしますが、その時、恐らくジプシー男の妻だと思うが、男達が造った銅製品などを売りに出かけていた女が帰ってきたので、ジプシー男は直ぐに戻って銅を叩く作業を再開します。
She advanced, dressed in a sleek but bulky coat of sable fur. A man followed, in a blue great-coat; pulling off his fur gloves and pulling out a pipe.
"It looked so tempting," said the woman in the coat of many dead little animals, smiling a broad, half-condescending, half-hesitant simper, around the company.
この小説も情景や登場人物の表情、気持ちなどを丁寧に記述しています。今日は引用文の最後に出てきた "simper" を覚えたいと思います。 早速意味を辞書で確認します。
・Vocabulary.com: a silly self-conscious smile
To simper means to smile in an artificial, coy or self-conscious way. If you hope to please someone by simpering, you may wind up annoying him or her.
The origin of the word simper is not clear, but it is probably Germanic as there are similar words in Danish as well as Middle Dutch. What is clear is that a simper is not attractive to those observing it. Watching your colleague simper and giggle as the boss tells a not-very-funny joke, you can be sure that she is angling for that promotion.
・Vocabulary.com: to smile in an affected and foolish way
Tips: Simper can also be a noun, referring to the foolish or affected smile itself. Use simper as a noun or verb in place of the noun/verb "smile" to describe a silly, foolish smile or someone smiling in a silly or foolish manner.
Usage Examples:
The politician simpered when he was asked a question he couldn't answer. (smiled foolishly)
A big simper appeared on his face when he forgot a portion of his speech. (silly smile)
今日はお彼岸、これから墓参りに出かけます。
She advanced, dressed in a sleek but bulky coat of sable fur. A man followed, in a blue great-coat; pulling off his fur gloves and pulling out a pipe.
"It looked so tempting," said the woman in the coat of many dead little animals, smiling a broad, half-condescending, half-hesitant simper, around the company.
この小説も情景や登場人物の表情、気持ちなどを丁寧に記述しています。今日は引用文の最後に出てきた "simper" を覚えたいと思います。 早速意味を辞書で確認します。
・Vocabulary.com: a silly self-conscious smile
To simper means to smile in an artificial, coy or self-conscious way. If you hope to please someone by simpering, you may wind up annoying him or her.
The origin of the word simper is not clear, but it is probably Germanic as there are similar words in Danish as well as Middle Dutch. What is clear is that a simper is not attractive to those observing it. Watching your colleague simper and giggle as the boss tells a not-very-funny joke, you can be sure that she is angling for that promotion.
・Vocabulary.com: to smile in an affected and foolish way
Tips: Simper can also be a noun, referring to the foolish or affected smile itself. Use simper as a noun or verb in place of the noun/verb "smile" to describe a silly, foolish smile or someone smiling in a silly or foolish manner.
Usage Examples:
The politician simpered when he was asked a question he couldn't answer. (smiled foolishly)
A big simper appeared on his face when he forgot a portion of his speech. (silly smile)
今日はお彼岸、これから墓参りに出かけます。