The title contains a pun, since the chanter deals with the customs of the country in two senses of the word: (1) the way things are done by most people in a given country, its usual practices; (2) the department of the government service that collects import duties, i.e. taxes paid to the government on imported goods (Sp. aduana).
The pronoun she is sometimes used with the names of countries and towns.
jacaranda tree – a South American tree with hard brown wood (called rose-wood from its fragrance and widely used in cabinet-making)
palo borracho {Sp.) - borracho tree, another species of South American trees
a suicidal streak – an inclination to suicide
Land-Rover – make of car; a car able to move across the fields or country, not following roads, a cross-country car
feminine pulchritude – female beauty; using long bookish words of Latin and Greek origin, the author makes this phrase sound ironically pompous
the Argentine (or the Argentines) – another name for Argentina, now slightly archaic and therefore sounding more dignified
a cross between the Parthenon and the Reichstag – resembling at once the Parthenon, a world-famous, temple of Athena (on the Acropolis at Athens), and the building of the Reichstag (i.e. the former German legislative assembly) in Berlin
in the bowels – here within, in the innermost part
The verb weave (Past Ind. wove) is here used figuratively, implying that the movement of the car resembled a shuttle carrying the weft-thread across between threads of warp, in the process of weaving.
to the best of my knowledge – as far as I know
warming to my work – here getting more and more angry and excited
de hand – Josefina's pronunciation of the hand (she asked the author to thrust his arm out of the window, giving a warning that she was going to turn). Josefina's knowledge of English is far from, perfect; the author occasionally reproduces some peculiarities of her pronunciation and her chaotic order of words. These deviations from the rules of grammar in the speech of non-English characters (Dicky de Sola, Luna, Coco and others) are easy to recognize and need not be specially commented upon.
screeched to a shuddering halt – suddenly stopped or halted with a screech
animal! (Sp.) - you beast! (Note that in the Spanish language exclamation and interrogation marks always appear not only at the end, but also at the beginning of a sentence or phrase, in inverted form.)
to meet our Maker (i.e. God) – a euphemistic paraphrase for to die
amidships – in the middle (of the ship), a naval term hero used figuratively
blurry – Josefina's pronunciation of bloody (a vulgar equivalent of damned); the words shock the author as being highly unsuitable for female conversation
Anglo-Saxon expletives – here strong language (oaths in English are mostly of Anglo-Saxon origin)
his… eau-de-cologne-encrusted brow – a solemn allusion to Seiior Garcia's habit of lavishly using eau-de-cologne
Dante – Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), the author of the great Italian poem Divine Comedy, its first part being Inferno (Hell)
the numbing effect – here the paralyzing effect
tapir – a hoofed hog-like mammal of tropical America and the Malayan peninsula; tapirs have flexible snouts; feed on plants
gone wrong – here a bit disproportionate, somewhat unusual in appearance as far as elephants go
The author makes ironical use of a military cliché.
Jacquie – the author's wife (short for Jacqueline)
Claudius ['klo:djos] – one of the Roman emperors (41-54 A. D.)
en route [a:n 'ru:t] (Fr.) - on the way
Great Dane – a large short-haired dog of a breed of massive size and great strength
French window – a glazed folding door that serves as a door and a window, opening on to a garden or balcony
dinosaur ['dainaso:] – an extinct gigantic reptile
what with the Aduana and this bloody tapir… – This emphatic construction is used when enumerating the various causes of one's distress, embarrassment and the like.
the Queen Mary - one of the biggest Atlantic liners
to put one's mind to something – to direct one's thoughts towards it, to set one's mind on doing something
simpatico (Sp.) - nice, pleasant
fur seal – a warm-blooded, fish-eating animal, found chiefly in cold regions; fur seal is hunted for its valuable fur.
elephant seal – a species of seal, so called on account of the shape of the male's nose which resembles an elephant's trunk, and also on account of its elephantine size (the male measures as much as 5.5 m in length and weighs up to 3.5 tons); now almost entirely destroyed.
to warm to somebody – to begin liking somebody hotter by and by
to win somebody over – to make somebody take a liking to you, feel friendly towards you
to decide somebody – to cause somebody to come to a decision
Darwin, Charles Robert (1809-1882) – the great English naturalist, founder of the theory of evolution. In 1831-36 he made a voyage round the world on board the Beagle. The results of his observations of animals and plants, made during the voyage, were described in the naturalist's journal, The Voyage of H. M. S. Beagle.
H. M. S. – His (Her) Majesty's Ship, a ship of the British navy
covey – here a group, a party (the word is generally used to designate a family of partridges)
deer-stalker hat (or cap) – a cloth cap with a peak before and behind and two ear-flaps; it is often called a deer-stalker for short
prenatal posture – the position of an unborn baby in the mother's womb
Tres Arroyos ['tres e'roies] (Sp.) - Three Streams
the Pampa (or Pampas) – the extensive treeless plains of South America
eucalyptus tree – a tree of the myrtle family; most of the trees of this genus are important timber trees, and some secrete resinous gums (e. g. the Australian gum-tree)
like leprous limbs – like the arms and legs of people affected with leprosy, a chronic infectious disease characterized by a thickening and ulceration of the skin
estancia (Sp.) - farm, estate
carunculated – covered with caruncles, small hard outgrowths
electric-blue – a steely blue color
oven-bird [Avnba:d] – the popular name of various South American birds which build dome-shaped oven-like nests
blank-faced – here inexpressive, lacking individuality
tattoo [ta'tu:] – a continuous tapping or knocking
Hola! (Sp.) - Hullo!
sanitary arrangements – a polite way of speaking about a lavatory
stone – measure of weight used in Great Britain (6.34 kg); the plural form is unchanged
Chelsea – a district of London on the north bank of the Thames, with many gardens, including the London Botanic Garden
buenas noches (Sp.) - good evening
Hablo con la patrona? (Sp.) - Am I speaking to the hostess?
Si, si, señor… que quiores? (Sp.) - Yes, sir, what is it you need?
she puffed and undulated her way down to the kitchen – puffing and undulating, she made her way to the kitchen (note this construction, often resorted to by the author when describing different sorts of movement)
monochromatic Martian landscape – the author evidently has in mind standard descriptions of the planet Mars encountered in science-fiction books
country – here ground
nodded off – fell suddenly asleep
Scotch = Scotch whisky
dust-devil – a mass of dust whirling rapidly round and round in cylindrical or funnel shape
I ever dream = that I ever dreamed of (i.e. imagined). In the next remark the same verb is used in a different meaning: 'to see in sleep'.
introduction – here a letter of introduction, one that introduces a person to friends or acquaintances of the writer
in a… reptilian manner – like a serpent or a lizard
to make out with something (colloq.) - to get along, be satisfied with something
crow's feet – wrinkles at the outer corner of the eye
to sum up somebody – to form a final opinion or judgment of somebody
Si, si, como no? (Sp.) - Yes, yes, why not?
forlorn – here sad
lilting (said of a melody) – swinging or flowing rhythmically
joie de vivre ['3wa de 'vi;vre] (Fr.) – joy of life
cacophonous – unmelodious
T. B. ['ti:'bi:] – short for tuberculosis
in a body – all together, as one man
moth-eaten-looking – old and decrepit, looking like an old rag eaten by clothes-moth
When speaking of airplanes, the English sometimes use the pronoun she, as in the case of ships.
wind-sock – a canvas cylinder or cone flying from a masthead to show the direction of wind
came into their own – here got down to business
the plane bumped and shuddered to a halt – bumping and shuddering, the plane came to a halt (cf. note to p. 7)
their equine charges – the ponies in their charge, the ponies they had been holding back (Durrell is fond of Latin adjectives of this type as opposed to the simple-sounding English nouns: compare horse and equine, cat and feline, pig and porcine)
banshee – according to Irish and Scotch beliefs, a spirit whose wail gives warning of death in a house
Trafalgar Square lions – the four bronze figures of lions, which lie with their heads thrown back, and fore paws stretched out, decorating the corners of the quadrangular base of the Nelson column in Trafalgar Square, London
magenta – a brilliant crimson color
scrunched our way – made our way noisily grinding the gravel under the wheels of the car (cf. note to p. 20)
to switchback – to follow a zigzag route in a mountainous region
peon ['pi:on] – in Mexico and Spanish South America, a laborer, especially one working to pay off a debt
bombachas (Sp,) - wide trousers
asado (Sp.) - a sheep roasted whole
manana (Sp.) - tomorrow
headwaiter – chief waiter at a restaurant, generally wearing a black suit and a snow-white shirt-front; the author compares penguins to head waiters because of their coloring, and also because of their peculiar shuffling gait
biscuit-colored – of the characteristic light-brown colour of biscuit, i.e. porcelain after the first firing and before being glazed or painted
guanaco [gwar'neikou] -a wild llama ['la:ma] of the Andes with reddish-brown wool
finger – here the breadth of a finger (about an inch), a measure generally used when pouring drinks
ahora los pinguinos (Sp.) - presently (you shall see) the penguins
to pock-mark – to make numerous marks or scars like those left by smallpox; to dot
pigmy (or pygmy) – any person, animal or plant abnormally undersized, a dwarf
fallen arches – flat feet, feet not normally arched, with the arch weakened; a professional disease with waiters
debutante I'debjuta:nt] – a girl making her first appearance in society, especially (in England) a girl presented to the king and queen at court
outsize – too big for one
wattle – a fold of loose flesh hanging from the neck of some birds, i.e. turkeys
nerve – self-control, courage
jig-saw puzzle – a picture pasted on board and cut in irregular pieces with a jig-saw; one has to fit the pieces together so as to make the picture (common children's game)
to negotiate – here to get over, to surmount (often said about fences and other obstacles)
tummy – a nursery and colloquial word for stomach, belly
to get the worst of the climb over – to have done with the most difficult part of the climb
to throw one off balance – to make one lose one's balance
all-in wrestling match – a general struggle
to run the gauntlet – as a punishment, to run between two lines of men who strike the victim as he passes
to regurgitate – to bring (partly-digested food) from the stomach back to the mouth; to get one to do something – to make one do it
in no uncertain fashion – without hesitation or doubt, in a determined, resolute manner
from stem to stern – from the front to the back part of a ship, throughout the whole length of the ship; here throughout the whole length of the bird's body (another instance of a naval term used ironically; cf. amidships on p. 8)
minute [mai'nju:t] – very small
pandemonium ['paendi'mounjem] – a scene of great disorder and confusion (as in a place inhabited by all the demons)
digestive reverie ['reveri] – a quiet, thoughtful state during the process of digestion
Vacanttum – probably Vacant-tum (my), empty belly (the word looks amusingly like a biological term of Latin origin)
the product of an unhappy home-life – a cliché of modern sociological writings, here used ironically
melee ['melei] (Fr.) - a confused fight
air-pocket – a seeming vacuum in the air causing the aircraft to drop some distance; it produces a very unpleasant sensation of sinking stomach
nifty (U. S. slang) - here quick, nimble
to qualify for – to give a right to
a diaphanous garment – a transparent one, one through which the contours of the body are clearly seen
mammary development (cf. below chest expansion) - ironical paraphrases for size of the bust
a companion piece – the second of a pair, a thing that matches or complements another (here the author means a picture whose subject would match that of the one he discusses)
to be out to do something (colloq.) - to seek, to aim at doing something, taking great pains with it
much of a muchness (colloq.) - very nearly the same
mate (Sp.) – an aromatic beverage prepared in South America from the leaves of the Paraguay tea plant
via – by way of, through, as in "from Exeter to York via London"; here used jocularly
breath-taking – so striking as to take one's breath away, make one breathless with astonishment and admiration
boleadoras (Sp.) - a form of weapon used by the Paraguay Indians, the Patagonians, and others in South America. It consists of a rope or thong with balls of stone or metal attached to it. When used, it is swung round the head by one end and then hurled at an animal so as to entangle its limbs.
passing – here disappearance
Margate – the favorite seaside resort of London holiday-makers
left-overs (Amer.) - remains
esto, una (Sp.) - here's one
to pull somebody's leg – to make fun of somebody
to get one's own back on somebody – to take one's revenge
armadillo [ama'dilou] – a burrowing animal of South America, with a body encased in bony armour, and a habit of rolling itself up into a ball when in danger
castanetted their beaks – made a sound like a pair of castanets with their beaks
thumb-smudges of cloud – the author compares the clouds visible here and there in the sky with smudges of paint left on a canvas by a careless painter's thumb
to shrug something off – to dismiss it with a shrug of the shoulders
back-breaking potholes – holes in a road fit to break one's back when driving over them
had played me false – had failed me, had deceived me
what I took to be the male of the herd – the animal I took for the male guanaco (a guanaco herd consists of a male, several females and some baby guanacos)
a pair of… lorgnettes (Fr.) - a pair of eye-glasses usually held by a long handle; when using them, a person generally has to tilt back his or her head
terrier – a breed of dog, usually of small size
anthropomorphic – here partly human, partly animal; the word is generally used when describing human-like traits or actions of animals, not vice versa, as in this case
biscuit brown – see note to p. 32
rather a lark (colloq.) - very funny
rocker – a curved piece of wood on which a rocking-horse (children's toy) is mounted
discretion is the better part of valour – a saying which means that it is unwise to take unnecessary risks
bichos (Sp.) - animals