old world – old-fashioned hydrangea – a bush with large clusters of white, blue and pink flowers praying mantis – an insect of a kind that holds its forelegs in a position suggesting hands folded in prayer
a coffee = a cup of coffee
medialunas (Sp.) - small cakes of half-moon shape mudguard – a metal cover for the wheel of a motor-car, to stop mud as it flies up
media hora (Sp.) - literally, the middle hour, i.e. a break for rest in the middle of the day molar – a molar tooth, a double tooth with a wide surface Herculean task – a task requiring the strength of Hercules, like one of the Twelve Tasks (or Twelve Labors) of the famous hero of Greek mythology on the last leg – in the final stage by and large – on the whole
Durrell compares the country covered with cacti (pi. of cactus) to a typical surrealist landscape (e. g. one by Salvador Dali, Spanish painter, leader of surrealist school), where you can see all sorts of strange, distorted plants, gigantic cacti among them.
largesse (archaic) - a generous gift bestowed by a great person foyer ['foiei] – here hall protégée (Fr.) - a woman who is under the care of another person
en route (Fr.) - on the way; here during the trip
to look somebody up (colloq.) - to pay an informal visit to somebody, to call on somebody
The author means that the woman, her son and the rest of the family were all so stout that, standing side by side, they looked like the front of a huge building made of fat.
that lay cupped in a half-moon of mountains – that lay surrounded by a semi-circular range of mountains, as if in a cup
viridescence – greenishness, the adjective viridescent being a bookish synonym for green
parakeet ['paereki:t] – a long-tailed bird of the parrot family, of small size and slender form
sloe-coloured – the color of the sloe, small, blue-black, plumlike fruit of blackthorn
bloom – the grayish powdery coating on various fruits, as the plum, grape, etc. and on some leaves; this word, applied as it is to sloe-colored human eyes, is highly appropriate here
nave – the part of a church from the inner door to the choir; it rises higher than the aisles flanking it and is often separated from them by an arcade
riot – here abundance, profusion, great quantity
gin-and-tonic – the usual mixture of gin (a strong alcoholic drink made from grain) with some tonic, i.e. stimulating beverage (e. g. Coca-Cola)
the usual run – the usual collection
Que lindo… que bicho mas lindo! (Sp.) - How beautiful… what a beautiful animal!
humming-birds – a group of very small, brightly colored birds with a long, slender bill and narrow wings that vibrate rapidly and make a humming sound in flight
station-wagon – a motor-car with folding or removable rear seats and a back end that opens for easy loading of the luggage, etc.
exuding good-will and personality – trying his best to look friendly but stern (the noun personality here is used in a combined meaning of 'personal charm' and 'strength of character')
a red-fronted Tucuman Amazon – a red-breasted parrot of central and South America
acquisitive – greedy, betraying the wish to acquire the parrot
to play one's trump card – to make use of one's best weapon (or argument) for gaining one's end
Como te va, Blanco? (Sp.) - How are you, Blanco?
Madre de Dios (Sp.) - Mother of God, the Virgin Mary
hijo de puta (Sp.) - son of a whore
Como te va, como te va, que tal? (Sp.) - How are you, how are you, how are you getting on?
estupido, muy estupido (Sp.) - stupid, very stupid
to run to earth – to hunt down, to find by search
guan [gwa:.n] (Sp.) - a large game-bird of Central and South America
onomatopoeic – imitative in sound (in linguistics the term is used to indicate a word formed in approximate imitation of some sound, e. g. tinkle, buzz, etc.)
to go – here to assume
Lorito – the common Spanish name for a parrot, the same as Polly in English
gringo (Sp.) - a foreigner, especially an Englishman or an American: a term current in South America
coral snake – a small, poisonous snake with coral-red yellow and black bands around its body, found in the south-eastern United States and in subtropical America
Old School tie – a necktie with a special pattern worn by former pupils of some particular English public school. The habit of wearing this kind of tie is to the author an indication of an excessive respect for one's social position, a sort of snobbery which he finds (together with the tie itself) revolting: see also p. 165.
a dewy-eyed expression – a very innocent and gentle one (dewy is a poetical word for eyes wet with tears)
Geoffroy's cat – a variety of wild cat discovered by Estienne-Louis Geoffroy (1725-1810), a famous French zoologist
seraphic – angelic
to leave somebody to his own devices – to allow him to do as he likes
tyro ['taierou] – a beginner, an inexperienced person
gato (Sp.) - a cat
chico gato montes (Sp.) - a small mountain cat
conundrum – puzzling question or problem; a mystery
with fourteen Martians in tow – followed by fourteen imaginary inhabitants of the planet Mars
loco (Sp.) – mad, crazy
tabby – the common type of domestic cat, grey with dark stripes (the name is usually applied to a female cat)
takes the edge off his potential viciousness – makes him less vicious. Literally, the expression means 'to make blunt': e. g. to take the edge off a knife; but it is also widely used figuratively, meaning 'to make less sharp or keen: e. g. to take the edge off an argument.
Lifemanship – the art of living, of coexistence (a word coined by analogy with penmanship 'the art of, or skill in, writing')
outboard engine (or motor) – a small internal-combustion engine with a propeller, fastened to the stern of a small boat and producing a loud noise
debauched (from debauch, v.) - dissipated, given to intemperance (as excessive eating or drinking)
by virtue of your grasshopper-like activities – owing to the way you keep rushing from one place to another (again Durrell chooses an elaborate, scientific-sounding mode of expression, with by virtue of and activities)