actionable: illegal; something that could result in a legal charge or suit (an "action") being filed.

affaire de coeur: "an affair of the heart," a romantic involvement (French).

Albert chain: a style of chain for a pocket-watch, name for Prince Albert (1819-61), husband and consort of Queen Victoria.

Andover, The Hague: Andover is a town in England, The Hague a city in Holland.

bald: obvious, frank, blunt.

Balzac: Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), French novelist.

bang: suddenly, do or go suddenly.

bisulphate of baryta: barium hydroxide.

Bordeaux: a seaport in south-west France, famous for the wines produced in the surrounding region.

broken wire bell: Before electric doorbells, such bells were rung by pulling (or twisting) a handle near the door. Holmes means that, in such a state, the woman would pull (or twist) hard enough on the handle that she would break the wire to the bell.

Camberwell: borough of London, south of the Thames.

claret: a dry red wine, especially a Bordeaux.

cumbrous: cumbersome, awkward, clumsy.

dénouement: the outcome or resolution of a story or plot; generally, what comes after the climax of the story.

dint of a pince-nez: marks made on the sides of the nose by a pince-nez, or "pinch-nose," eyeglasses with no ear-pieces, which stay on by pressing on either side of the nose.

Duchess of Devonshire: Georgiana Cavendish (1757-1806), the witty and fashionable Duchess of Devonshire, remained an English cultural icon throughout the 19th century, and was often portrayed wearing one of the large, plumed hats of the period.

Mrs. Etherege: apparently, one of Sherlock Holmes' unrecorded cases.

four-wheeler: an enclosed carriage with four wheels and doors on both sides; the driver usually sat in the front on top.

full-sailed merchant-man: the comparison is to a big merchant ship, with all its sails unfurled.

gaiters: spats or leggings, covering from shoe-top to as high as the calf.

goodwill and interest: "Interest" refers to the tangible assets of a business, such as its inventory equipment, machinery, and property. "Goodwill" is the intangibles, including the business's reputation, customer loyalty, and so on.

Hafiz: the pen-name of Shams ud-Din Muhamed, a 14th century Persian poet.

hansom: a horse-drawn covered carriage for two passengers, with the driver's seat above and behind.

Harris tweed: a tweed, or relatively rough wool fabric woven with two or more colors, on the island of Harris, in the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland.

Horace: Quintus Horatius Flaccus, (65-8 BCE) a Roman poet.

hunting crop: a short, looped whip used in horseback riding, in this case a hunt.

the King of Bohemia, the Irene Adler papers: a reference to the earlier Sherlock Holmes story, "A Scandal in Bohemia."

outré: exaggerated, bizarre (French)

panoply: any large, decorative covering (in this case, her hat).

quinsy and swollen glands: tonsillitis.

St. Saviour's, King's Cross, St. Pancras Hotel: fictitious names for a church and a hotel near the King's Cross railway station in the Camden Town part of London, due north of the City.

The Sign of Four: title of an 1890 Sherlock Holmes novel.

A Study in Scarlet: title of the first Sherlock Holmes novel (1887).

Sundy-school treat: an innocent entertainment.

teetotaler: someone who does not drink alcoholic beverages; a non-drinker.

vacuous: empty, idle, lacking in purpose or intelligence.

Voilà tout: That is all (French).