Five-Forty-Eight-John Cheever

(Reviews)

turn the tables扭轉形勢 (get the upper hand of you)

outwit (to defeat somebody/something or gain an advantage over them by doing something clever （智力上）超過，勝過)

callous (not caring about other people's feelings or suffering 冷酷無情的；無同情心的；冷漠的) use of others

brief but harrowing (very shocking or frightening and making you feel very upset 令人腸斷的；使人十分難過的；恐怖的) ordeal of a selfish, thoughtless male executive

feeds on those who are weak, confident that there will be no dire (very serious 極其嚴重的；危急的; very bad 極糟的；極差的) consequences

oblivious (not aware of something 不知道；未注意；未察覺)

Tabby (a cat with brown or grey fur marked with dark lines or spots 斑貓（毛皮灰色或褐色，帶有深色斑條或斑點）)

astute (very clever and quick at seeing what to do in a particular situation, especially how to get an advantage 精明的；狡猾的)

deranged精神錯亂的；精神失常的；瘋狂的

the author’s diction belies (to show that something cannot be true or correct 顯示（某事）不正確；證明（某事）錯誤 ) that explanation

(the book)
revolving doors

coffee ring - a sweet roll环形咖啡糕

Gibson - a dry martini with a small pickled onion instead of an olive

precipitate 促使

rancid 令人作嘔的 smell

retentiveness 好記性的

backhand 左鈄的書法

dresser 梳妝台

switchboard (電話)按線總機

local 慢車

pallor 蒼白

sumptuary law (限定個人費用的law) - originally, Roman laws regulating the expenditures for clothes that could be worn in public. Cheever uses this term to suggest that most people wear conventional clothes that will not make them appear different from others.

(Sumptuary laws (from Latin sumptuariae leges) are laws that attempt to regulate habits of consumption. Black's Law Dictionary defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures in the matter of apparel, food, furniture, etc."[1] Traditionally, they were laws that regulated and reinforced social hierarchies and morals through restrictions on clothing, food, and luxury expenditures. In most times and places, they were ineffectual.)

(Conspicuous consumption is lavish spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth.)

The physical charms that had been her only attraction were gone.

estrangement分居

Out of the corner of his eye

I don'tlike to inconvenience you like this.

hams (人) 大腿後部

in overalls 工作褲

predicament 困境

at the mercy of the woman beside him

clairvoyant - a person who can see the future有洞察力的人

ramshackle (of buildings, vehicles, furniture, etc. 建築物、車輛、傢具等 in a very bad condition and needing repair 搖搖欲墜的；破爛不堪的)

you're the only obstacle between me and my happiness.

But you don't know what I've been through

He raised his head.