boast n. 夸耀; 夸口; v.自夸; 自吹自擂; 有(值得自豪的东西);
aspiration n.渴望; 抱负; 志向; 发送气音; 送气;
macabre adj.可怕的,恐怖的(尤指与死亡等相联系的);
alley cat n.流浪猫; (街上的) 野猫
lacerate v.划破,割裂(皮或肉); 严厉抨击; 斥责;
leprous adj.麻风病的;
shabby adj.破旧的; 破败的; 破烂的; 衣着破旧的; 不公正的; 不讲理的;
uncomely 不美的; 不标致的; 丑陋的; 不像样的;
grime n.一层污垢; 尘垢; 积垢; vt.使污秽; 使…弄脏;
mill n.磨坊; 面粉厂; 工厂; 制造厂; 磨粉机; 磨面机; v.(用磨粉机) 碾碎,磨成粉;
gully n.溪谷; 冲沟; 深沟; 沟壑; vi.在…上开沟形成冲沟; 形成沟渠;
clapboard 护墙板,隔板,桶板
preposterous adj.荒唐的; 极不合情理的; 怪诞的; 离奇古怪的
swinishly 贪婪地; 下流地;
perpendicular adj.垂直的; 成直角的; 垂直式的(英国14、15世纪盛行的建筑风格,以使用垂直线和大拱为特征);
n.垂直线(或位置、方向)
eczematous adj.湿疹性的;
patina n.(金属表面的) 绿锈,铜锈,氧化层; 薄层; (木器或皮革的) 光泽
loathsome adj. 极不愉快的; 令人厌恶的; 讨厌的;
grotesquery 怪诞
diabolical adj.糟糕透顶的; 烦人的; 讨厌的; 道德败坏的; 邪恶的; 恶魔似的
concoct v.调制,调合,配制(尤指食物或饮料); 虚构,杜撰,编造(故事、借口等)
insensate adj.没有感(知)觉的;没有理智的
putrid adj.腐烂的; 腐臭的; 令人厌恶(或恶心)的;
inadvertence n.粗心大意,疏漏,漫不经心,疏忽;错误;
obscene adj.淫秽的; 猥亵的; 下流的; (数量等) 大得惊人的,骇人听闻的;
obscure adj.无名的; 鲜为人知的; 费解的; 难以理解的;
v.使模糊; 使隐晦; 使费解;
enigmatical 阴阳怪气; 谜一般的; 不可思议的;
appreciable adj.(大得) 可以觉察到的,足以认为重要的; 可观的;
appreciably adv.明显地;相当地;可察觉地
But somehow I had never quite sensed its appalling desolation.
It is as if some titanic and aberrant genius, uncompromisingly inimical to man, had devoted all the ingenuity of Hell to the making of them.
It is impossible to put down the wallpaper that defaces the average American home of the lower middle class to mere inadvertence, or to the obscene humor of the manufacturers.