Vasilyevsky Ostrov This is not important except to show how grounded in reality is this novel. St. Petersburg was built on a marshy land and there are many islands in and around it.
Vauxhall Originally this was a famous restaurant with music dating back to the seventeenth century. It was so popular that the name Vauxhall came to stand for any outdoor restaurant and attached gardens throughout Europe.
vodka Russian alcoholic beverage now very popular in the United States and around the world. It is a clear liquid made essentially from fermented potatoes.
Voznesensky Bridge This is the bridge where Raskolnikov witnesses a woman attempting suicide just as he has been contemplating suicide himself.
Voznesensky Prospect This is the street that leads into a courtyard surrounded by four blank walls where Raskolnikov lifts up a large stone, buries his loot, and replaces the stone.
yellow passport or yellow ticket Prostitutes in Russia and most European countries were required to register with the police and carry a permit, that is, a yellow identity card.
"You are smoking a cigarette" In nineteenth-century Russia it was considered rude, offensive, and disrespectful to smoke indoors in the presence of others and totally taboo for women to smoke in public.
