 The Necklace Explanation, Line by Line, Meaning of Difficult Words, English CBSE Class 10 NCERT Footprints without Feet Chapter 7
THE NECKLACE
(Explanation and Meaning of difficult words)
Author – Guy De Maupassant
| Word | Meaning |
| Pretty | Beautiful |
| Destiny | Fate, Providence, Luck |
| Error of destiny | Unfortunately, Unluckily |
She was a beautiful young lady. Unfortunately she was born in a family in which people did the job of clerks.
| Word | Meaning |
| Dowry | Savings |
| Means | Method |
| Become known | Become famous |
| Distinguished | Famous, Eminent, Well known |
| Petty | Low rank, Unimportant |
She did not have any savings of money or any hope. She did not have any method to become famous or earn love of anyone. She had no opportunity to marry a rich or famous or well-known person. So she had to marry a low rank clerk who worked in the office of Board of Education.
| Word | Meaning |
| Incessantly | Continuously, Endlessly |
| Luxuries | Comforts |
| Delicacies | Better things, Pleasures |
She was a simple lady but she was unhappy. She continuously suffered. She felt that she deserved all the comforts and pleasures in her life.
| Word | Meaning |
| Shabby | Dirty |
| Worn Chairs | Old chairs |
| Tortured | Made unhappy, Distressed |
She was living in a poor apartment that had dirty walls and old chairs. She felt very sad and angry because of all these things.
| Word | Meaning |
| Uncover | Remove the cover |
| Tureen | Serving bowl |
| With a delighted air | Happily |
| Elegant | Stylish |
| Exquisite | Superb |
| Marvellous | Excellent |
When she and her husband sat at the dining table for dinner, her husband would happily remove cover of the serving bowl. He would appreciate the potpie ( a dish)Â and that it was the best dish known to him. Then she would dream of stylish dinners and of silver bowls. She would think of superb food served in excellent plates.
| Word | Meaning |
| Despair | Hopelessness |
She did not have good cloths or jewellery and she liked these things. One of her friends was rich. They had studied in the same convent school. She did not like to go to her friend. She felt very sad when she came back to her own house. She would weep for many days because of hopelessness and disappointment.
| Word | Meaning |
| Elated | Happy |
| Bearing | Holding |
| Drew out | Took out |
| Inscribed | Written |
One evening when his husband returned home, he was very happy. He was holding a large envelop in his hand. He said to her that there was something for her. She quickly took out a printed card from the envelope. Following words were written on it:
The minister of Public Instruction and Madam George Ramponneau invite Mr. and Mrs. Loisel on Monday evening, January 18, at the residence of Minister.
| Word | Meaning |
| Delighted | Happy |
| Spitefully | Insultingly, |
| Murmur | Speak in low voice |
| Suppose | Imagine |
Her husband had hoped that she would be happy to receive the invitation. But she threw the invitation insultingly on the table. She asked her husband what he imagined or wanted her to do with that invitation.
| Word | Meaning |
| My dearie | My dear |
Her husband told, he thought that the invitation would make her happy. You never go anywhere out of the house and this is a good occasion. Everybody wants to go there. But the invitation is given to selected employees only. You will meet all the officers there.
| Word | Meaning |
| Irritated | Angry, Sad |
| Impatiently | Quickly, Without thinking |
| Suppose | Think, Assume |
She looked at him angrily. She quickly said what he thought she would wear on such an occasion. [She wants to say that she does not have good dress]
| Word | Meaning |
| Stammer | Hesitate |
| Stupefied | Shocked |
| Dismay | Disappointment |
He had not thought about that. He spoke with hesitation. You have a dress that you wear when we go to the theatre. It looks beautiful to me. His wife started crying. He became silent. He was shocked and disappointed when his wife started weeping. He hesitatingly asked her what the reason was.
| Word | Meaning |
| Violent | Great, Big |
| Vexation | Anger, Annoyance |
With a great effort she controlled her anger. She wiped tears from her cheeks. She answered in a calm voice that she did not have any good dress and therefore she cannot go to this party. She said that he should give the card to his colleague whose wife had better dress to wear.
| Word | Meaning |
| Grieved | Became sad |
| Costume | Dress |
He became sad but replied her. He said to Matilda to discuss about the cost of a suitable dress. A very simple dress which will be suitable for other occasions also.
| Word | Meaning |
| Reflected | Thought |
| Sum | Amount |
| Refusal | Denial, Saying no |
| Frightened | Afraid |
| Exclamation | Surprise |
| Economical | Miser, One who spends less |
She thought for some time about the amount she should ask. She was thinking about an amount that would not frighten and surprise the miser clerk. An amount which he will not be able to immediately refuse.
| Word | Meaning |
| Ought to cover | Should be enough |
| Franc | Currency of France |
Finally she said with lot of hesitation that she cannot tell the exact amount. But I think that four hundred franc should be sufficient to buy a dress.
| Word | Meaning |
| Lark | A type of bird |
Colour of his face became yellow because he had saved exactly the same amount. He wanted to buy a gun from this amount so that he can go with his friends for hunting during next summer season. His friends used to go for hunting larks on every Sunday.
| Word | Meaning |
| Nevertheless | However |
However he said that he will give her four hundred francs. He asked her to buy a beautiful dress.
| Word | Meaning |
| Day of the ball | Day of the party |
| Anxious | Worried |
The day of the party came closer. Mrs. Loisel appeared sad, upset and worried. However her dress was almost ready. One evening her husband asked why she was behaving strangely for last two or three days. What was the reason for her strange behaviour.
| Word | Meaning |
| Vexed | Annoyed |
| Jewel | Jewellery |
| Adorn | Decorate |
| Poverty stricken look | Looks of a poor person |
She replied that she was sad because she did not have any jewellery. I do not have anything to look beautiful. I will have looks of a poor person. I would not like to go to this party.
| Word | Meaning |
| Look very chick | Look very beautiful |
| Convinced | Agreed |
| Humiliating | Insulting |
| Shabby | Old fashioned |
| Midst of | In the middle of, Among |
He replied that she can wear some natural flowers. In this season flowers look very beautiful. She did not agree. She said that it was very insulting to look like a poor and old fashioned person among rich ladies.
| Word | Meaning |
| Lend | To give on loan |
Then her husband exclaimed loudly that they were really stupid. He asked her to meet her friend Mrs. Forestier. She should request Mrs. Forestier to give her jewellery on loan. She shouted with joy. She said it was true that she had not thought about this idea.
| Word | Meaning |
| Distress | Trouble, Sorrow |
| Closet | Almira |
The next day she went to house of her friend. She narrated her problem to her friend. Mrs. Forestier went to her almira and brought a large jewellery box. She opened it and asked Matilda to choose jewellery from it.
| Word | Meaning |
| Admirable | Appreciable, Good |
| Workmanship | Quality |
Matilda looked at many jewellery. These were of very good quality. One by one she wore these jewellery and looked in the mirror. She could not decide which of these she should take or not to take any of them.
Then hesitatingly Matilda asked Mrs. Forestier if she had more jewellery. Mrs. Forestier replied that she can herself search in the jewel box. She did not know which jewellery Matilda would like.
| Word | Meaning |
| Discovered | Found |
| Superb | Excellent |
Suddenly, in a black box made of satin cloth, she found an excellent necklace of diamond. Her hands were shaking when she took it out.
| Word | Meaning |
| Ecstatic | Very happy |
| Lend | To give on loan |
Matilda placed the necklace near her throat and her dress. She looked in the mirror and she felt very happy. Then in very hesitating voice and full of eagerness she asked Mrs. Forestier if she could give only that necklace on loan. She said yes, she can surely lend.
| Word | Meaning |
| Embraced | Hugged |
Matilda put her head on the shoulder of Forestier and hugged her. Then she went to his home with the necklace.
| Word | Meaning |
| Elegant | Stylish |
| Gracious | Courteous, Friendly |
On the day of the party Mrs. Loisel was very successful. She was the most beautiful woman in the party. She was the most stylish, courteous and was very happy. Every man noticed her, praised her, asked her name and wanted to meet her.
| Word | Meaning |
| Enthusiasm | Passion, Zeal, Energy |
| Intoxicated | Extremely happy, Slightly out of control |
She danced with lot of passion. She was so happy that she was slightly out of control. She thought of only appreciations she received. She thought of this as a complete victory. She liked the part very much.
| Word | Meaning |
| Went home | Stopped participating |
| Saloon | Room |
She stopped participating in activities around four in the morning. Her husband was half asleep in one of the rooms. Three other men were also sleeping in that room whose wives were enjoying the party very much.
| Word | Meaning |
| Modest | Simple |
| Wraps | Shawl |
| Clashed | Not matching, Opposite |
| Fur | Coat made of hair and skin of animal |
| Rich | Expensive |
He put a shawl around her shoulder. They had brought this simple cover with them. The shawl was not matching with the stylish dress of the party. She wanted to go away quickly without being seen by other women. Other women had covered themselves with expensive coats made of fur.
| Word | Meaning |
| Detained | Stopped |
| Descend | Climb down |
| Rapidly | Quickly |
| Seek | Search, Call |
| Hailing | Call loudly |
Loisel tried to stop her and told that he would call a cab. But she did not listen to him and climbed down the steps quickly. When they had reached the street, they did not find any car [A carriage driven by horse]. They began to search for a car. The called the coachman [Driver of carriage] who was very far from them.
They walked along the river. They were shivering and had no hope of finding a car. Finally they found an old carriage which is normally found in the night at Paris.
| Word | Meaning |
| Wearily | Tired |
| Apartment | House |
The car took them right up to door of their house. Very tired, they went into their house. The party was over for her, she wanted to sleep for the whole day. He remembered that he would need to go to his office by ten in the morning.
She removed the shawl from her shoulder and stood before the mirror. She wanted to have a final look at her beautiful image. Suddenly she started shouting. The necklace was not around her neck.
| Word | Meaning |
| Dismay | Annoyance, Shock |
Loisel had changed half of his clothes. He asked her what the matter was. She looked at him and told that she did not have Mrs. Forestier’s necklace. He got up with a shock. He said how that could happen, it was not possible.
| Word | Meaning |
| Folds | Bends, Pleats |
| Cloak | A type of coat |
They looked in the folds of dress and in the folds of coat, in pockets and everywhere. They could not find the necklace.
He asked if she was sure that the necklace was with her when they came out of the house of minister. She said yes, she had felt (touched) it.
He said if the necklace had fallen in the street, we should have heard the sound of fall. That means the necklace is in the car. She said yes it is possible and asked if he had noted number of the car. None of them had noted the number of car.
| Word | Meaning |
| Utterly | Extremely, Completely |
| Cast down | Worried, Depressed |
The looked at other. They were extremely worried. Finally Loisel put on his dress once again. He said that he was going on the same route where they had walked. He wanted to find the necklace. She remained seated in her night gown. She did not have the courage to sleep.
Around seven o’ clock, her husband came back to house. He could not find necklace. He went to police and office of the cars to lodge a complaint. He gave advertisement in newspaper. He offered a reward for any one who found it.
| Word | Meaning |
| Bewilderment | Shock |
| Frightful | Horrible |
She waited at home throughout the day. She was very much shocked due to this horrible disaster. Loisel came back home in the evening. His face was yellow. He had not found anything.
| Word | Meaning |
| Clasp | Hook |
He asked her to write to her friend that hook of the necklace was broken and that she will get it repaired. This will give us some time. She wrote as per his dictation.
After seven days they had lost all hopes of finding the necklace. Loisel had started looking five years older in just these seven days. He declared that they should replace the jewelry. [They should buy a new necklace and give it to Mrs. Forestier]
| Word | Meaning |
| Chaplet | Necklace, Garland |
In the shop named Palais-Royal they found a necklace of diamonds. This necklace looked exactly like the necklace they had lost. Its cost was forty thousand francs. But they could buy for thirty-six thousand francs
| Word | Meaning |
| Possessed | Had, Owned |
| Rest | Remaining |
| Ruinous | Destructive, Harmful |
| Usurer | Who lends money at high interest |
Loisel had eighteen thousand francs. This amount his father had left for him when he died. He borrowed the remaining amount. He made disastrous promises. He borrowed money at very high interest rate from usurers and every other moneylender.
| Word | Meaning |
| Merchant | Shopkeeper |
He went to buy the new necklace. He paid thirty-six thousand francs at the counter of shopkeeper and bought the necklace.
| Word | Meaning |
| Latter | Opposite of former |
| Frigid | Bitter, Unemotional |
Mrs. Loisel took the new jewelry to Mrs. Forestier. Mrs. Forestier told in a bitter voice that she should have returned the jewelry earlier. Because I might have needed it.
| Word | Meaning |
| Perceive | Recognise, Understand |
| Substitution | Replacement, Not original |
| Robber | Thief |
Mrs. Forestier did not open the jewelry box. Mrs. Loisel had a fear that she will open the box. Mrs. Loisel was thinking what Mrs. Forestier would say if she recognized that it was another necklace. Would she consider Mrs. Loisel a thief?
| Word | Meaning |
| Horrible | Difficult |
| Heroically | Like a brave person |
| Frightful | Terrifying |
Mrs. Loisel now understood the difficult life of needy people. She played her role like a brave person. It was necessary to return the horrible debt. She was determined to pay it back.
| Word | Meaning |
| Sent away | Removed |
| Lodging | Place where one stays |
| Attic | Room on upper floor |
They removed the maid. They changed their place of staying. They took rooms on upper floor of a house on rent. [This was done to save money]
| Word | Meaning |
| Odious | Unpleasant, Not liked |
| Soiled linen | Dirty clothes |
| Dishcloths | Cloths used in kitchen |
| Refuse | Garbage |
She learned to do unpleasant works of kitchen. She herself washed utensils. She washed the dirty cloths and clothes used in kitchen. She hung these clothes on a string to dry. Every morning she took the garbage of the house up to the street. She brought water up to their house. She would stop at each landing of stair to take some breath.
| Word | Meaning |
| Haggle | To bargain |
| Sou | A currency of France of small value |
She wore clothes like an ordinary woman. She herself went to different shops to buy things for the house. She had a basket in her arm. While shopping she used to bargain the smallest amount of money.
Her husband did some extra work in the evening. He used to arrange books for a shopkeeper in the evening. In the night he used to copy some papers for five sous ( smaller denomination of franc, just like paise to rupee)Â per page. They lived this style of life for ten years. After ten years everything became as before. Means they had paid back the debt.
| Word | Meaning |
| Crude | Rough, Unrefined |
| Awry | Unusual |
Mrs. Loisel looked very old now. She had now become a rough and tough woman. She looked like a rough woman of a poor house. Her hair were combed in a bad manner. Her dresses were unusual. Her hands had become hard and red. She spoke loudly. She still used to wash floor of her house with lot of water.
| Word | Meaning |
| Former | Earlier, Previous |
| Flattered | Appreciated |
But sometimes, when her husband was in his office, she used to sit before a window. She used to think about the evening party she had earlier gone to. She used to think about the party where she looked so beautiful and everybody appreciated her.
| Word | Meaning |
| Singular | Alone |
| Ruin | To destroy. To spoil |
If she had not lost the necklace, her life would have been different. Everyone needs to face problems life alone, nobody supports. Life is full of changes. Even a small incidence can spoil or improve the life.
| Word | Meaning |
| Get rid of | To remove |
| Perceive | Recognize |
One Sunday she was taking a walk in Champs-Elysees. She was taking the walk to remove the feeling of having done hard work during the week. She suddenly recognized a woman who was walking with a child.
| Word | Meaning |
| Affected | Impressed |
She was Mrs. Forestier. She was still looking young, beautiful and attractive. Mrs. Loisel was impressed. After a bit of thought, she decided to speak to her. Because she had already returned the necklace to her so she wanted to tell her the complete story.
| Word | Meaning |
| Astonished | Surprised |
| Familiar | Known |
| Common personage | Unknown person |
She went near to her and said good morning Jeanne.[The first name of Mrs. Forestier was Jeanne]. Mrs. Forestier did not recognize her. Mrs. Forestier was surprised that an unknown person was addressing her by her first name. Which meant that she knew Mrs. Forestier.
| Word | Meaning |
| Must be mistaken | Making a mistake |
| Astonishment | Surprise |
Mrs. Forestier said Madam, I do not know you. Probably you are making a mistake. She replied that it was not a mistake, she was Matilda Loisel. Now Mrs. Forestier was surprised. She told that Matilda had changed a lot.
Matilda replied that she had gone through some difficult and horrible time because of her. Mrs. Forestier asked why that was because of her.
Matilda asked Mrs. Forestier to recall that she had loaned a necklace to her. She wanted to wear that at the party of Minister. Mrs. Forestier said she remembers it. Matilda told that she had lost it. Mrs. Forestier said that she had returned it to her.
| Word | Meaning |
| Decently | Nicely |
| Content | Satisfied |
Matilda told that she returned exactly the same necklace. And it had taken them ten years to repay the loan. She requested Mrs. Forestier to understand that it was very difficult for them who did not have money. But now the loan has been repaid. I am nicely satisfied about it.
| Word | Meaning |
| Stop short | Suddenly stop |
Mrs. Forestier suddenly stopped Matilda from speaking more. Mrs. Forestier asked Matilda if she had bought a diamond necklace to replace her necklace. Matilda asked if she recognized it or not. They were exactly similar.
| Word | Meaning |
| Was touched | Was grateful, Impressed |
Mrs. Forestier smiled with pride and simple happiness. Mrs. Forestier was so impressed that she took both hand of Mrs. Loisel into her hands and said my necklace had false diamonds. Value of my necklace was less than five hundred francs
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