The Umbrella Man by Roald Dahl

peer
to look very carefully or hard, esp. as if not able to see clearly

jolly
1 very.
2 jolly well (used for giving force to an expression) certainly; really. This use of jolly is often thought to be typical of upper-class people.

nerve n
1 any of the threadlike parts of the body which form a system to carry feelings and messages to and from the brain
2 courage, determination, and self-control.
3 derog disrespectful rudeness.

tilt v
to (cause to) slope (as if) by raising one end.
tilt at sbdy. phr v [T]
1 to attack in speech or writing
2 (in former times) to charge at with a LANCE
3 tilt at windmills: to fight imaginary enemies

huddle v to (cause to) crowd together, in a group or in a pile.

golly interj old-fash infml. an expression of surprise

edge v
1 [T (with)] to provide with an edge or border.
2 [I+adv/prep; T+obj+adv/prep] to (cause to) move gradually, esp. with small sideways movements.
3 to cut the edges of (an area of grass) with a tool that cuts into the ground, in order to make a straight line and a neat appearance.

scrape n
1 an act or sound of scraping
2 a mark or wound made by scraping
3 infml an unpleasant, but not very serious, situation or difficulty.

frosty adj
1 a very cold.
2 unfriendly; cold.

simper v
to smile in a silly unnatural way; used especially of girls -simper n -~ingly adv

bat v
1 to close and open (the eyes) quickly, sometimes as a sexual invitation.
2 not bat an eye(lid) infml to show no sign of surprise or shock: She paid the exorbitant bill without batting an eyelid.

clasp n
1 a usu. metal fastener for holding together two things or two parts of one thing,
2 [usu. sing.] a tight firm hold, esp. by someone's hand or arms; GRIP

trickster n
a person who deceives or cheats people

sum up phr v
to give a statement of the main points of (a report, a speech, a trial, etc.); SUMMARIZE.

nimble adj
1 quick, light, and neat in movement.
2 quick in thinking or understanding.

dodge v
1 to avoid (something) by moving suddenly aside.
2 infml to avoid (a responsibility, duty, etc.) by a trick or in some dishonest way; EVADE.
bustle v
to be busily active, often with much noise..

snap v
1 (usu. of something thin and stiff) to (cause to) break suddenly and sharply off or in two parts.
2 to move so as to cause a sharp sound like something suddenly breaking.
3 to speak or say quickly, usu. in an annoyed way,
4 to close the jaws quickly.
6 snap one's fingers to attract attention by making a noise by moving the second finger quickly along the thumb.
7 snap one's fingers at BrE to show no respect for,
8 snap out of it infml [usu. imperative] to free oneself quickly from an unhappy or unhealthy state of mind
9 snap someone's head off infml to answer someone in a sharp angry way.
snap sthg. up phr v to take or buy quickly and eagerly.