Vocabulary in Jekyll and Hyde

Made clearer or easier to understand. Here it means that talking about a troubling matter does not actually explain or resolve it.

Stepped on and crushed something or someone underfoot with force. In this text it describes a man walking directly over a child's body without stopping.

A Victorian idiom meaning a situation that looks suspicious, dishonest, or financially ruinous. Utterson uses it to mean: the more something seems shady or wrong, the fewer questions he asks.

Resembling a cave-dweller; primitive, brutish, and barely human in appearance or manner. Used here to suggest Hyde looks like a creature from an earlier, savage stage of human evolution.

A state of deep unease, anxiety, or mental disturbance. It describes the troubled, unsettled feeling Utterson is left with after his encounter with Hyde.

The one and only person named in a legal document, such as a will, to receive all of someone's money and property when they die.

A legal document in which a person states who should receive their money, property, and possessions after they die.

Mysterious and difficult to understand or explain. Used to describe Hyde as a figure whose identity and connection to Jekyll make no obvious sense.

In a way that shows no sympathy or concern for other people's suffering. It describes Hyde's cold, indifferent manner when paying off the girl's family.

Shockingly ugly or distorted in a way that causes horror or disgust. Used to describe Hyde's physical appearance as something deeply wrong and unnatural.

In a state of serious decay and disrepair from age or neglect. It describes the run-down, shabby condition of the building and door connected to Jekyll's laboratory.

Giving a strong feeling that something evil or harmful is present or intended. Used to describe the threatening, ominous quality of the door on the otherwise ordinary street.

Having no moral principles; willing to do anything, however dishonest or harmful, to get what one wants. It describes Hyde's complete freedom from conscience or ethical restraint.

The crime of demanding money or favors from someone by threatening to reveal damaging secrets about them. Utterson fears Hyde is using this against Jekyll to gain control of his estate.

A liquid mixture, often associated with magic or secret science, that causes a dramatic physical or mental change in whoever drinks it. Here it is the drug Jekyll brews to transform himself.

A small glass bottle used to hold liquid, especially a medicine or chemical. In the text it is the container of poison found in Hyde's dead hand.

To go back to a previous state or form. Jekyll uses it to mean returning to his original self after having transformed into Hyde.

Containing unwanted or foreign substances mixed in; not chemically clean. The text reveals that a specific batch of salt worked only because of an accidental impurity Jekyll could not reproduce.

An archaic way of saying 'allow me' or 'permit me.' Jekyll uses it to ask Utterson to let him handle his own affairs without interference.

Highly respected and admired in society because of one's achievements, rank, or reputation. Used to describe the high-status, prominent guests at Jekyll's dinner party.

Well known and important in public life or society. It describes Jekyll's high social standing as a respected professional in Victorian London.

Slow to show feelings or opinions; quiet and restrained in manner. It describes Utterson's personality as someone who keeps to himself and does not easily express emotion.

A person who is legally entitled to receive someone else's money, property, or title, especially when that person dies. Hyde is named Jekyll's heir in the will.