Anatolia the great plains area of Turkey.
the attack The setting of this story is northern Italy during World War I; an Italian town has been attacked by an Austrian military offensive.
bal musette a public dance hall.
ballet skirts During the time that Hemingway wrote the story, Greek troops in the mountains wore uniforms exactly like Hemingway describes.
beggar the word Hemingway originally used was "bugger," a derogatory British term for someone or something disagreeable; however, the term is also synonymous with a sodomite, which was distasteful to Hemingway's editor — thus his substitution of "beggar." Remember that this story was originally published in 1936; today, in the United States, we casually use the term "bastard" with the same non-literal frequency.
big birds here, vultures, carrion eaters attracted to Harry's rotting flesh.
big log booms a chain of floating logs making a barrier to enclose other free-floating logs.
a black band the black cloth band that the major wears around the upper part of his arm of his uniform, signifying that he is in mourning.
Black's a home remedy medical book.
bodegas cafes serving alcoholic beverages.
boric boric acid, a mild disinfectant.
Bosphorus the strait that separates Asia from Europe, made famous by Romantic poets who would try to swim across.
boucherie chevaline a horse butcher; in many parts of Europe, horse meat is eaten quite commonly.
buffalo the buffalo mentioned in this story is nothing like the American buffalo, or bison. The Cape Buffalo is a large, horned creature that is considered by hunters to be the most dangerous of all African big game. It is mean and cunning and extremely strong, invulnerable to all but the best-placed shots.
burnt timber The reference is to the forest fire that destroyed vast acres of woodland, as well as the town of Seney, Michigan.
Bwana "Mister" or "Master"; a term of respect.
Bwana Mister, or master; a term of respect.
cant-hooks wooden levers with movable metal hooks near one end that are used for handling logs.
the car-tracks The reference is to electric streetcar tracks.
cesarean a surgical incision made through the abdomen and uterus to deliver a baby when vaginal delivery is dangerous to both mother and baby.
cheesecloth coarsely, loosely woven gauze.
Chesterton G. K. Chesterton, a British novelist and poet.
Christian Scientist a follower of Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910), an American religious leader.
cinders burned remains.
Communards After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1871), a communal government, in opposition to the national one, was set up in Paris. There followed a brief civil war; afterward, 17,000 Parisian followers of the Communards were executed, including women and children. Hemingway is referring to the descendants of these people.
concierge the manager of an apartment house in Europe.
condensed milk canned milk.
Constantine officers At the time, these royal officers bore the name of the king of Greece, King Constantine.
Constantinople the former name for what is now Istanbul.
convex having a surface that bulges outward.
cord wood a pile of logs that will be used for burning in a fireplace.
court games squash, handball, and other games played in exclusive men's clubs.
Crillon a well-known Paris hotel, used frequently in Hemingway's works.
cross-cut saw a saw for cutting wood against the grain.
