Vocabulary in And Then There Were None

By or in itself, without reference to anything else; used here to mean something considered on its own terms, apart from outside factors.

Custom-made or specially ordered to a particular person's requirements, rather than bought ready-made off the shelf.

A British informal term for a person, usually a man, regarded with mild irritation or contempt, though sometimes used almost affectionately.

Strange, odd, or unsettling in a way that is hard to explain; used throughout in its older sense of 'peculiar,' not as a term of sexuality.

Annoyed or mildly offended by something; feeling inconvenienced or slighted by another person's behaviour.

A male domestic servant employed in a private household, typically performing duties such as waiting at table or attending to a gentleman.

In the British legal system, a lawyer who handles legal paperwork, gives advice, and deals with clients directly, as distinct from a barrister who argues cases in court.

An early mechanical device for playing recorded sound from a disc; the period equivalent of a record player or turntable.

A person formally charged with a crime; here used in the legal sense of someone whose guilt is being declared or alleged.

A public official who investigates deaths that are sudden, violent, or unexplained, and holds an official inquiry called an inquest to determine the cause.

A formal legal inquiry, usually conducted by a coroner, to establish the facts surrounding a sudden or suspicious death.

A type of handgun with a rotating cylinder holding several cartridges, allowing multiple shots to be fired without reloading.

Relating to a needle or syringe used to inject substances beneath the skin; here associated with the administration of a drug or poison.

A drug or substance that calms a person, reduces anxiety, and induces drowsiness or sleep.

A waterproof raincoat, originally made from rubberised fabric; a standard item of British outdoor clothing in the period.

An expression of blame, disappointment, or disapproval directed at someone for a fault or failure.

A person who believes that people are motivated purely by self-interest and is dismissive of sincerity or idealism in others.

A state of sluggishness, tiredness, and lack of energy or motivation, sometimes caused by fear, illness, or drugs.

To wave or flourish a weapon or object in a threatening or dramatic way so that others can clearly see it.

Deliberate deceptiveness in speech or behaviour; saying one thing while intending or doing another.

To officially clear someone of blame or a criminal charge; to declare that a person is not guilty of wrongdoing.

Planned or thought out in advance before being carried out; used in law to indicate that a crime was deliberate rather than impulsive.

Deserving blame or censure for a wrongful act; morally or legally responsible for harm done to another.

To think deeply and carefully about something; to ponder or reflect at length on a problem or question.

An addition or note appended after the main body of a document or letter, often introduced by the abbreviation P.S.